Elin Larsson Group
Stockholm, Sweden
Thursday 10 Apr 2014
Umeå, Sweden
With approaches ranging from through-composed to pure improvisation, the Karmen Rõivassepp Quartet draws the listener in to experience both pure joy and reflective melancholy in their music.
Karmen Rõivassepp – vocals
Simon Eskildsen – piano
Adrian Christensen – double bass
Daniel Sommer – drums
Karmen Rõivassepp Quartet is an exciting Aarhus, Denmark based jazz quartet consisting of the award-winning Karmen Rõivassepp on vocals, Simon Eskildsen on piano, Adrian Christensen on bass and Daniel Sommer on drums. The quartet creates music within the modern jazz idiom with a sophisticated melodic and harmonic approach, great musical interplay and a unique playfulness, yet while having their roots in the traditional jazz.
The group lends a modern sophistication of harmony and melody to the classic roots of their story-telling songs, with a tight-laced interplay between the performers, and deft, inventive decoration in Rõivassepp’s vocals in both English and Estonian. Their music paints pictures of sincere joy, tranquil melancholy and hidden sorrow.
"The bandleader’s vocals are striking in their purity, her range and her pitching impressive. And she’s harmonically inventive when decorating melodies with intricate, scat-sung phrases [...]." - Thomas Rees, Downbeat Magazine (2018)
The quartet is constantly developing and in these days veering a bit further from their common language of jazz tradition, showcasing the more reflective, moody and melancholic contemporary jazz style. In the process of finding their distinct sound, the band has experimented with anything from through-composed material to complete freedom and open improvisation. No matter what the occasion, one can expect to hear striking vocal purity, great musical interplay intertwined with sophisticated melodies and harmonies when these four young jazz musicians step on the stage.
Their debut album Dance of Sounds led to their nomination for The New Danish Jazz Artist on Danish Music Awards Jazz 2018. Ever since, the band has been building a fast growing audience in Denmark and is now also being recognised outside of the Danish borders.
The Karmen Rõivassepp Quartet perform at 12 Points 2024 on September 26th at 19:00. Click here for tickets!
Their tour in Finland is part of the Better Live Music programme.
Better Live is a project co-funded by the European Creative programme of the European Union, and the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.
More About this Artist
Tor Hammerø, Nettavisen“Rõivassepp has a playful and warm approach to conveying text, whether it is in English or in Estonian. ”
James Read, UK Vibe“The seven distinctive tracks on Breathe strike a satisfying balance between taut energised rhythms and quieter more reflective melodies on this highly individual release. ”
Thomas Rees, Downbeat Magazine“Rõivassepp’s Estonian is full of ear-caressing L’s and softly-rolled R’s that perfectly match the mellow, introspective mood of her tunes. ”
