Folk meets Jazz....

ULC

ULC



Dato Venue By
15.04.04  Tobakken Esbjerg
16.04.04 Musikhuset  Århus
17.04.04 Halkær Kro Nibe
18.04.04 Det Bruunske Pakhus Fredericia





Originally formed as a trio in 1998, the band has now been joined by two outstanding jazz musicians in what can only be described as a rare meeting of musical genres, that of folk and jazz. The combination of traditional Danish dance music from the 18th century and jazz in a Nordic setting brings to mind the legendary recording of Jan Johansson’s Jazz På Svenska. While the idea of jazz improvisations using traditional material is certainly not new, what makes this rather special is that you have both folk and jazz musicians endeavouring to bridge the gap between genres.


In February 1999 ULC released their first CD entitled SIK og SEJS, a recording of traditional dance music from the Danish island of Fanø, which was highly acclaimed both in Denmark and abroad

sikogsejs One of the band members is an Irishman now settled in Denmark and so it seemed natural that songs from the Irish tradition should become part of the band’s repertoire. All of these tunes and songs are played with verve but respect and a sense of humour that characterises ULC-quintet.
The release of their second CD entitled Spring in June 2000 is the result of combining traditional folk music with approaches from jazz. The source for many of the selections on this CD is the wealth of fascinating Danish sheet music from the eighteenth century, collections of which active and experienced folk-musicians and researchers have been working through for some years.
spring The music on this CD also includes traditional songs from Ireland, reflecting that country’s history, and collected from various places around the world. Nominated in three categories for the Danish Music Awards Folk - 2001, ULC-quintet won two awards: The coveted Folk Album of the Year and the Folk Artist of the Year - Contemporary. Peter Uhrbrand won the Instrumentalist of the Year Award. ULC furthermore was nominated in the category: Danish Folk Artist of the Year - Traditional
Sonnic Lydom was nominated as Danish Folk instrumentalist of the Year. In the Jazz Awards, Mads Vinding won the Album of the Year and the Jazz Special Reader's Poll 2000. All in all quite an achievement by the five band members. In February 2001, Spring was released in Germany under licence by Laika records. Spring was awarded the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik II/2001, the German Record Critic's Award for the best Album in the 2nd quarter of 2001.
masquerade At The Tønder Festival 2003 ULC-quintet launced their third album, - this time as a quintet. The album entitled "Masquerade" (Cope Records) combines danish music from the seventeen-hundreds with the most outstanding from the danish jazz-scene. In a musical conversation characterized by mutual respect, the danish traditional tunes are explored and investigated in a not yet heard way. Guest performance by the renowned irish uelliann-pipe virtuoso Liam O'Flynn adds extra depth and dimension to a number of the tracks, as well as 2002 World Champion on bones, Yirdy Machar puts his percussive imprints on "Masquerade".
"Masquerade" won "Årets Danske Folk Album" at DMA Folk 2004

Peter Uhrbrand: Fiddle.

Peter studied under the well-known Danish fiddler and composer, Thomas Tomsen from Holstebro. In 1976 he moved to Sønderho on the Danish island of Fanø and his subsequent meeting with the legendary fiddler brothers, Frits and Søren L. Brinch, proved to be a turning point in his life. After Frits’ death, it was natural that Peter should continue the unique style and sound that he had inherited from the Brinch brothers and which is very much a living tradition today. Apart from playing and teaching the rich musical heritage of Fanø, Peter has also performed in a variety of known Danish folk-fusion bands, among them the group Ganza.

Sonnich Lydom: Accordion and harmonica.

Sonnich has been playing Irish and Danish traditional music since the early seventies. His first introduction to traditional music was through his strong family ties on the island of Fanø and this music has been a part of his repertoire ever since. Sonnich’s musical journeys to Quebec and his encounters with French-Canadian musicians have played a major part in shaping his distinctive style of accordion playing. Among the countless bands Sonnich has played with over the past two decades are "Ash Plant" and the Danish folk-rock group "Dronningens Livstykke", with whom he recorded several albums.

Séamus Cahill: Guitar, Irish bouzouki and vocals.

Séamus originally comes from Cork in Ireland but has settled in Denmark. He has been playing Irish traditional music since the early seventies. Séamus has played in numerous bands, among them "Ash Plant" with whom he recorded two albums in the late eighties. He has frequently lent his considerable skills as an accompanist to Irish musicians visiting Scandinavia, among them Frankie Gavin, Paddy Keenan and Mary Bergin. He also played in the Irish bands "Celtic Swing", which toured extensively in Denmark and northern Germany, and the Scandinavian- based "Humdingers", who released their first CD, "Live in Oslo" in 1995.

Mads Vinding: Bass.

Mads is a veteran of the legendary jazz club Montmartre, Copenhagen with more than 500 recordings to his credit. He has performed with; Herbie Hancock - Wayne Shorter - Stan Getz - Gary Burton - Hank Jones - Tony Williams - Dexter Gordon - Ben Webster - Joanne Brackeen - Sonny Stitt - Sir Roland Hanna - Benny Goodman - Dizzy Gillespie - Dollar Brand - Clark Terry - Chet Baker - Art Farmer - Woody Shaw - Benny Bailey - Dusko Goykovich - Ed Thigpen - Alvin Queen - Billy Hart - Bruno Castelucci - John Engels - Daniel Humair - Sangoma Everett - Enrico Pieranunzi - Roger Kellaway - Tete Montoliu - Horace Parlan - Fred Hersch - Martial Solal - Renée Rosnes - Gordon Beck - Dee Dee Bridgewater - Meredith d'Ambrosio - Deborah Brown - Mark Murphy - Etta Cameron - Toots Thielemans - Lee Konitz - Johnny Griffin - Sahib Shihab - Charlie Mariano - Ernie Wilkins - Philip Catherine - Bob Brookmeyer - Monty Alexander - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Peter Herbolzheimer - Janne Schaffer - Quincy Jones - Svend Asmussen - Istanbul Express - Thomas Clausen - Alex Riel - Kim Sjøgren - Finn Savery - Danish Radio Big Band. Mads has toured extensively, produced several records, written film scores and is the recipient of several distinguished jazz awards. He was awarded first prize as the best soloist in the International radio contest NORDRING in 1978. In 1982 he received The Ben Webster Prize and the Palæ Jazz Prize in 1997.

Peter Rosendal: Piano.

Despite his young years, Peter is quite sought after on the Danish jazz scene and is known for his brilliant compositions with the Vestjysk Musikkonservatorium’s Very Big Band.