German premiere

Andreas Røysum Ensemble

(NO, DK, SE, US)

In recent years, clarinetist Andreas Røysum has emerged as a rising force in Norwegian jazz and improvised music as an activist, festival organizer and musician, who has also developed an ensemble that keeps growing. The version of it playing at this Berlin debut has swollen into an eleven-member line-up. The group’s earlier recordings delivered a spirited take on free jazz, with endless interplay between the outsized ensemble and compositions that reflected the leader’s big ears, particularly through his interest in African and Asian traditional music. With his brand new album, he has revealed a broader range of styles, dipping more directly into a buoyant hybrid that deploys his big band line up to generate danceable grooves while his compositions have never been more melodic and celebratory. In addition to seamlessly incorporating global elements, the new record takes a wrinkle with the inclusion of timeless British folk tunes like “Barbara Allen” and “Hares on the Mountain”, which makes sense given his participation in a special recording project with the great Scottish folk singer Alisdair Roberts. Røysum subscribes to the transformative power of music, pouring his heart into his playing, and expressing unalloyed joy when he shares the stage with the like-minded collaborators of his incredible band, featuring ten of Norway’s most talented young players.