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..2025 was a rough one for all. Still hoping that we'll all get wiser - and more peaceful. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
But - we kept playing the music, and talking to people. A few memorable musical highlights was working with Almut Kühne, Francesco Bigoni and dancer Bee Brown. A concert at H15 Studio completely went through the roof.
Releasing the Confluencia album in the TUNGEMÅL series on ILK Music was a true highlight. The way Susana Santos Silva, Simon Simon Toldam and Ingar Zach got involved with my music was humbling. Beautiful release concert extravaganza at Hotel Cecil with the entire BABEL ensemble + Viktoria Søndergaard. The Quartet line-up also visited Cologne Jazzweek and LOFT Köln.
Reviews got pretty crazy all over:
❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎ (6/6) ” ..a new central work in Danish music” and “A remarkable achievement that sets both my body and mind in motion. .. just look, hope is still alive.” – David Dyrholm, Politiken (DK)
“What makes the album truly powerful is what many experimental lack: Space for contemplation and dialogue with the listener. Tungemål dares to be experimental without overpowering itself”. - Simon Heggum, Seismograf (DK)“
It is a work that is as musical as it is architectural and a coherent whole” - Mattheiu Jouan, Citizen Jazz (Fr)
★★★★★★ 6/6“As a listener, you allow yourself to be led through the rooms, constantly drawn toward discovering what lies around the next corner."Jørgen Nielsen, All That (DK)
★★★★☆".. Solborg offers nine aesthetically compelling avant-garde chamber pieces that leave a bold imprint due to their originality." - Filipe Freitas, JazzTrail.
Later I was nominated for a Danish Music Award Jazz - Composer of the Year, for the work with Confluencia. Great evening by Jazz Danmark.
Thanks again - we truly appreciate that you took the time to listen to our work.
Meeting amazing saxophonist Michaela Turcerová on stage felt like a stroke of luck. We visited venues in Denmark and France, incl. the great Jazzdor festival in Strasbourg with Simon Toldam. More will come from that, stay tuned.
An encounter with author Amina Elmi Albertslund combining music, poetry and croquis was super intense.
Picking up on the Solborg / Banke / Heebøll trio and adding Viktoria Søndergaard for a beautiful evening at the Dänische Botschaft in Deutschland. More to come in 2026.
Other parts of 2025 life included a new position teaching composition at RMC - Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium. As chair of the collective and Label ILK Music, the board and I worked intensely with funding, our new label manager and investigating new venues incl. an exciting new collaboration with the venue KU.BE at Frederiksberg. Looking forward.
The year ended with a sad and beautiful goodbye to the great Marilyn Mazur. ..safe travels Marilyn, I know you're still dancing and playing out there somewhere.
The next weeks I'll have my hands full with preparations for Vinterjazz concerts, new 2026 releases and works for 2026/27. (*☻-☻*). More on all that in spring.
Take care - talk to your neighbour and people you don't know.
Photos: Frank Schemmann, Malthe Folke Ivarsson, Teona Goreci, Christian Vogel, Claes Solborg Pedersen, MS.Video: Fredrik Auster
