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Unassuming and earthy jazz 14. November 2008 04:00
WINTERJAZZ, ERLING KRONER NEW MUSIC FEAT. KJELD LAURITSEN
Female soloists put their mark on the opening of Odense Vinterjazz
Comparing Erling Kroner's New Music Orchestra with the Danish Radio Big Band isn't exactly fair. The well-oiled machine that is DRBB, the EKNMO doesn't have, but on the other hand one is sure to get more fire, more joy of playing, which there was a lot of throughout the evening.
And then we could enjoy a happy reunion with the Årets Fynske Jazzmusiker 1994 (Fyen's Jazz Musician of the Year), Dennis Drud, who was in exuberant form behind his drums.
The Samarbejdet with hammond organ player Kjeld Lauritsen offered original music from Lauritsen, Kroner and the band's bass trombonist and tuba player Niels Gerhardt. The arrangements of Kroner stood out as the most exciting, varied and well-sounding, where one could bank on surprising moments and humor, not in the least in "Tango Jalousie" which ended the first set with pomp and circumstance.
Incredible Pernille
Lauritsen's compositions and organ playing brought forth an earthiness and unassumingness which became the orchestra very well. "Gekko Can Dance" was a heavy jazz/rock-tune, while "Jazzgirls" had this sinewy, backwards-tilted feeling that made the orchestra swing optimally. "Club Blues / Like Bob" was of the same ilk and here Kroner had orchestrated a Bob Rockwell tenor-solo for the sax section which played it amazingly well.
Among the soloists I will have to single out, the band leader and Lauritsen apart, more than anybody piano player Marie Louise Schmidt and saxophone player Pernille Bévort who, on soprano as well as tenor sax, was almost unstoppable and more authoritative than I remember her. Her solo in "Club Blues / Like Bob" was one of the evening's high-lights, on a par with Kroner's deeply felt solo on the slow blues "Mr. P.J.".
Fireworks
The evening concluded with an exuberant celebration of Charles Mingus. Kroner's "Candombe Domingus" was a fireworks of Latin American rhythms and chaotic collective playing spaced with spicy solos.
Yes, even though the concert was a bit uneven here and there - especially the second set seemed a bit long, the Odense Vinterjazz was kicked off in a beautiful way.
Magasinet, Wednesday: Erling Kroner New Music Orchestra feat. Kjeld Lauritsen.
Århus Stiftstidende July 14, 2008
Commotion of Østjyder (local folks) at jazz in Århus
MESMERIZING. Argentine singer Laura Hansen of Danish descent overwhelmed with her voice.
TANGO-JAZZ. Although it was only 12 o'clock, the foyer in Musikhuset was already jam-packed with several hundred people at the brunch concert with La Mariposa Tango Project-Erling Kroner New Music Orchestra. They listened and looked avidly without any disturbances.
By MAJA NIELSEN
This is how one succeeds in Århus: 12 o'clock noon the foyer in Musikhuset was crammed with listeners, between 300 to 400 people. All generations said thank you to jazz. And got a quality product as a pay-back.
The music at brunch time was free to listen to. The impressive turn-out of mainly østjyder (locals) suggests that people do indeed want to drift away from their homes and welknown surroundings to experience something different. In this case it was the presentation by Aarhus International Jazz Week of La Mariposa Tango Project and Erling Kroner New Music Orchestra.
The Argentine tango-singer of Danish descent Laura Hansen and her musician-husband Carlos Morera mesmerized the audience together with jazz-tango maestro Erling Kroner's big band.
Sunday past noon the many listeners were jam-packed. Nobody wanted to whisper or chat together nor scramble around with the chairs. They were spell-bound by the concert.
One of the younger listeners, Søren Dall-Hansen, characterized the proceedings thusly:
"We (my wife and I) just returned to Aarhus from our vacation. Then we can continue feeling luxurious by going out into our city to take in beautiful singing, jazz and feeling. That's damned well done by those who take care to make it happen".
Many people no doubt agree with him.
Jyllandsposten July 12, 2008
Erling Kroner New Music Orchestra
By JAKOB LEVINSEN
Copenhagen Jazzhouse, Friday:
ERLING KRONER NEW MUSIC ORCHESTRA with Laura Hansen, vocal, and Carlos Morera, bandoneon
The Danish Tango-pioneer
Just like it isn't really Christmas without sugar-browned potatoes, to me it isn't really Jazz Festival until I've heard Erling Kroner's big band play tango. Over 25 years ago he was among the very first to introduce the Argentine dance music in a modern context, and with various versions of his New Music Orchestra he has cultivated that ever since.
In this version, which will perform tomorrow, Sunday, at Musikhuset Århus, the orchestra is expanded with the - despite her name - Argentine singer Laura Hansen and her spouse Carlos Morera on the small tango-accordion, the bandoneón. She is a master of the tango in its most dense, dramatic version while he full-fills his role with taste and assurance without necessarily reaching the same heights as guest-bandoneonists like Gustavo Toker and Dino Saluzzi that Kroner has worked with in the past.
The relative weakness of the concert in Jazzhouse, with the by the way extremely sharp and to the point orchestra, has to do with the repertoire. It consisted mainly of arrangements of great tangos by other composers, from Argentine grand master Astor Piazzolla to the contribution of Fuen (birthplace of Gade) to the world-history of tango, Jacob Gade's ”Tango Jalousie”.
Their own music
Which was indeed more than competently done, by Kroner and the other main composer and arranger of the orchestra, bass-trombonist Niels Gerhardt. But one would still have preferred to have heard more original big band compositions by the two writers than we did here, (which were) primarily reworkings of other (composers') works for originally other instrumentations, no matter how heartbreaking Piazzolla's "Adios noninho" (sic.) and ”Oblivión” sound no matter what and by whom they are played.
The most exiting though, like we have heard so many times before in this context, happens when all the tango-inspiration is not only arranged but is new-composed from the ground up for the big band medium Kroner masters with more virtuosity and power than most others in these parts. Not unlike when Astor Piazzolla himself, according to legend, sought out the most famous composition-teacher of the 1940’s, Nadia Boulanger in Paris, to become a really fine classical composer in the European fashion, and in stead was told to go home and write some more tangos.
Information, July 14, 2008
By: CHRISTIAN MUNCH-HANSEN
It was like being re-charged/energized with life after a long illness, walking downstairs into Copenhagen Jazzhouse to witness a string of beautifully rendered songs and musical works by La Mariposa Tango Project; Erling Kroner's New Music Orchestra collaborating with the Danish-Argentine singer Laura Hansen and bandoneón-player Carlos Morera. Together they just released the CD Strada Anfosa, which documents a major meeting in/of the arts. Kroner's arrangements have punch and power, and in the second set of the concert, which I heard part of, we among other things were served with nostalgia in a big band version of Gade's "Tango Jalousie". Completely overwhelming, a masterpiece of deliverance from the first to the last note, was "Latinate Laments", composed by Kroner to a poem by Finn Nielsen and performed with verve and nerve by the orchestra and Laura Hansen with charisma and a mesmerizing voice.
Tango Jalousie And All That Jazz
Erling Kroner New Music Orchestra
International Trombone Assoiciation Journal / Audio/Video Reviews
www.trombone.net
Erling Kroner: Theloneliest, Open Letter to Jimmy Knepper, Smokin' Henry, Back-Alley Sue, Pachanga Onetti, Sueño con silla en el cielo. Astor Piazzolla/Erling Kroner: Milonga del Angel, Adiós Nonino. Niels Gerhardt: Gossip, Walking on Solid Grounds, Dance of the Hip Hips. Jacob Gade/Erling Kroner: Tango Jalousie (Tango Tzigane).
TANGO JALOUSIE AND ALL THAT JAZZ is a big band recording by the Erling Kroner New Music Orchestra (EKNMO). The group made its debut in a Copenhagen jazz club in 2005. Prominent use of the tango rhythm in a traditional big band setting helps make this ensemble unique. Playing much more than just tangos, the band delivers ballads, Latin compositions and straight-ahead swing. Most of the members in the band are given room to showcase their solo skills on this CD. Ed Epstein is featured several times. His persuasive bari sax playing leads off the tuba and snare-propelled Gossip. This quirky second-line march alternates between 4/4 and 3/4 in a pleasingly left-footed manner. Walking on Solid Grounds gives Peter Marott the opportunity to put his plunger mute to good use.
Open Letter to Jimmy Knepper features the bandleader on a melancholy trombone line. Vibrato, smears and changing tone colours help to punctuate Kroner's playing on this tribute to Knepper. Here the music of Charles Mingus is brought to mind, as it is in the bluesy Back-Alley Sue. A unison melody, heated ensemble-outbursts, plunger mutes, along with a beefy bass line come together to make Back-Alley Sue a stand-out track. (All that is missing are the guttural vocal cries found on many a Mingus recording.)
In TANGO JALOUSIE AND ALL THAT JAZZ, Erling Kroner successfully applies fresh rhythmic ideas and colourful orchestration to the big band tradition. Clean recording and strong playing make this an effective album.
Donn Schaefer
University of Utah
STILL GREAT
personal email from Don Frank June 2 2008
Erling, Every now and again I dig out the music from your CDs, kick back, and enjoy the fantastic sounds, and the musicianship of not only you, but everyone in your crew--which is a reflection on you, since you chose them. Bravo!...again.
I've been listening again to WALKING ON SOLID GROUNDS from the 2006 CD, TANGO JALOUSIE AND ALL THAT JAZZ, and am blown away by the performance--especially the technique--of the trumpet soloist. The liner notes list four trumpets. Do you recall which player did the solo on that track?
There was a time in my lifetime when there was no way music like yours could be found anywhere except in the
USA. Not anymore; now we have to outsource to Denmark! Your music and and the production values are of the highest quality that there is. I continue to be in awe. Why the hell are you not over here?
(No blushing allowed.)
Don
WORLD CLASS FOR '60 ØRER'
Erling Kroner presented two unique Argentine musicians in Gade Salen Saturday.
By Erik Andresen
http://eavis.vejleamtsfolkeblad.dk 6-11-2007
Vejle
The small, black bellows-accordion is resting on one thigh. A dry, hoarse sound seeps from the instrument as it sucks in air. And then it comes, the sound. The looong, sad sound. The sound of longing, sadness, passion and lust. The musician closes his eyes, and starts embroidering little patterns over a theme that seems to bite its own tail. After a few minutes the sound of a 16 piece big band cuts into the sound of the bandoneón. A collective thrust of a chord that seems to push all the air in the hall against the panorama windows facing north, and we are in business. With a milonga - a tango in an ultra-slow tempo. Composer Astor Piazzolla's heartbreaking farewell to his father, who died in 1960. The title is ’Adios Nonino’, the place is Jacob Gade Salen in Musikteatret, and it is Saturday evening. In the big hall (local rock-greats) Johnny Madsen and Knud Møller are getting ready to go on stage in front of an audience in the hundreds. In here we are just a little more than 30 people. In reality just about twice as many as there are on stage. Erling Kroner's New Music Orchestra, the other large Danish ensemble that has dedicated its œvre to the Argentine tango, is in town.
The Real Thing
And they brought the real thing as soloists. Bandoneón player Carlos Morera - that's him with the small, black accordion, and singer Laura Hansen who, in spite of her Danish name, is Argentine. Her grandparents emigrated from Skive (in Denmark) to Argentina. Her father is of Danish descent, the mother of Italian. And the blood, the temperament is authentic South-American. Band leader Erling Kroner took the initiative to bring her to Denmark for the first time last year, and the collaboration was so successful that she is back again to tour this country with the big band this year.
It turns into a lively evening with 15 unique pieces of music 2 of which are first performances (by Kroner and Niels Gerhardt respectively). Music primarily by tango-maestro Astor Piazzolla and Erling Kroner himself who, for this event, is all dressed up in the characteristic, flat, black hat worn by the gaucho on the Pampas (it's actually a porkpie hat).
