Jesper Bodilsen

The Danish bass player, composer, producer and educator Jesper Bodilsen was born January 5th 1970 in Haslev, Denmark. As 3 a year old he moved to Silkeborg with his parents and older brother and there he stayed until he was 18 years old. No one in his family were playing music. But as a 8 year old kid he found an old trumpet at the loft of his grand parents farm and he was immediately interested in trying to make music with the old horn. At the age of 10 he was admitted as a member of the school brass band there he learned to play the cornet and read music. In 1984 Jesper got his first bass - an electric bass - and one year later he joined a pop/funk band and played his first professional gig short after. He was admitted at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark in 1991 where he studied for 5 years and ended up with a Diploma degree in June 1997. The same year as he received The Memorial Bursary of Edward Eriksen and was hired to teach at the academy. While studying at the school in Aarhus Bodilsen also worked as a professional musician. In June 1994 he was asked to perform at two All Star Concerts at the Riverboat Jazz Festival together with American drummer Ed Thigpen and pianist Duke Jordan. These concerts was a kind of breakthrough for Bodilsen and in the years to come he was peforming with other great jazz artists like James Moody, Benny Golson, Lee Konitz, Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Horace Parlan, Jimmy Heath and Phil Woods. Often at the legendary jazz club BENT J in Aahus. In 1995 Bodilsen moved to Copenhagen and he was immediately asked to join the Erling Kroner Dream Quartet. He was touring with different Aarhus and Copenhagen based bands in the years to come when he in 1997 met Ed Thigpen again. Ed Thigpen wanted him in his trio and together with pianist Carsten Dahl the trio recorded their first album “It´s Entertainment” in 1998. The album was nominated for a Danish Grammy and won the JazzSpecial Prize “Album Of The Year”. Bodilsen was playing and recording with Thigpen until 2010 - a collaboration that lasted 13 years and the music is well documented on 6 album releases. Jesper Bodilsen has always been interested in producing music, finding interesting musicians to perform with and create new constellations. He has been a co-producer for Danish vocalist Katrine Madsen for more than a decade but in 1999 he started his first band “Scandinavian Summit”. They recorded 2 albums and did tours in Europe, SE Asia, China and Australia. He started his own music production company in 2002 and until now he has produced more than 15 albums, recorded and performed with many great artists. In 1998, 2002 and 2004 Bodilsen was asked to perform at the prestigious Jazzpar Prize concerts and in 2002 the prize winner was italian trumpet player Enrico Rava. Bodilsen did 4 concerts with Rava, Stefano Bollani, Gianlucca Petrella, John Abercrombie and Morten Lund and after the final concert in Copenhagen he asked Bollani and Lund if they would be interested in playing together again. One year later (in march 2003) they did the first trio tour and their first recording for Stunt Records “Mi ritorni in mente”. The first issue of this trio album was released as Jesper Bodilsen Trio. In 2004 Bodilsen was awarded with the Django d'Or Prize as “Performer of the Year” and that same year the trio recorded their second album “Gleda”. Now all the names of the trio was on the cover. The album was no. 4 on the Italian Jazz Charts in 2005 and nominated for an Australian Bell Award 2006 for “Best International Jazz Album”. From the start the trio was touring around Europe playing clubs and festivals like the Umbria Jazz festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival and the legendary Birdland in New York. After “Gleda” they recorded with singer Katrine Madsen. The album is called “Close To You” and was nominated for a Danish Music Award as “Best Vocal Jazz Album”. Then 4 years went by before they recorded again. This time on the highly estimated ECM label and with producer Manfred Eicher. The album “Stone In The Water” was acclaimed the best trio recording of 2009 by several jazz magazines around the world. Two of the songs on the album was composed by Bodilsen and that same year he went in the studio with Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius, Peter Asplund on trumpet and the Finnish vibraphone player