Loveland records:

Information: click here to buy the CD.

Click "add to cart" to buy the boxset.

Balladeering marks a high point in Danish guitarist Jakob Bro’s merits so far. On this album Bro has invited some of the most prominent contemporary jazz musicians to play his new songs, written exclusively for the occasion - including Lee Konitz, Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, and Ben Street.

As indicated by the title of the album the music takes place at a moderate pace - something which makes the beautiful improvisations stand out even more distinctly. Listen for instance to Konitz's lyrical meditations on Vraa or the heartbreaking cry of his alto saxophone on Starting Point / acoustic version. There is plenty of space, as well, for Frisell's and Bro's congenial guitar playing which seem to move organically, streaming underneath Konitz' melodic solos. Elsewhere on the album duets between Frisell and Bro alone can be enjoyed. And very obviously, both Motian and Street do more than just providing a solid rhythmic ground - way beyond traditional time-keeping, they add to the harmonies and tints of the compositions, making them sing. The recording of the album took place at the famous Avatar Studios in New York. In order to preserve this event, the young filmmaker Sune Blicher documented the process and studio sessions resulting in a feature DVD release.

Line up:

Lee Konitz (alto sax)

Bill Frisell (guitar)

Jakob Bro (guitar/composition)

Ben Street (bass)

Paul Motian (drums)

Recorded and mixed at Avatar Studios, NYC, September 2008

Recording engineer: James Farber

Assistant Engineer: Brian Montgomery

Mastered at MacDonald Bonati Audio, Brooklyn, September 2008

Mastering engineer: A.T. Michael MacDonald

Cover design by Line Jensen with artwork by Kathrine Baastrup