Theatrical In The Purest Sense
He (Kroner) tells us about the music with his deep understanding as we go along, and spices it all up with little, tongue-in-cheek anecdotes. Laura Hansen is not merely a singer, but also a dancer and actress and her approach to the music is very theatrical, which in this context is meant as a praise. Profundity and passion emanates from the slender woman with the flame-red hair and a pair of eyes that seem to illuminate the concert hall. In Piazzolla's 'Oblivión' she brings the roof down for the first time. Melodrama at the highest order.
Tango is the music of the feelings, oftentimes with an inherent tragic aspect. Rhythmically the tango is violent in a strangely introvert way. Edgy, syncopated - but with a constant, compulsive drive, pulling the listener forward with it.
The climax of the first set is Kroner's own 'Tangando' - a stomping piece of music, where the excellent soloists of the orchestra are left with ample room. Pernille Bévort on sax, Peter Marott on trumpet and Kroner himself on trombone.
Gade in the Gade Hall
The second set is opened with a Kroner reworking of the Danish tango par excellence - 'Tango Jalousie' by Jacob Gade. It is given a pretty straight-ahead reading. Other than that it is Laura Hansen that overwhelms us in the second part of the concert. With a veritable tour-de-force in a little tongue-in-cheek song about 'they say so many things about me, but it is not true at all - and yet.' Here she is the passionate woman at the top of her game. Flirtatious, teasing - totally erotic. As in ’Balada para un loco’, Piazzolla's song about the dunce, the madman, a person one should not ridicule but rejoice over.
One can fall into despair over the fact that a marvelous orchestra like this can only draw a little over 30 people into town for a Saturday evening. But this is the reality for quality of the highest order. And quality also deserves its audience. And Vejle (the city) is obviously too small for that.
May Jive (the arrangers of the concert) obstinately continue to do the impossible. If not there'll really be reason for the despair. Maybe someone ought to write a tango about that....
Jacob Gade Salen, Saturday evening: Erling Kroner's New Music Orchestra with soloists Carlos Morera and Laura Hansen. Arr.: Jive
- Personal email from William E. "Bill" Gibson, Edwards Artist/Clinician
March 1, 2007
"This is one of the greatest big band recordings of the decade.
Every modern big band enthusiast should check this group out.
The band is red hot!
Your performance on "Open Letter to Jimmmy Knepper" is one of the most
soulful trombone solos I have ever heard."
WEG
The Trombone Forum, February 19, 2007
by Greg Waits
I am sitting here listening to my copy of Erling's new big band release: "Tango Jalousie and all the Jazz"
Holy cow, this is one fantastic release! It is easily one of the best CDs I have heard in a long long time. I recommend any lovers of the jazz tradition and big band music to get a copy. The playing is top shelf all the way, and Erling's writing is phenomenal.
I don't mean to sound america-centric, but I admit that I am biased towards players from on this side of the pond, but this release measures up with anything I have heard. Jazz is Jazz, and these cats can play! It swings hard.
Thanks Erl!
PORTALEN GREVE
Erling Kroner NEW MUSIC ORCHESTRA
featuring Kurt Larsen - accordion
October 28, 2006
"It was good to hear you Saturday afternoon at Portalen. I stand by my short characterization of the music:- Intense, passionate, loving, tender."
- Jack Thimm
- Intense, passionate, loving, tender."
- DR Musik/Jazz
Danish Jazz Albums of the Year
In later years the Danish jazz scene has virtually exploded with new initiatives, record companies and venues popping up everywhere. This combined with a strong body of the more tradition-concious musicians has resulted in a very fruitful jazz scene which has spoilt us, to a certain degree. Maybe that's why 2006 doesn't feel like that explosion of monster-releases (it really is).
But infectious new sounds reverberate and give promises for the future, this year dominated by releases by the ILK association with names like Simon Toldam and Jakob Davidsen, who are mixing jazz music with other inspirational sources. And then there are seductive tango-sounds from Erling Kroner and his New Music Orchestra.
