Improvising Around The Country

From May 24 to June 1, Danish guitarist Jakob Bro is joining Icelandic musicians Skúli Sverrisson and Óskar Guðjónsson for an ambitious project. They will travel to 5 locations for 5 concerts, in the span of 8 days. But there’s a catch: the music performed in each concert will be new and composed in the location where they’re performing. They’ll be joined by Danish filmmaker Andreas Koefoed, who will document the experience and journey. The Grapevine got the chance to hear from Jakob before he arrives in Iceland for the project.

The Reykjavík Grapevine: Can you tell me a little about your connection with Skúli Sverrisson, Óskar Gúðjónsson, and Iceland? What made you want to do this project here?

Jakob Bro: I have listened to Skuli and Oskar play in different constellations for as long as I can remember. I love their sound and approach to music.

In my imagination, when listening to them for the first time many years ago, they were the perfect example of human beings having merged together with the natural surroundings of their upbringing. They sounded not only beautiful to me but also so very personal. Like it was obvious that they came from a completely different place on earth than all of the other musicians I liked listening to. That feeling has stayed with me. It’s both a very natural and simple thing, to be able to express who you are and where you grew your roots, but at the same time it’s a huge thing too, that not many musicians nor composers manage to overcome throughout a lifetime.

So, I have mountain high respect for Skuli and Oskar for that reason, for showing the way, whatever that means, for so many, and honestly, I would have loved them both even if I did not know them personally, but solely for the fact that they’ve spread their love, honesty, vulnerability and beauty to other people through their music for so many years. Someone who does that is someone special to me and it gives me daily joy and inspiration to know that Skuli and Oskar are present in this world.

I really mean that, and obviously for that reason too, I’m very grateful for this upcoming Iceland meeting.

GV: I’m fascinated by your plan to compose scores when you arrive in a place, perform it there, and then do it all again in a different place the next day. Do you feel like this structure helps you be creative in a special way?

JB: The only rule is to not prepare anything in advance and, in that way, let the surroundings and the things that happen during the tour be starting points for our music. Whether we will be improvising all the way through or if we end up composing actual songs during the tour is not important to me. The important thing is to be true to what we see and hear and try to express that through our instruments. I wanted to try and create an environment with no pressure, no expectations at all. As a touring musician, there can be many obstacles along the way, a lot of pressure on you – I wanted to get rid of that by being completely open and by welcoming the outcome as it evolves naturally. This tour is about “being” and to dare let that come out in the most honest form. My preparations, the idea to work like this, the cast, the people involved, the locations which were carefully picked out by Skuli and Oskar, is all we need and from then on we let the moment guide us.

GV: I also know you all are being intentional about performing in places where jazz is not often heard. Why is it important to you to broaden where jazz is heard?

JB: I don’t like genres. Music is a universal language to me and a very direct way to communicate your feelings to each other. It’s important for me to share music with other people and sometimes I enjoy doing that in places that are not necessarily music venues, concert halls etc but in smaller societies where you get closer to the people that you play for. I’m hoping the places we play will not only affect the music but also the audiences making this into a journey to remember for everyone.

GV: Then, you’ll be joined by Danish filmmaker Andreas Koefoed who will capture video and produce a documentary about this project. How are you feeling about capturing your creative process in this way?

JB: I have been collaborating with Andreas for a long time now and love his work. It feels very natural to not only document a trip like this music-wise but also to try and capture the experiences and emotions that we are gonna share on camera. Art creation on many levels at the same time is always interesting so I’m happy that things are aligning like they are. I think the film will serve to inspire and also serve as a great memory of this project in general.

GV: Is there anything else you want to share with readers in Reykjavík

JB: Come out and listen please. This is a shared experiment and the more people that join, the more rewarding it’ll be for all of us.