Free Fall is the name of Jesper Lovdal´s newest cd, composed, arranged and recorded in a close collaboration with american drummer Jeff Ballard, american pianist Sam Yahel and danish bassplayer Jonas Westergaard.
As an experienced composer and bandleader with 3 released cds in his own name – with a.o. Tim Hagans and Coung Vu – this is Jesper Lovdal´s first cd with mainly american musicians.
And the group fully succeds in playing with a both melodic surprising and energetic soothing bandsound with strong inspiration from as different places as impressionistic classical music and Vestafrican drumtradition.
Jesper Lovdal received a Danish Music Award (grammy) for ”jazzrelease of 2007) with his group Lovedale (Grill Music). Lovedale´s first cd was also DMA-nominated and Jesper Lovdal received at the same time the Bent Jædig-prize. He has recorded and toured with Lew Soloff, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Paal Nilssen-Love, Michael Formanek, Kresten Osgood and Tim Hagans.
Sam Yahel, being one of the most touring musicians on the Hammond B3-organ, is exclusively playing acoustic piano and reveils himself as a pianoplayer fully matching Brad Meldau and legend Keith Jarret with a charataristic connection to classical music.
Jeff Ballard has made a name the last 10 years as the hippest drummer in the world right now. His unique use of african rythms shows to be perfect for Jesper Lovdal´s music, and Jeff´s personal drumsound is giving the whole cd lots of color. In both his own group, Fly with Mark Turner and Larry Granadier, and when he plays with Chick Corea, Brad Meldau or Joshua Redman Jeff Ballard is 100 percent himself.
Jonas Westergaard plays and records with Oliver Lake, John Tchicai, Michael Blake, Jens Winther, Kresten Osgood and his own large group with a.o. Jesper Zeuthen and Jacob Bro. Jonas has received the danish Jacob Gade award and the Danish Radio P2 prize. |