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Free Improvisation Moves in Among Dim Sum and Hot Pots

自由即兴创作比性爱更好! – »Free improvisation is better than sex.« According to drummer Kresten Osgood, the saying is attributed to Confucius. Whether the ancient Chinese philosopher ever uttered those words is doubtful. But the quote perfectly captures the spirit of one of the most unusual events at this year's Copenhagen Jazz Festival.

From 7–11 July, pianist Søren Kjærgaard and drummer Kresten Osgood will take over CC Taste on Amagerbrogade, performing daily from 2–4 pm among diners, dim sum and steaming hot pots.

For years, the two musicians have dreamed of taking free improvisation out of its familiar concert settings and into a place where audiences would least expect to encounter it. The idea emerged when they discovered an old upright piano in the restaurant, which has long served as one of their regular meeting places. Stephanie, the owner of CC Taste, immediately embraced the project.

Kjærgaard and Osgood are cousins who grew up together on Denmark's west coast and have been making music together since childhood. For more than 35 years, their duo has remained a constant thread running through collaborations with artists including Herb Robertson, Tim Berne, Thomas Morgan, Bent Jædig and the musician collective ILK. In recent years, they have toured as a duo in Estonia, Latvia, Finland and Norway.

»We've wanted for a long time to bring our music into places that aren't naturally predisposed to it, and to explore how the music affects an environment where people come to enjoy dim sum and have a lovely lunch,« says Kresten Osgood. »The owner of CC Taste loved the idea, and I think everyone involved is a little excited to see what happens.«

For Søren Kjærgaard, the residency format is equally significant:

»We're really looking forward to playing together in the same place for five consecutive days. That's quite rare in the world of free improvisation, where most performances are one-off concerts or ad hoc constellations. We share an enormous amount of experience and have a very deep musical relationship – yet there's always something at stake whenever we improvise together. We know each other inside out, while constantly seeking the unpredictability that comes from that familiarity.«

The restaurant will remain open throughout the performances, allowing audiences to enjoy lunch while listening to the music. The concerts take place daily from 2–4 pm, and all five performances will be recorded.

playlist

11.09.2023

My name is John Grant – would you like to see my playlist?

»Music has been a healing balm for me.«

John William Grant is an American singer, musician, and songwriter holding both American and Icelandic citizenship. He first came to prominence as a co-founder, lead vocalist, pianist, and primary songwriter of the alternative rock band The Czars. After releasing six albums between 1994 and 2006, the band disbanded, and Grant withdrew from music for four years before embarking on a solo career.

He returned in April 2010 with a critically acclaimed debut album recorded in collaboration with Midlake. Queen of Denmark was named Album of the Year 2010 by Mojo magazine and was also selected as one of the ten best albums of 2010 by The Guardian’s music critics and writers.

playlist

13.06.2023

My name is Allan Gravgaard Madsen – would you like to see my playlist?

»In his music, composer Allan Gravgaard Madsen tries to create a better version of himself.«

Allan Gravgaard Madsen is a Danish composer based in Copenhagen. His most recent works include Träume nicht and Nachtmusik. He tries to create a better version of himself in his music – where his personality tends to be restless, chatty and has an active inner life, his music is controlled, simple and merciless in its expression. He is the recipient of the Carl Nielsen & Anne Marie Carl-Nielsens Hæderspris 2022.

in briefrelease

23.01.2022

Finnish Space Travel

Tomutonttu: »Hoshi«

Vauva, 02.12

Kristoffer Møllegaard

The Finnish multimedia artist Jan Anderzén has, with the album Hoshi, released under the solo moniker Tomutonttu, created a true little star. Not only because »hoshi« literally means »star« in Japanese, but above all due to the music itself. There is something cosmic, yet infinitely minute, about the sonic worlds Anderzén conjures—like a galaxy reflected in a puddle, or a space journey in a rocket carved from a hollow tree trunk. Synths emit busy, warm blips and bloops, while ultra-short vocal and instrumental samples create a recognizable blur. At once artificial and organic – soft, rounded, jagged, crackling.

Anderzén approaches sound with a playfulness I simply adore. His music is strange in an incredibly comforting way. It places me in a kind of colorful, trance-like state, only interrupted when, several times over the course of the album, I find myself smiling in delight at a particularly great sound. The synths on »Katse osuu sähköön!« The choral samples on »Kesä oli äkkiä ohi!« Milo Linnovaara’s flute on »Malta lausua ‘AH’!« And many more. Hoshi is an album packed with microscopic moments that together form a frayed, exploding, radiant, idiosyncratic whole—a stellar moment of just under 38 minutes.