Our five favorites, listed alphabetically, are:
Jakob Davidsen: 'Mangfoldighed' (Calibrated)
Søren Kjærgaard: 'Keys' (ILK)
Erling Kroner New Music Orchestra: 'Tango Jalousie and All That Jazz' (Calibrated)
WBZ: 'Prima Ballerina' (ILK)
Simon Toldam: '& Prügelknabe' (ILK)
by Ib Skovgaard & Tine Godsk Hansen
Jazz Special #92 October 2006
- ERLING KRONER
- Tango Jalousie and all that Jazz
- Calibrated Records cali 028
- The energy that emanates from Erling Kroner's new cd is yet another reminder that he, for more years than anybody cares to remember, has been one of the rocks that are imperative for a jazz environment. Time and again he has gambled everything on ambitious projects which, just from an economic point, shouldn't be possible. But in spite of all this every project he initiates makes it and makes waves, and likewise the Erling Kroner New Music Orchestra.
- Kroner has provided a dozen compositions and arranged eight of them and a ninth - namely Jacob Gade's Tango Jalousie from 1925. By the way in such a way that the title of the cd makes sense. Gade's composition is played rather straight almost jazz-alien - in contrast to the rest of the music on the disc. The last three tunes spring from the pen of Niels Gerhardt, and no stylistic conflict is apparent between the two arrangers, on the contrary Gerhardt in Gossip shows the same love of the warped and different, slightly misfit, which also is a hallmark of Kroner's compositions with their love of the universes of Mingus and Monk and the world of tango.
- EKNMO is a workshop-orchestra, and hence it's impossible for the ensemble-playing not to be a little raggedy here and there. But first and foremost the level the orchestra has reached as a collective, which unleashes Kroner's music with it's deep love of some of the finest traditions of rhythmical music, is really impressive. Most strongly evident in the exquisitely beautiful Open Letter to Jimmy Knepper; it holds true for the insistingly melancholy Milonga del Angel and it goes for Back-Alley Sue, which sounds exactly like the title insinuates.
- Among the fine profiles of the orchestra spring to mind the band leader and also Jan zum Vohrde and Christina von Bülow in the light end of the saxes and Ed Epstein on the dark side.
- The rhythm section with Marie Louise Schmidt at the grand piano, Graig Earle on bass and Dennis Drud behind the drums keep the collective together in a most impressive way. And the guest Kurt Larsen's stylistically sure-footed accordion ads to the correct tango-coloring. Everything considered the cd is an artistic victory for Erling Kroner and his cohorts.
- Finn Slumstrup
GAFFA
Erling Kroner New Music Orchestra
Tango Jalousie and All That Jazz
CD (Calibrated / VME)
Dato: Oct. 5, 2006
The big band makes a special impact on the more quiet tango-standards.
**** (*)
Erling Kroner's New Music Orchestra was one of the more remarkable new creations on last year's jazz-scene. Therefore one screws up ones acuteness when the band's first release hits the streets. Tango Jalousie and All That Jazz is a very fine cd with a very fine big band. That's for sure. Tango Jalousie and All That Jazz is a smokin' album focussing on the Argentine tango, that focus, which makes the album especially remarkable and interesting. As a case in point sotto-voce ballads like Milonga Del Angel and Open Letter To Jimmy Knepper are extremely well-functioning. Especially in this band's renditions. The same goes for more energetic, teasing and passioned tunes like Tango Jalousie. All tunes mentioned here present themselves very beautifully, maybe because the balance between the horn-section and the rest of the band in these tunes is kept extraordinarily well . . . . It's the nuances that function and hence the most quiet-like tango-standards present themselves most attractively.
By Ivan Rod
- ERLING KRONER
Jydske Vestkysten
September 19, 2006
One two three Kroner
Jazz
Erling Kroner & New Music Orchestra
"Tango Jalousie and all that jazz"
******
By Peter Tougaard
Few Danish jazz musicians have, like Erling Kroner, been there, done that . . and back again. With a pronounced love of the South-American rhythms, Kroner and his workshop orchestra New Music Orchestra, following a string of concerts, have released "Tango Jalousie and all that jazz". An exceptionally well-swinging cd with emphasis on three tangos. We are talking music of the highest order, performed by a string of pearls of the leading musicians of Danish jazz. The three tangos are both catchy and impressive, but Kroner and Co. go further than that and actually there is music for all tastes - especially the best.
