BENJAMIN KOPPEL

The brand new Mulberry Street Symphony, to be released on February 18, 2022, celebrates and renews the Danish-American cultural connection. Inspired by Danish photographer Jacob Riis’ famous photos, published in the book How The Other Half Lives, which showed the raw reality among New York’s poorest around 1890, Anders Koppel tones the encounter between the old world’s emigrant masses and the new world’s greatness, as well as the fatal big city traps Riis had felt first-hand as an emigrant.

The piece is written for the unique constellation of jazz trio and symphony orchestra, and the soloists belong to the absolute elite of the international jazz scene: Benjamin Koppel, saxophone, and the two top American musicians Scott Colley, bass, and Brian Blade, drums. The three jazz musicians have played with such jazz icons as Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Chick Corea, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Jim Hall, Paul Bley, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Werner, Bob Dylan and Norah Jones.

The first single Strandet in a Strange City will be released on Nov 12, as a precursor to the international release on Feb 18 on the Swiss label Unit.

The work is inspired by Danish photographer Jacob Riis' famous photos, published in the book 'How The Other Half Lives', which showed the harsh reality of New York's poorest around 1890 - the images have not lost their power.

Koppel sets the tone for the encounter between the emigrant masses of the old world and the greatness of the new, as well as the fatal urban traps Riis felt first-hand as an emigrant.

The work was written for the unique combination of jazz trio and symphony orchestra, and the soloists belong to the absolute elite of the international jazz scene: Benjamin Koppel, saxophone, and the two top American musicians Scott Colley, bass, and Brian Blade, drums.

The three musicians have played with jazz icons such as Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Chick Corea, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Jim Hall, Paul Bley, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Werner, Bob Dylan and Norah Jones.

The brand new Mulberry Street Symphony, to be released on February 18, 2022, celebrates and renews the Danish-American cultural connection. Inspired by Danish photographer Jacob Riis’ famous photos, published in the book How The Other Half Lives, which showed the raw reality among New York’s poorest around 1890, Anders Koppel tones the encounter between the old world’s emigrant masses and the new world’s greatness, as well as the fatal big city traps Riis had felt first-hand as an emigrant.

The piece is written for the unique constellation of jazz trio and symphony orchestra, and the soloists belong to the absolute elite of the international jazz scene: Benjamin Koppel, saxophone, and the two top American musicians Scott Colley, bass, and Brian Blade, drums. The three jazz musicians have played with such jazz icons as Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Chick Corea, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Jim Hall, Paul Bley, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Werner, Bob Dylan and Norah Jones.

The first single Strandet in a Strange City will be released on Nov 12, as a precursor to the international release on Feb 18 on the Swiss label Unit.

Das Werk ist inspiriert von den berühmten Fotos des dänischen Fotografen Jacob Riis, die in dem Buch "How The Other Half Lives" veröffentlicht wurden und die harte Realität der Ärmsten in New York um 1890 zeigten - die Bilder haben nichts von ihrer Kraft verloren.

Koppel gibt den Ton an für die Begegnung zwischen den Emigrantenmassen der alten Welt und der Größe der neuen Welt sowie für die fatalen urbanen Fallen, die Riis als Emigrant am eigenen Leib zu spüren bekam.

Das Werk wurde für die einzigartige Kombination von Jazztrio und Sinfonieorchester geschrieben, und die Solisten gehören zur absoluten Elite der internationalen Jazzszene: Benjamin Koppel, Saxofon, und die beiden amerikanischen Spitzenmusiker Scott Colley, Bass, und Brian Blade, Schlagzeug.

Die drei Musiker haben mit Jazz-Ikonen wie Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Chick Corea, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Jim Hall, Paul Bley, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Werner, Bob Dylan und Norah Jones gespielt.

American top pianist Kenny Werner and Scandinavian star saxophonist Benjamin Koppel have become musical brothers through 15 years of ongoing frequent musical collaboration. Their duo album WALDEN was highly acclaimed, as has their long line of other releases, including COALITION with Lionel Loueke and FREEBOP with David Liebman.

