A Plane To Catch | Soul Piece | October 11, 2024

Bonded over a mutual love for Motown, Soul, Afrobeat and improvisation, Denmark’s renowned outlet for jazz, April Records, proudly presents the sophomore release from ‘A Plane To Catch’. Following a busy summer of festival performances across Denmark and extensive national radio play, ‘Soul Piece’, is set to release on October 11th.

Founded in the stillness of 2020 when a group of tight-knit up and coming musicians were robbed of their livelihood and greatest joy – live performance – the group came together in a graffiti smudged artist’s space in an old industrial facility in Copenhagen’s outskirts and created a space for themselves to improvise in a funky, groove based setting.

A followup to their 2023 debut ‘Moko Jumbie’ which explored the rich culture of West African music popularised by Mulatu Asastke and Fela Kuti, as the name suggests, ‘Soul Piece’ leans further into the tropes, grooves and idioms of Western 60’s Soul and Funk.

Recorded live over two days at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, the album’s raw, warm production captures the energy, intimacy and excitement of a live performance, transporting the listener right in the centre of a pulsating dancefloor

Each song is rooted in groove and exemplary band musicianship, and made up of every stylistic feature one might crave from the genre: crunchy rhodes tones, percussive clavinets, thick organ textures, grooving tambourines, searing guitar solos, deep pocket drum grooves, infectious basslines, punchy horn backings and James Brown-esque stabs.

Self described as the ‘young lions’ of the Danish jazz scene, each member of the six piece is an active contributor to the country’s diverse musical output; Nørregaard, Langebæk & Besiakov can be heard performing regularly in the Fela Kuti saluting Black Money Orchestra and Bæst, Eskildsen with the Addis Ababa Band, and Thofte & Toftemark each leading their own projects in contemporary hard-hop to name but a few of their many ventures.

Line up

Rolf Thofte | Trumpet
Andreas Toftemark | Saxophone
Mads Nørgaard | Guitar
Simon Eskildsen | Keys
Anton Langbæk | Bass              David Basiakov | Drums, Percussion

Track Listing

Bamako Convention Center
Corny Big
Mr. Well Dressed
At Least The Sky is Blue
Kahn Abyss
Le Chief
Slippin’
Soul Piece
Vernel

PR Quotes

Jazz Journal (UK)
Bright, clear, open sound on this one, particularly on the vinyl album

Jazz in Family (IT)
“an album that captures the energy of soul and funk, reinterpreting them with a modern and personal language ”

Jazz Views (UK)
SOUL PIECE proves that this band isn’t just capable of digging into different grooves; they excel at it!

Bluebird Reviews (UK)
“A truly inspired record coming from some of the most skilled and talented collective in Europe right now.”

Jazz.sk (SK)
“you just sway through the tangle of grooves, nodding appreciatively to every correct gesture, standing excitedly at every stoptime and smiling at every familiar riff.”

Jazz thing (DE)
Seductive brass lines meander along heavily grooving beats, while keyboards and rolling bass add extra spice to the songs

Esensja (PL)
“the band’s further evolution, which, which is probably understandable (and applaudable), doesn’t want to repeat old ideas”

Era Jazzu (PL)
“captures the energy, intimacy and emotion of a live session, transporting the listener to the heart of a pulsating dance floor”

Salt-peanuts (DK)
“you just have to put on your “dancing pumps” and let it go!”

Jazznyt (DK)
“Soul Piece is a good follow-up to the debut”

Cuttings