Are they traditional songs from Iceland rearranged in a jazz style?
T he songs are traditional, all but one which is from a German opera but really known in Iceland as an Icelandic song. They aren’t really rearranged in a jazz style but rather used as vehicles for improvisation. The melody is so strong in these songs that they allow for re-harmonization and provide a frame for open improvisation without losing the fundamental narrative and lyrical foundation. Will you perform these songs in Virginia Beach? I will perform some of them along with standards and some new material that I am recording in New York with my quartet that month. What are your plans for the remainder of 2009? I am really excited about this trip to the US. On Iceland’s Independence Day, June 17th, I will be performing with my NY quartet on the roof of House of Sweden in Washington DC. That is such an unusual setting and seems way cool somehow. My quartet is also playing in Brooklyn and then making a new recording. I plan to come back to the US in fall to promote that record and set