Scott Colley, known from his work with Carmen McCrae, Herbie Hancock and Jim Hall, has been working with Kenny for ages. Kenny and Jack deJohnette (think Miles Davis and Keith Jarrett) go back together for decades. Scott and Benjamin are close friends and music comrades, with both duo work as well as their working trio the KOPPEL-COLLEY-BLADE COLLECTIVE together with top drummer Brian Blade. Scott and Jack have played together on many occasions, including in the group HUDSON with John Scofield.

All in all these four musicians know each other very well, they are all part of a jazz family, that keep explore the possibilities and boundaries for music expression in the field, known as jazz. And their mutual respect and almost telepathic sensibility of one anothers artistic contributions mount to a rare and intriguing double album, that gives a deeply original and highly spiritual experience of an instrumental dialogue at its best.

All four musicians have contributed with compositions that circles around the core of jazz philosophy. Main values of jazz, like improvisation, courage, research, attempts, all come together and create an amazing frame in which the four musicians individual mastery comes to life end flourish unlimited. The result – the Art of the Quartet – is a milestone in modern jazz; it very clearly stands on the shoulders of what has been; it is without a doubt one of the most present and spontaneous music dialogues in a long time; and it points so directly and unambiguously into the future with a statement that leads the way into the jazz to come.

The Benjamin Koppel Ultimate Soul & Jazz Revue is a long awaited release that gathers different, important aspects of saxophonist Benjamin Koppels versatile universe.

American soul music has always been a corner stone in Koppels musicology and when he was just a little boy at first he played the drums inspired by Bernard Purdie, then he turned to singing, diving into little Stevie Wonder-material, Aretha Franklin-songs and Staple Singers all day long. Then when 13 years old he discoverede the saxophone and his path was carved in marble, when he quicklyarose into being the most prominent young jazz musician of Denmark, being the most awardwinning youngster, debuting as a leader with the CD-release BENJAMIN KOPPEL QUARTET, recorded when he was only 18.

From then on things moved fast, and now Koppel is the most productive, in-demand and farreaching Scandinavian musician of his generation, having released more than 50 albums as a leader, and having worked side by side with people like Phil Woods, Paul Bley, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Jim Hall, Brian Blade and many, many other topnames of international jazz.

On this release Benjamin returns to his roots, combining the inspiration of soul legends and jazz vibes. And in the hands of a band, inspired beyond words, the result is both grooving and moving, standing on the shoulders of the past and looking into the future –while being so incredibly present right here and now.
The live recording is taken from Benjamin Koppels annual SUMMER JAZZ festival, which has taken place every year since 2009 at two different theatre venues in Copenhagen.

Inviting trumpet legend Randy Brecker, together with whom Koppel recorded the first time back in 1999, and Koppels long time close friend and associate top bass player Scott Colley - Koppel and Colley has played intensely together for the past ten years, both has a duo and in their trio with drummer Brian Blade, the Koppel-Colley-Blade-Collective – and fulfilling the all star cast with iconic drummer Bernard Purdie –who initially was Benjamins first big inspiration –this is a unique and rare soul and jazz experience that brings to life the very essense of the kinship between soul and jazz music.
Inarguably one of the finest Scandinavian musicians, pianist Jacob Christoffersen (who has worked with Jeff ”Tain” Watts and Peter Erskine, to name a few) concludes the line-up, which on half of the tracks also features a number of excellent Danish topmusicians, organ player Dan Hemmer (who has a working trio with Steve Gadd), percussionist Jacob Andersen (who is the most recorded Danish musician ever) and guitarplayer Søren Heller, who is a brand new name on the Scandinavian music scene.
And guesting the parade is Benjamins older sister, Marie Carmen Koppel, who has a glorious career as the Queen of Soul & Gospel music in Denmark, having learned that profession in the Brooklyn Fountain Church of Christ when she was a teenager.

The material is carefully chosen to set the scene for both the virtuoso music communication, that these excellent musicians all master with eloquence, but at the same time the repertoire is also a travel through important corner stones in modern American music history, paying hommages to leading stars of soul like Sly & the family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding, Curtis Mayfield and King Curtis.Garnished with a few originals by Benjamin as well as the jazz classic Manteca (which Purdie used to play together with the composer, jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie)this is an album that can equally fire up any jazz addict, music nerd or dancing party. Because the music is real!