Calibrated
POLITIKEN
August 2006
photo ©Nicola Fasano
Unstoppable Soul On Fire
Erling Kroner New Music Orchestra: Tango Jalousie And All That Jazz
By Boris Rabinowitsch
JAZZ trombonist Erling Kroner is not just a soul on fire, but also a gifted composer and arranger. . . . Kroner deliberately utilizes the unruly which, although it adds a wonderful freshness, also comes at a prize..
The opening number, ’The Loneliest’*), is built on a catching theme, which however seems to me rather repetitious . . . Kroner's**) ’Dance Of The Hip Hips’ . . .
Kroner's arrangement of Astor Piazzolla's ’Adiós Nonino’ contains many passages of exquisite beauty, but ought to be tightened up. Jacob Gade's ’Tango Jalousie’ is much more successful (from this point), but finest is Kroner's re-working of Piazzolla's ’Milonga del Angel’, which succeeds in forming an organic, expanding development with beautifully integrated solo-voices.
Kroner's original ballad ’Open Letter To Jimmy Knepper’ and blues-drenched ’Back-Alley Sue’ as well as Gerhardt's free-wheeling, swinging ’Walking On Solid Grounds’ are other great examples, and taking the generous playing-time into consideration, barely 80 minutes, the CD easily deserves four hearts.
*) Theloneliest, **) Dance comp/arr Niels Gerhardt, NOT by Kroner
a private email from Bill Watrous
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 01:57:50 EDT
From: Bill Watrous to: Kirsten Weinoldt
Kirsten...... Your friend`s cd is awesome!!!! Great writing, and world class
playing..... The band is wonderful, and please pass these comments along for
me... You can give my E mail address to the guy... I'd love to hear from
him.... Thanks a lot!!!!!
Bill Watrous
FFJ-bladet
Poul Petersen (Valde)
KRONER'S TANGO AND ALL THAT JAZZ
This year's FFJ-arranged big band concerts at MAGASINET concluded on December 11, 2005 with a wonderful, musical experience. Erling Kroner and his NEW MUSIC ORCHESTRA presented 12 home-grown compositions that among other things convincingly demonstrated that a big band is capable of infinitely more than "April in Paris".
Kroner and the undersigned are basically of the same age, so I've had the possibility to follow his career and musical growth since the early 1960's. But any resemblance stops here because while the rest of us in O'ense (the city of Odense on the isle of Fuen) fought trying to learn to play Dixieland, he moved on into the spicy and uncanny universe of Charles Mingus, where the rules were seemingly very different. By and by we realized that everything was internally cross-connected, but back then we wondered: What the hell was going on?
I think it was some time back in the 70's (actually very early 80's) that I, as a member of Bigband 5000 DK, met Kroner as guest-instructor, composer and musician. He showed up with a bunch of compositions, vastly different from our every-day repertoire. His very personal take on what Jelly Roll Morton in ancient times called "The Spanish Tinge". He told us of Latin- and South America, the fascinating Tango and a lot of other goodies. We tried to learn the unusual stuff - Kroner worked with us like a crazy and took it in stride, but even though the spirit was willing, the flesh was fragile: we simply didn't have sufficient command of our instruments to play this stuff well. But with his own band that's of course a whole 'nother story.
Kroner tells us that all the musicians in the NEW MUSIC ORCHESTRA are hand-picked for their special abilities. And a string of pearls it is. Very competent ensemble musicians who are also great soloists. Mostly Danes, but also Sweden and the USA are represented. Standing in front of the band, Kroner lead them and us through two hours of fascinating music. The way Kroner introduced the various compositions was a most welcome and to the point supplement; no lame jokes but loads of intriguing commentaries and personal stances so Kroner revealed himself as an artist with a profound feeling for the music and the musicians - noble and heart-warming.
