Nakładem wytwórni Jazzland Recordings ukazał się album sekstetu znakomitego kontrabasisty i kompozytora Viktora Skokica.
Artysta jest jednym z najważniejszych filarów szwedzkiej sceny jazzowej, od lat współpracującym z rozmaitymi muzykami w ramach przeróżnych konstelacji. Współtworzył m.in. kwartet Riedel / Svensson / Skokic / Backman oraz międzynarodową grupę The Ordinary Square, której album "When in Paris" wypełniony kompozycjami Skokica, na drugim brzegu Bałtyku okazał się jedną z najciekawszych płyt roku 2015.
Album "Basement Music" jest pierwszą płytą firmowaną nazwiskiem szwedzkiego kontrabasisty, a wypełnia go 7 autorskich utworów lidera.
Skład Viktor Skokic Sextett tworzą: Emil Stranberg, Thomas Backman, Alberto Pinton (instrumenty dęte), Rasmus Borg (fortepian), lider (kontrabas, kompozycje) i Cristopher Cantillo (perkusja).
Viktor Skokic, zdaje się dysponować wyjątkowymi predyspozycjami w zakresie tworzenia kompozycji nowatorskich, a jednocześnie z wielkim szacunkiem bazujących na klasyce jazzu.
Album ukazał się 20 marca.
Robert Ratajczak
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| fot.Jazzland |
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Viktor Skokic Sextett: Basement Music
CD 2020, Jazzland 377 926 0
program:
1. Tre
2. Tva
3. Ett Tva Tre
4. Hoppla
5. Utgangsostinato
6. Island Music
7. Jazz
personel:
Emil Standberg - trąbka
Thomas Backman - klarnet basowy, saksofon altowy
Alberto Pinton - klarnet basowy, klarnet, flet, saksofon barytonowy
Rasmus Borg - fortepian
Viktor Skokic - kontrabas
Cristopher Cantillo - perkusja
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tekst prasowy:
Sharp rhythms, melodical whirlwinds and a peculiar logic. May we present Swedish jazz at the forefront! The album ”Basement Music” by the Viktor Skokic Sextett will be released on the 20th of March 2020 on prestigious Jazzland Recordings.
After having collaborated with many of the most renowned musicians on the Swedish jazz scene, finally Viktor takes the leap and releases music under his own name. The music has been crafted in a basement in Hornstull, Stockholm where the process has been characterized by great care of detail.
”The music demanded that I put myself in a kind of receptive calm in the space between life with a baby daughter and late j azz gigs. It was a challenge requiring focus and reflection”, says Viktor.
But if the process required a great deal of calm the result is all the more intense - the music is full of life, unexpected movements, spontaneity and at times sharp edges. The band comprises some of Sweden’s most prolific and interesting jazz musicians - and in the background echoes some of Viktor’s most important influences: Jan Johansson, Olivier Messiaen and Meshuggah, as well as, for example in the song "Utgangsostinato", traces of music from the Balkans where Viktor has his roots.
”To create a context in which I didn’ t glance sideways, but in which I listened inwards was liberating, both musically and personally. To me the music on the album contains a lot of love and cheerfulness”.
Biography:
Viktor Skokic was born in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1982 and grew up in an environment that musically was characterized equally by is older sisters Billboard pop albums and his father’s records of traditional Croatian klapa music.
During his high school years the electric bass was to become his main instrument and punk dominated until he saw a documentary about the jazz musician Charles Mingus. He was immediately mesmerized by the combination of direct rawness and overwhelming refinement found in Mingus’ music.
Viktor bought Mingus album after Mingus album and listened to them infinitely many times. That was Viktors doorway into j azz which remains his most natural musical habitat. Via jazz Viktor later came into contact with art music, which nowadays strongly influences his musical creativity.
During the last years Viktor has been working as a free lance composer, arranger and bass player in a wide range of contexts. He has collaborated with for example Swedish legend Jacob Hellman, Sarah Riedel, the poet, playwright and member of the Swedish Academy Kristina Lugn, Per Texas Johansson, Nils Berg and Fabian Kallerdahl. The collaboration with Kristina Lugn (also featuring Sarah Riedel and Jonas Östholm) was awarded the Manifesto prize as album of the year in the category Songs in 2017. Viktors has also composed and arranged for larger ensembles and has for example written pieces premiered by the Ekdahl-Bagge Big Band as well as arrangements for Bohuslän Big Band and string orchestra Musica Vitae.
Viktor has repeatedly appeared on Swedish Radio and Swedish national television.