Severi Pyysalo to record a new album mainly with his own songs. The album “Short Stories for Dreamers” was released in 2010 and was praised for its calmness and lyrical mood. Recently Bodilsen has also been a part of the succesful TV-shows “Sostiene Bollani”. In the fall of 2011 the trio, with Bollani being the host, did 6 shows brodcasted on the Italian national channel RAI 3. Besides touring around the world, recording albums and teaching at the conservatories Bodilsen has also spent more and more time on composing music. In the fall of 2012 a new album will be released with his music - displaying his skills as a composer, bandleader, bassplayer and producer. World-class bassist - Jesper Bodilsen toured all over the world and music critics wrote: “Like NHOP, Bodilsen possesses a warm sound, great dexterity, virtually faultless intonation and an aura of calm even in the midst of volcanic eruptions. He is a lyrical player whose supple lines unfold with ease” (JAZZTIMES, US) “Jesper Bodilsen’s bass playing continues the theory that Denmark is the home of great bassists” (The Age, AUS) “Stone In The Water finally gives the trio the international exposure it deserves - it's the year's most sublime piano trio recording, where silence and the power of understatement are as definitive as the virtuosity that underscores this group's uncanny empathy. (Allaboutjazz.com US) Jesper Bodilsen, 5 gennaio 1970, Haslev, Danimarca Nato in una famiglia dove nessuno suonava uno strumento, ad 8 anni trova casualmente una vecchia tromba nella casa di campagna del nonno e prova a suonare. Inizia così il suo percorso nella musica. La svolta nel giugno 1992 quando gli chiesero di suonare a due All Star Concerts at the Riverboat Jazz Festival con il batterista americano Ed Thigpen ed il pianista Duke Jordan, da quel momento suonò con altri grandi musicisti come James Moody, Benny Golson, Lee Konitz, Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Horace Parlan, Jimmy Heath and Phil Woods. Spesso nel leggendario club Bent in Aahus. Nel 1997 incontrò nuovamente Ed Thigpen che lo volle nel suo trio insieme al pianista Carsten Dahl, registrarono nel 1998 il primo album “It´s Entertainment” che fu nominato al Danish Grammy e vinse il Jazz Special Prize “Album Of The Year”. Bodilsen suonò e registrò con Thigpen fino al 2010, per ben 13 anni di musica e 6 album. Jesper Bodilsen è stato coproduttore per la vocalist Katrine Madsen per più di 10 anni e nel 1999 iniziò la sua attività producendo il suo gruppo Scandinavian Summit: 2 album e un tour mondiale in Europa, SE Asia, Cina e Australia. Nel 2002 fondò la sua casa di produzione che fino ad adesso ha prodotto più di 15 albums, registrando e suonando con molti grandi artisti. Nel 1998, 2002 e 2004 venne chiamato a suonare ai concerti del prestigioso Jazzpar Priz, nel 2002 il vincitore del premio fu il trombettista italiano Enrico Rava con il quale suonò insieme a Stefano Bollani, Gianluca Petrella, John Abercrombie e Morten Lund e, dopo l'ultimo concerto in Copenhagen chiese a Bollani e Lund se fossero interessati a suonare ancora insieme. Un anno dopo, nel marzo 2003, dopo il loro primo tour, decisero di registrare il loro primo album per la Stunt Records, Mi ritorni in mente, a nome Jesper Bodilsen trio. Nel 2004 vince il Django d'Or Prize come musicista dell'anno, e nello stesso anno il trio incise il loro secondo album, Gleda, a nome di tutti. L'album si è posizionò 4° nella classifica jazz italiana nel 2005 e nominato nel 2006 "Best International Jazz Album” nella Australian Bell Award. Già dall'inizio il trio ha suonato in giro per l'Europa nei club e festival più prestigiosi come Umbria Jazz, Copenhagen Jazz Festival fino al leggendario Birdland di New York. Dopo Gleda, il trio registra un album con la cantante Katrine Madsen, Close to you, che fu nominato nei Danish Music Award come “Best Vocal Jazz Album". Passeranno 4 anni prima di registrare un altro album, questa volta prodotto da Manfred Eicher con la prestigiosa etichetta ECM. Stone in the water è stato per molte riviste di jazz del mondo il miglior lavoro in trio del 2009. Due brani dell'album sono composti da Bodilsen, Orvieto e Edith. Nell'autunno 2012 uscirà il suo nuovo lavoro con la sua musica, dove sono evidenziate le sue capacità di compositore, bandleader e produttore. World-class bassist, composer, producer, teacher in Denmark and Firenze, Italy www.jesperbodilsen.dk