The opener was "Theloneliest", one of Kroner's newer pieces inspired by Thelonious Monk. Excellent solos from Jan zum Vohrde (as), Marie Louise Schmidt (p), Thomas Fryland and Mårten Lundgren (tp-chase), Ed Epstein (bs) and Dennis Drud (d). By the way, Kroner is also a great one for titles, check out the above title again. Then followed a piece, written when a dear friend and instrumental colleague died: "Open Letter to Jimmy Knepper". As far as I know none of these two selections have been recorded - which they really ought to be.
Bass trombonist and tubaist Niels Gerhardt also contributes to the band's repertoire. His "Walking on Solid Grounds" is a trumpet feature. Trumpet player Mårten Lundgren picked up his plunger and blew his heart out.
Then it was off to Mexico, "Corrido de Doña Luz", opening the Pandora's Box of Kroner's Latin- and South American inspired music. Restrained and beautiful. Solos by Marie Louise Schmidt, Christina von Bülow (as) and the composer himself.
"El despelote", written in the 80's, brought us to Argentina. Loads of inciting rhythms, magnificent trumpets and solos by Pernille Bévort (ts), Calle Lindberg (tb) and Jan zum Vohrde (fl). It was also a great pleasure witnessing the sure-footed-ness and discipline with which Dennis Drud handled the underlying rhythms in these tunes.
The first set concluded with returning to the jazz of North America, a Mingus-inspired piece from the 70's: "I'm Trying - I'm Dying!" Among the soloists well-playing Jan Harbeck (ts).
After a fifteen minutes break, we were off again. "Adiós Nonino" by tango composer Astor Piazzolla written as a farewell to his late father and arranged by Kroner. A very ambitious arrangement with difficult tempo-changes concluding with the sound of the heart-beats of the dying father, the final heart spasms - and the elevation of the soul. Even though this is very tightly arranged and orchestrated, there's still room left for personal (solo) contributions. The journey upwards of the soul was depicted by Pernille Bévort's soprano with the most lovely melodic phrase I have heard for a long time. Among the other soloists (von Bülow, Kroner) were another well-playing trumpet player, Thomas Fryland.
Next up was Niels Gerhardt's "Gossip". The hilarious contribution of the afternoon, full of mischief and fun.
"Pachanga Onetti" was next, yet another new Kroner composition followed by an older tune from the 70's: "Back-Alley Sue" in an arrangement from 1989 (updated on the computer the day before the concert). Yet another one of Kroner's orchestration sound 'tricks' were demonstrated. An almost closed plunger kills the overtones of the trombone, and added in unison with the saxes creates an almost decadent sound. Solo also by Graig Earle (b).
"Omoy-Coyé" was the last tune of the concert. Originally written for (and recorded by Kroner's) quintet in 1999 but here arranged for big band. Kroner had told the audience that if we wanted an encore, we'd have to work for it. And so we did - with pleasure. The reward was "Sueño con silla en el cielo". It's not so easy with Spanish titles, but in this title is concealed yet another hint to the late Charles Mingus who ended his days in a wheel-chair. Rumor has it that he wrote a piece called "Chair in the Sky" (one of the last Mingus compositions, written in collaboration with Joni Mitchell). Erling Kroner's title means something like "Dream with chair in the sky". Anyways, we got a great encore with excellent solos by von Bülow and Mårten Lundgren.
Lastly I'd like to point out that the three women in the band through their musical expressions ad some qualities that in a most beautiful way fit this music, and that I have hard time imagining could be contributed by masculine players. A fine orchestra and a very successful concert.
Valde
Information, kultur@information.dk
JAZZFESTIVAL
Christian Munch-Hansen
Erling Kroner NEW MUSIC ORCHESTRA with Kurt Larsen, Kongens Have (The King's Garden) Tuesday July 5, 2005.
TANGO FOR BAD PEOPLE
The Argentine tango a/o South American styles are also represented at this festival. Tonight (Thursday) at the very capable hands of Richard Galliano and Silvana Deluigi, but here at home we (the Danes) also know how to.
