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| NYNDK at Dizzys Club Coca Cola The Northern Lights Jazz Series (Jazz from Denmark) features the Trans-Atlantic jazz collective--NYNDK--for one night only! Come celebrate the release of their new Jazzheads release Nordic Disruption at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola in NYC- Monday, February 4th, 2008. NYNDK is made up of: Chris Washburne, trombone; Soren Moller, piano; Ole Mathisen, saxophones; Per Mathisen, bass; Jeff Davis, drums. NYNDK, is a Trans-Atlantic collective bringing together musicians from New York (NY), Norway (N), and Denmark (DK), uniting three places that have significant roles in jazz history. Established in 2003, its founding members are Danish pianist Soren Moller, Norwegian saxophonist Ole Mathisen, and American trombonist Chris Washburne. Their decision to form this collaboration was inspired by our own experiences of the truly international nature of jazz. NYNDK brings to the mix a combination of refined Scandinavian cool with aggressive New York heat spiced with a progressive postmodern sensibility. Last year the members of the NYNDK Jazz Collective were awarded a prestigious DaNY Arts Grant from the Danish Cultural Ministry, a grant set up to forge international collaboration among artists in New York and Denmark. For the DaNY grant they researched and arranged a body of contemporary classical music by important American, Danish, and Norwegian composers for jazz quintet. They chose two composers from each country that represented both early 20th century styles and more recent contemporary styles. The collective arranged several songs of Charles Ives, the Scherzo No. 2 from George Perle's Sinfonietta, the Adagio from the Piano Concerto in A Minor by Edvard Grieg, The Hunting of the Snark by Arne Nordheim, the Second Movement from the Second Symphony by Carl Nielsen, and the Voyage Into the Golden Screen by Per Norgaard. These arrangements integrate improvisation, traditional sounds and contemporary grooves in a current and updated way that they believe reaches an audience largely unfamiliar with these rich and colorful musical traditions. NYNDK adapted the compositional techniques of these composers into their improvisational vocabulary with the aim to expand spontaneous possibilities and to develop an organic approach that blurs the lines between pre-composed material and improvisation. For instance, in the work by Per Norgaard, they adopted his compositional system known as the “infinity series," a serial mode of composition he developed in the 1960s. His “Infinite Tone Rows" are the Danish equivalent to Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone system and are recognized as a significant contribution in modern classical composing. In the work of Arne Nordheim they expand upon his use of extended techniques in programmatic settings. And the polytonal sonic landscapes of Charles Ives are adapted for jazz quintet. NYNDK will be premiering these new arrangements on Feb 4 at Dizzy's Coca Cola Club record as well as celebrating the release of their second record “Nordic Disruption" on Jazzheads Records. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |