Danish composer, Lars Fiil, shows us the gentler side of the Jazz Underground
This month, Danish pianist and composer Lars Fiil takes over the Jazz Underground with 10 new tracks that demonstrate the more gentle side of the genre. With tracks from Nala Sinephro, Jakob Anderskov, Mark Guiliana, and indeed Lars himself, the mix leads us into the new year at a slower, more intimate pace.
Lars released his first album as a band leader in 2011. The album (entitled Reconsideration by the Lars Fiil Quartet) was nominated for a Danish Music Award and received great reviews. Since then, Fiil has released 6 albums in his own name. There are two albums with the septet, Fiil Free (a group that gathers some of the most prolific improvisers on the european jazz scene) and two widely acclaimed albums with his trio, Frit Fald. His 2023 album, Connections, is a collaboration with oud-player Bilal Irshed that merges nordic jazz harmonies and middle-eastern flavors.
On his latest album, New Ground, Lars steps into uncharted territory with a new band that blends acoustic soundscapes with ambient electronic textures. “This album is about having the courage to venture into unknown territory while daring to stand firm in who you are and where you come from as a musician,” explains Lars when talking about New Ground. “We wanted to create something that feels both grounded and forward-looking. We’ve worked on combining acoustic and electronic elements to create something fresh and challenging, allowing us to explore new ideas while maintaining a connection to beautiful melodies and epic storytelling.” The result is an album and a sound that simultaneously points forward and backward in time and offers a fresh take on modern Nordic jazz.
Below you can sample “Look Up” — the lead single from New Ground — and then have a listen to some music that inspired the album by checking out the new contributions to the Jazz Underground playlist.
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If this is your first time listening to the Jazz Underground, here’s what you need to know: The Jazz Underground is a monthly feature where we enlist the musicians and producers who are pushing the boundaries of what jazz means to them. The idea is to change the perception of the music’s rotten public image — a genre that can sometimes be stuck in the past rather than something that is always evolving. Each month we invite a new resident artist to contribute and curate the playlist to reflect what jazz sounds like today.
Have a listen to the playlist below, and if you like what you hear, make sure to follow the Jazz Underground playlist on Spotify.
