Jacob Young is a guitarist, bandleader, improviser and jazz composer whose sensibilities have been shaped both by the history of the music as it has unfolded in the North and by his deep knowledge of the American jazz tradition, studied also at first hand.
Born in Lillehammer in 1970, Young was introduced to jazz by his American father. At the age of 12 he took up the guitar and was, initially, self-taught on the instrument. After studying music at the University of Oslo, he received a scholarship to the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in Manhattan. His years there "were devoted to learning the standard jazz repertoire as a starting point for a broader understanding of improvised harmonic music." Young's principal teacher was the great guitarist Jim Hall (Jacob's warm, glowing, rounded tone acknowledges the influence ), with whom he studied both privately and in ensemble settings. He also took lessons with John Abercrombie (who later praised his "great playing in and out of the tradition") and studied jazz composition with Richie Beirach, Bob Belden and Ken Werner. After attaining his degree in 1993, Young freelanced around New York for two years playing with, amongst others, Rashied Ali, Marc Copeland, Arnie Lawrence, Junior Mance and Larry Goldings. ...
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Jacob Young is a guitarist, bandleader, improviser and jazz composer whose sensibilities have been shaped both by the history of the music as it has unfolded in the North and by his deep knowledge of the American jazz tradition, studied also at first hand.
Born in Lillehammer in 1970, Young was introduced to jazz by his American father. At the age of 12 he took up the guitar and was, initially, self-taught on the instrument. After studying music at the University of Oslo, he received a scholarship to the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in Manhattan. His years there "were devoted to learning the standard jazz repertoire as a starting point for a broader understanding of improvised harmonic music." Young's principal teacher was the great guitarist Jim Hall (Jacob's warm, glowing, rounded tone acknowledges the influence ), with whom he studied both privately and in ensemble settings. He also took lessons with John Abercrombie (who later praised his "great playing in and out of the tradition") and studied jazz composition with Richie Beirach, Bob Belden and Ken Werner. After attaining his degree in 1993, Young freelanced around New York for two years playing with, amongst others, Rashied Ali, Marc Copeland, Arnie Lawrence, Junior Mance and Larry Goldings.
Back in Norway he issued three albums with mostly his own compositions for local labels with a cast of supporting musicians including Nils Petter Molvaer, Trygve Seim, Arve Henriksen, Bendik Hofseth, Vigleik Storaas, Christian Wallumrød and Jarle Vespestad. Young also caught the attention of long-established Norwegian singer Karin Krog who formed a duo with the guitarist which has since toured the world.
Jacob´s debut album This is You was released on the local Norwegian NORCD label in 1995. Musicians included Larry Goldings, Terje Gewelt, Per Oddvar Johansen, Nils Petter Molvær and Bendik Hofseth. The follow-up album Pieces of Time was released in 1997 (Curling Legs label). Musicians included Trygve Seim, Vigleik Storaas, Mats Eilertsen, Mathias Svensson and Per Oddvar Johansen. A third album Glow was released in 2001 (Curling Legs label). Musicians included Arve Hensiksen, Jarle Vespestad, Mats Eilertsen, Trygve Seim, Knut Reiersrud, Bendik Hofseth, Christian Wallumrød, Vigleik Storaas, Håkon Kornstad, Øyvind Brække, Reidar Skår, Audun Erlien.
In 2001 Karin Krog formed a duo with Jacob which has since toured the world. A Karin Krog/Jacob Young CD Where Flamingos Fly, comprised mostly of standards, was produced by John Surman for Norwegian label Grappa and released in 2002.
The Jacob Young Group has been a working group since 2002 and is uniquely set up by Young to reflect the styles and ideas of three generations of Norwegian improvisers. In desember 2002 they reorded an album for producer Manfred Eichers prestigious German label ECM. Evening Falls was released worldwide in 2004. The album received rave reviews and the group toured and played concerts in Germany, Italy, France, Norway and Holland as a result of this release. After the success of this album the group returned to the studio with Manfred Eicher and recorded the album Sideways with the same group of musicians. The group then toured in Asia and in Europe.
In 2008 Paolo Vinaccia was added on perc/ drums to the group. The extended edition has played concerts with two drums together, both Jon Christensen and Paolo Vinaccia.
Jacob has performed at all the major jazzfestivals and jazzclubs in Norway. He has played concerts and festivals in the USA, Japan, Poland, Czech Republic, India, Slovakian Republic, Austria, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Korea and China.
Produced, played and wrote all the music for the childrens pop/rock album Magiske kroker og hemmeligheter. This project was a collaboration with lyricist Linn Skåber, who is a well known norwegian actress / comedienne. The songs was recorded by a variation of popular singers and well known artist in Norway and gained much radioplay in Norway in 2008/2009. Produced Sander debut album Mellom fjord og fjell, released in 2004. A hip-hop album with acoustic instruments and rap lyrics.
TRYGVE SEIM (musician & composer)
Born in Oslo, Norway, April 25th 1971.
