Based in Norway Trondheim is well known worldwide hatchery for talents, with phenomenal educational faculty for the Music , excellent cadre and equally mind-blowing Big Band. Joining that club is every young musician’s dream. No surprise then that German drummer Frederik Villmow moved just there, once he achieved as much as he could during his extended studies and orchestral period with Youth Jazz Orchestra in Germany and further during his studies in Rotterdam. He only started the band in 2018 but intense work together and excellent communication inside the quartet made things progressing fast with the great musicality and joy of playing together . Reading his liner notes for the debut album one might clearly sense maturity and well defined sense of direction.
”When putting this band together, I was looking for musicians that share a common sense of which direction the music will take ” says Frederick. ” I also looked for different personalities in my band that have a distinct and personal sound” – he adds. ” I assembled some of my favourite musicians for this recording. In 2010 I met bassist Julian Haugland at a week-long jazz workshop in Southern Norway. In the same year, I got to know saxophonist Marc Doffey through a big band in Germany, where we both played together for a couple of years. We kept in touch when Marc moved to Berlin and I moved to Trondheim. Pianist Carl Winther and saxophonist Tomas Franck have both been important sources of inspiration for me, in terms of playing and writing music. They have set their mark on the Copenhagen, and the International jazz scene for many years, and both have an integrity in their playing that very few other musicians achieve.” – he continuous. ” I´m very happy to have been surrounded by these fantastic musicians on my debut record. All of them contributed with their personal sound, and the type of energy I was looking for. It was fun to play and record at Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen with its delightful acoustics, and a fantastic audience.” – summarises.
“You are about to hear three of my own compositions, two originals by Tomas Franck, and two standards. Tomas brought an arrangement of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, that he wrote in 1987, which wasn’t recorded until now. Skylark belongs to my favourite tunes, and ended up in the concert program quite spontaneously. Just before the concert, I asked Julian and Marc if they wanted to play Skylark in a duo setting. It balances the whole set with its more intimate mood, and functions as a counterpoint to the rest of the concert program. This recorded evening in Copenhagen was a fantastic experience for me and I´m very happy to the results with you. Enjoy listening! ” – Frederik Villmow, june 2019
Frederik Villmow Quartet feat. Tomas Franck – Live in Copenhagen
Label: AMP Music & Records
Line up:
Marc Doffey – tenor sax, soprano sax
Carl Winther – piano
Julian Haugland – bass
Frederik Villmow – drums
feat. Tomas Franck – tenor sax
Track list:
1) The Case of Steven Avery [9:24]
2) Sunset [7:46]
3) Up & Down [9:24]
4) Skylark [6:16]
5) Intuitive Matter (The 5th mode) [14:10]
6) Blues Steps [11:22]
7) A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square [9:14]
Composed by:
Frederik Villmow (track 1, 2, 3)
Tomas Franck (track 5, 6)
Hoagy Carmichael (track 4)
Sherwin/Strachey (track 7), arranged by Tomas Franck
Release date : September, 20th 2019
Streaming links: (available from September 20th 2019)
Cover photography by Maria Kornelia Lund
Cover design by Anders Thoren & Christian Maes Svendsen
Mixed & mastered by Kyrre Laastad, Øra Studio Trondheim
Recorded LIVE at Jazzhus Montmartre, Copenhagen February 19 2019
Recorded by Zakaria Hameed
Produced by Frederik Villmow