SOUND OF CHOICE

Hasse Poulsen’s SOUND OF CHOICE

photo Denis Rouvrehttp://www.rouvre.com/

Fredrik Lundin Saxophone, flute, electronics Hasse Poulsen Guitar Lars Juul Drums, electronics

Sound of Choice has been playing exciting music since 1991. With the release of Back Street Theatre this was more true than ever. The trio had found a way of combining the possibilities of contemporary jazz with the musical language of contemporary composed music. Though the inspirations to this music are often American the music is nevertheless always described as typically European. Grooves, tonalities and melodies are mixed with contemporary or modern elements and techniques.

Our sixth release RUGBY IN JAPAN shows us playing tunes. The fact that Poulsen has worked intensively with Louis Sclavis and Fredrik with Jon Balke has inspired the trio so it now carefully plans each set and writes tunes for defined places in the dramaturgie.

With Rugby In JAPAN a circle has been completed: starting out in 1991 trying to extend jazz language through structural and a-tonal compositions and improvisations, working hard to with free improvisation in order to make the contemporay language their own, and very important: a swinging and living language, the trio has now returned to compositisons. This now with the certainty of those who have created their own music and know how it works.
This is a mature music: Sound of Choice is not trying to prove anything. Just trying to play their music with as much joy and precision as possible.

Since 1991 Sound of Choice has played more than 150 concerts, given clinics, and made radio recordings in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Austria, and Germany. Sound of Choice has released four CD’s: Triple Exposure 1993, Sound of Choice 1995, Dynamics 1998, and Back Street Theatre in 2001. Sound of Choice has worked with Barry Guy, Markus Stockhausen, Raymond Strid and quite a few Danish musicians and a few dancers and poets.

Fredrik Lundin is one of Denmark’s most respected instrumentalists - definitely the most respected of our generation. Strongly rooted in the free jazz tradition it is hard to imagine any musical style which he does not play - and plays well. Apart from leading the successful 11-piece band Overdrive he is a sought after soloist in all of Scandinavia, which collaborations with Jon Balke’s Magnetic North and Palle Danielsson is a good example of. He is a prolific composer for both classical ensembles, singers, and jazz groups of any size.

Hasse Poulsen generally rests close to improvised music. Playing and recording with musicians and groups in various countries, he has developed a unique way of playing the guitar incorporating preparations as well as a mix of traditional and alternative techniques. Louis Sclavis; Napoli’s Walls and Big Napoli, Sound Kitchen, Compagnie Hommes de Terre, Hélène Labarrière Quartet, Das Kapital, Eric Brochard, Joëlle Léandre, Titanic with Pierre Dørge. Roy-Poulsen-Chevillon. SPEEQ : Sidsel Endresen , Luc Ex, Marc Sanders.

Lars Juul is a sought after drummer in Denmark in the fields between improvised and new jazz music. Always innovative and subtle he - like Lundin - is now working on incorporating samplers and electronics in his kit in order to expand the possibilities of the drums both concerning sound and rhythmic textures. Takuan, Jens Schou Kvartet, Fredrik Søegaard Ensemble, Pool Players withArve Henriksen et Benoit Delbecq.
and a lot of freelance groups and special projects.

foto: Claus Bülow Christensen

Ajmi, Un Pavé dans le jazz, Dexter, Testrup Højskole, Studenterhuset Aalborg

Rencontres internationales de Nevers, Nancy Jazz Pulsations

NattJazz, Copenhagen Jazzfestival

Utrecht jazz Festival, AMR i Génève, Klub 69 i Berlin

2007

concert at the Reims Jazz festival (see the interview from right after the concert) (see the photo's)

concert in Kunsthalle Kiel

concert in Cobenhagen jazzhouse

release RUGBY IN JAPAN

2 concerts in Poitiers, 1 in Nantes, Brest, Radio France with Bruno

Chevillon, concert i Sun Ship i Århus.

2006

recording the music for the dance performance RÅ FLADE.

Invisible in Paris ved Jazz.dk in november.

4 Concerts in Lissabon (Jazz em Agosto)

Festival de Rambouillet, 2 concerts in Tours, Inntöne Festival.

Feb. release INVISIBLE CORRESPONDANCE

concerts in Passau, Vienna, and Lissabon, Strasbourg, Tours, Ramboillet.

2005

Pori JazzFestival in Finland

2004

November 03 concerts in France

Copenhagen Jazz Festival with Invisible Correspondance

concert was recorded by the Danish Radio + recorded 2 days in a studio

Inntöne festival in Austria

Concerts in Sweden and Copenhagen
2003

Copenhagen Jazz Festival with ixi String Quartet
Banlieues Bleues Festival and Nantes with Ixi String Quartet
concerts in France: Grenoble Jazz Festival and Poitier
2002

release of Back Street Theatre
concerts in Berlin, Warsaw, Sweden and Denmark.
2001

Nov: Trytone Festival in Amsterdam

February/September: concerts in Denmark, Sweden + recording Back Street Theatre

2000

Sound of Choice reduced to a trio featuring Lundin, Poulsen & Juul.
Several concerts in the Copenhagen area
1999

Bolværksdanse: three performances with the dansers Karina Elver and Esa Alanne.

Released Dynamics.
1998

1 concert with Markus Stockhausen & 2 concerts with Barry Guy
concerts in Köln, Berlin and Göteborg.

1997

Tour in Danmark spring and autumn. 6 concerts with the Swedish drummer Raymond Strid.

1996

Tour in Sweden. Recording by Sveriges Radio. released Sound of Choice.
2 concerts with Markus Stockhausen. Recording by DR.
1995

Tour in Denmark and Finland, concert at the NUMUS festival in Århus.
Concert at Louisiana Kunst Museum with Thomas Clausen and the poet Niels Lyngsøe.
1994

Sound of Choice regrouped as a quintet with Hasse Poulsen, Lars

Juul, FredrikLundin, Lars Møller, and Thomas Sandberg.
released Triple Exposure

1993

live recording at Copenhagen Jazz festival by DR.

1992
Sound of Choice formed by Hasse Poulsen, Lars Juul and Jens Hørsving.

1991

Discography:

2006 RUGBY IN JAPAN QUARK records