Copenhagen Jazz Festival – one of the most prestigious Jazz festivals in Europe — is taking place July 6-15 2012 and The Orchard is pleased that many of our great artists will be performing. Every year, around 250,000 people from around the world participate in the Danish festival to feel and enjoy the great atmosphere of more than 1,000 concerts taking place. Here is a selection of great artists from The Orchard playing the festival this year.
Three-time Grammy winner and drummer Stefan Pasborg will be playing several stages during the festival with his band Pasborg’s Odessa 5. This great artist just released his third album Pasborg’s Odessa 5 X-tra Large Live last Monday. Pasborg’s first release, Triplepoint, was among the Top 5 “Best Debut Albums of 2007” by All About Jazz Magazine, New York. Pasborg has been touring most of Europe as well as the U.S., Canada, Asia and Africa. The Copenhagen Jazz Festival is one spot among many where Pasborg will be performing this year.
Diego Figueiredo is a young new talent from Brazil. Winner of several important competitions like Montreaux Jazz competition and VISA Prize, Diego is considered a big guitar talent in the world. His new album Tempos Bons has just been released. Diego will play at Montmartre on July 15th.
Denmark’s leading tenor saxophonist Jesper Thilo is well known for his swing and mainstream jazz and will be performing on the first- and more days at the festival. Last year on his 70th birthday, Jesper Thilo released Jesper Thilo & The American Stars, which featured a string of his recordings with great American and Danish Jazz musicians.
The alternative Pop/Indie Jazz quintet Kostcirkeln, with the Swedish singer and composer Qarin Wikström in front (double Grammy winner), released the EP Bästa Vän in April and has received great attention. Kostcirkeln will be opening the festival at Danish music collective/label ILK‘s own stage “5e.”
Award-winning pianist and composer Simon Toldam released his 1st album in five years on February 28th this year and has been received with standing ovations. The album was recorded live-in-concert in Copenhagen with his new trio. Sunshine Sunshine or Green As Grass has received a bunch of great reviews in Denmark, but also in international Jazz magazines like Cuadernos de Jazz in Spain and New York City Jazz Record. Simon Toldam will also be playing at ILK’s stage at 5e.
One of the greatest and most popular jazz pianists right now is the Danish artist Carsten Dahl who has worked and recorded with leading artists on the Danish and international Jazz scene, like Benny Golson, Eddie Gomez, Ed Thigpen among many others. His last album Metamorphosis was critically acclaimed by several music magazines. It is improvisational Jazz at its very best. Carsten Dahl will be performing at the festival in various contexts.
This was a small rundown of some of the great acts you can see at this year’s Jazz Festival. So if you’re wondering where to go this summer, I would definitely recommend visiting Copenhagen and enjoying the unique atmosphere that comes when the city is surrounded by some of the best Danish and international Jazz acts and musicians of our time.
Photo courtesy of JazzBlog.dk.