Educated a jazz musician (saxophone) at the jazz conservatory in Trondheim.
Studied composition with Terje Bjørklund, Bertil Palmar Johansen, Edward Vesala and Bjørn Kruse.
Since 1992 working full time as a musician, composer and arranger.
Released 9 records on the prestigious german record label ECM, whereas 5 of them as a band leader and composer and/or co-leader. In 2001 his debut album won the german records critics prize "Jahrespreis – Presi der Deuchten Schallplattenkritik".
MARCIN WASILEWSKI TRIO
"January" is a strong musical statement from a still-young band with a long history already behind it, and an album with an exceptionally wide-ranging programme - all of it played with assurance, purpose and focus. The disc reconfirms that the trio of Marcin Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz and Michal Miskiewicz is one of the most outstanding contemporary jazz groups. Their friend and mentor trumpeter Tomasz Stanko has said, "In the entire history of Polish jazz we've never had a band like this one.
They just keep getting better and better." It was through Stanko's ECM recording "Soul of Things", recorded 2001, that the wider world first had a hint of the capacity of Wasilewski/Kurkiewicz/Miskiewicz. Since then, they've toured widely with Stanko and contributed mightily to his quartet recordings "Suspended Night"and "Lontano", recorded in 2003 and 2005.
As an autonomous force, the trio's biography begins in 1990, when Wasilewski and Kurkiewicz as 15-year old students at the Koszalin High School of Music began playing jazz together. Their first trio was formed the following year. In 1993 drummer Miskiewicz joined them, and the group's line-up has been stable ever since. As the Simple Acoustic Trio they won awards in their homeland and issued five albums on local labels. Their first international release, for ECM, entitled just "Trio" was recorded in 2004 and released the following year, immediately winning the Quarterly Prize of the German Record Critics. In the US, too, critics were taking notice. "Their years together have resulted in an ensemble with an utterly symbiotic creative flow," wrote Don Heckman in the Los Angeles Times.
The release of "January" - recorded in New York with producer Manfred Eicher early in 2007 - also signals a change of name. Henceforth the group is, simply, the MarcinWasilewski Trio. The group continues to be run as a collective of equals, but its members have come to accept the convention that piano trios are traditionally identified by their pianists. Besides, Marcin is the band's principal songwriter: he contributes four pieces to the present disc, including the title track and the beautiful opener, "The First Touch". Wasilewski also, at the urging of the producer, addresses pieces written by Gary Peacock and by Carla Bley - pieces identified with two major pianists, respectively Keith Jarrett and Paul Bley. Wasilewski does not flinch from the challenge but, with his trio partners, makes of this music something of his own.
"Vignette" is a composition by Gary Peacock first heard on the album "Tales of Another", the 1978 ECM recording which marked the coming together of the band later known as Jarrett's "Standards" Trio. The Wasilewski Trio takes it at a statelier pace, and mines it for deeper emotions. A powerful performance, especially in the light of Marcin's indebtedness to Jarrett as a player. Acknowledging the influence, he moves beyond it.
Carla Bley's composition "King Korn" meanwhile is a piece of early 60s vintage that surfaced on Paul Bley's 1963 classic "Footloose" recording with the great trio line-up including Steve Swallow and Pete La Roca. The Polish trio fly at it with invigorating energy and wonderful group interaction (the recording quality illuminating detail with a clarity impossible back in the days when Paul Bley was recording for Savoy), with especially exciting dialogues between Michal Miskiewicz and Wasilewski.
"Balladyna", a Tomasz Stanko tune, was title track of the Polish trumpeter's ECM debut disc (with a rhythm section of Dave Holland and Edward Vesala), back in 1975, the year Wasilewski was born. The trio's dark, swirling rubato performance has the stark drama and predatory lyricism associated Stanko; they've played the piece often in concert with the composer.
On their 2004 ECM disc, the trio offered a luminous version of Björk's "Hyperballad". This season's pop cover is Prince's "Diamonds and Pearls", the ballad from 1991 which gains a deal of mystery in this stripped-down interpretation in which bassist Kurkiewicz shares the melody with Wasilewski.
The cinematic arts are never far away in Polish jazz; ever since 1958, when Komeda first collaborated with Polanski, the genres have influenced each other. Wasilewski's "The Young and Cinema" references an identically-titled festival of new Polish films held in Koszalin. The trio also covers Ennio Morricone's title theme for Giuseppe Tornatore's 1988 film "Cinema Paradiso", itself a celebration of film.
The album closes with a trio improvisation, a free ballad made in the moment and specific to its time and place, "New York 2007". As already demonstrated on Stanko's "Lontano", these are players extremely adept at creating songs in real time.
Marcin Wasilewski and Slawomir Kurkiewicz also appeared on Manu Katché's popular "Neighbourhood" and "Playground" albums. - See more at: http://www.rochesterjazz.com/artist_lineup/?artist_id=1039#sthash.l1h0PNmD.dpuf
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