On his new double vinyl album, Jakob Buchanan masterfully blends the ultra-local folk music and the unique character of the landscape, with some of the world’s leading names in modern jazz, and one of Denmark’s many great string quartets Artos Quartet.

A few years ago, jazz composer and trumpeter Jakob Buchanan moved to Mols. Here, he sits and plays in an old circus wagon on Thorup Mark, gazing over the rolling hills and becoming absorbed in an old booklet of folk tunes by the local legend, fiddler Peter Madsen (1865–1900). One autumn day, he tries out the old dance tunes on his trumpet while looking out across the landscape. The tunes turn into hymns, and it feels as if an old soul is reborn floating across the warm, hilly land, a landscape that writes its own silent music on the horizon every day.

Composer and trumpeter Jakob Buchanan was recently honored as Jazz Composer of the Year 2024 at the Danish Music Awards for the album Song & Wind, featuring the Aarhus Jazz Orchestra, Copenhagen Boys’ Choir, late percussionist Marilyn Mazur, and conductor Carsten Seyer-Hansen (OUR Recordings). https://www.buchanan.dk/

Swedish bassist Anders Jormin is one of the world’s most distinguished jazz bassists. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the rare Jan Johansson Prize, the Swedish Radio Guldkatten Award, and The Royal Swedish Academy of Music’s Grand Prize. His solo album Alone became a cult classic and was named Record of the Year in all categories worldwide in 1991. https://ecmrecords.com/artists/anders-jormin/

New York legend Chris Speed is a tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His work spans widely rooted in jazz, yet extending into various forms of folk, classical, and rock music. Speed is associated with a wide range of ensembles and has been a prominent and influential voice in jazz and improvised music for over three decades. https://www.chrisspeed.com/

Pianist and composer Simon Toldam is one of Scandinavia’s most exciting and acclaimed musicians. He has released 17 albums, five of which have won Danish Music Awards, including Orchestra of the Year 2021 and Best Album 2019. He is a member of the Danish record label ILK Music. http://www.simontoldam.com

The Artos Quartet was founded in the summer of 2018 and has quickly established itself on the Danish music scene. Its vision is to perform string quartet music at the highest level and to promote awareness of the vast repertoire of quartet works written by the most beloved composers. The Artos Quartet serves as the artistic leadership and resident ensemble of the Artos Festival in Aarhus. The quartet consists of Tue Lautrup (violin), Sarah Lucy Foldager (violin), Sanna Ripatti (viola), and Brian Friisholm (cello). https://artosquartet.dk/