At the King's Garden, before the rain tried to corrupt the concert, one could hear a very inspired Erling Kroner (trombone) and his New Music Orchestra, the band which has taken over the chores of his old (now defunct) Beijbom/Kroner Big Band. Kroner, who has an ongoing love-affair with the modern jazz tradition, more than anything Charlie (sic.) Mingus, also is a passionately knowledgeable tango-enthusiast, (a style) which he has integrated into his jazz universe. And at this occasion he presented Kurt Larsen as special guest-soloist.
Everything swung merrily from the word go, and many of Kroner's Danish and Swedish musicians spiced-up the music, a/o Kasper Wagner (alto), Ed Epstein (bari), and Pernille Bévort (tenor). However the most intensive passages happened with Larsen (as a soloist) in the tango-related pieces, a/o Tango for Bad People. Because in Larsen we have a musician, who does not impose upon one by fiery virtuosity, but who digs deeper into the music than a lot other musicians with his relaxed, melodic authority. And beautiful sounds emerge when jazz big band and accordion unite.
Copenhagenjazz
Poul Christensen 4:21 AM, Friday, February 18, 2005,
New Music Orchestra
March 9, 2005 Erling Kroner presented his new project "New Music Orchestra" for the first time. Kroner gives the following sub-title for the new project "Tango and all that jazz .... from Denmark". Probably hinting at the orchestras intention of presenting new compositions, mainly from Denmark, but with many detours to Argentina, where not in the least Piazzolla - and his legacy - presents a great gravitational effect.
The orchestras instrumentation is the big band 7+5+3 plus. Line-up on the night of the world premiere was:
Erling Kroner (comp, cond, tb).
K.E.Nørgaard, Carsten M. Larsen, Thomas Fryland, Peter Marott (tp, flgh).
Calle Lindberg, Lea Nielsen (tb), Niels Gerhardt (btb, tuba).
Pernille Bévort (ss, ts, fl), Kasper Wagner (ss, ts, fl), Jan zum Vohrde (as, fl), Jan Harbeck (ts, bcl), Ed Epstein (bs)
Kasper Villaume (piano), Graig Earle (bass), Dennis Drud (dr).
Guest-soloist this evening: Kurt Larsen (accordion).
Kroner willingly admits that many of the teamsters had their formal training by Niels Jørgen Steen through the eminent work he does every Monday at the Jazzhus Vognporten (Paradise Jazz Café) with his project, the "Monday Night Big Band". Here young talents get the chance to play big band music with seasoned jazz musicians, which obviously makes them grow, firstly as competent ensemble musicians, secondly maybe even as soloists. At least half of the musicians, Kroner himself among them, have been participating off and on in MNBB since the start of this project in 1999.
The repertoire consisted of a string of Kroner-compositions, supplemented by a couple by Niels Gerhardt. Plus a single Piazzolla-composition.
NMO seemed well prepared for the debut. Kroner has already succeeded in developing the (bands) sound. He can take it further, but as (I) experienced (it) on the opening night, it was very good. Sound-engineering and balance between the various instrumental voices need a little adjustment here and there so that excellent solos do not get covered by the very dynamic orchestra. But let's see it as a strength of the NMO that the cats have the urge and can deliver. The fine-tuning is imminent. Let's look forward to that.
New (to this reviewer) were Graig Earle, Ed Epstein and young Dennis Drud. If they had premiere-nerves they didn't show it. They did extremely well.
As is the nature of a big band there is never sufficient space (to equally present) all of the musicians. First obligation is to the orchestral work, and everybody rose to the occasion. Because of this, there were (a few) solos by the leader, performed on his usual level. Pernille Bévort came to the forefront many times, especially on the tenor, playing to an average of 9 to 10 on a ten-scale, more than anything in the Kroner-work "The Ming - The King!" (a 25 minutes long ode to Charles Mingus), where she performed to a clean 10 - at least.
Kudos to Thomas Fryland and the young super-talent with the Armstrong touch, Peter Marott. They both had a couple of solos and a duet that they delivered flawlessly. Lastly young Kasper Wagner showed himself off to his advantage. Very promising..
4 saxes to Kroner and NMO for the magnificent world premiere.
Read more about Kroner's project on his home page. kroner-music.dk