Mads Bærentzen Trio (DK)

Exclusive Reunion of Mads Bærentzen Trio

In 1995, three young music students met at the Royal Academy of Music: pianist Mads Bærentzen, bassist Morten Ramsbøl, and drummer Kristian Leth. From as far away as Brabrand, Holstebro, and Viborg, they showed up full of ambition and musical courage, and it wasn't long before they decided to form Mads Bærentzen Trio with a repertoire based on the rich jazz piano tradition.

In the years that followed, the trio played a lot of concerts around the country, both as a trio and with soloists such as Finn Ziegler, Jesper Thilo, Hans Ulrik, Thomas Hass, Thomas Fryland, and others. In 1999, the trio released their debut CD StandArt, which was recorded at Aarhus Art Museum, hence the album's quirky title.

The album, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, was very well received by both critics and audiences. Shortly after this release, both Mads Bærentzen and Kristian Leth went to New York for six months to live and perform. This was the start of several collaborations and albums with American musicians they met during their stay. The releases 785 Madison Ave with saxophonist Eric Alexander as guest soloist and The New York Project with singer Vivian Sessoms and saxophonist Tim Ries were some of the results of their outreach work, which also allowed them to play at such renowned clubs as Sweet Basil in NYC and the iconic "The Dear Head Inn" in a small town in Pennsylvania, where Keith Jarrett recorded one of his famous trio CDs. A few years ago, the trio also played a tour with singer Jo Lawry, who is known for having been a prominent member of Sting's band for many years. However, MBT never abandoned their original format and released the album Bill E, a tribute CD to one of their great idols, pianist Bill Evans. Morten Ramsbøl works as a professor of double bass at the University of Graz, Mads Bærentzen plays the piano in the Aarhus Jazz Orchestra, and Kristian Leth travels Scandinavia with names like Ulf Wakenius, Jan Lundgren, Scott Hamilton, Claire Martin, and others.

They value every opportunity to play together, "come home" musically, and just pick up where they left off. The trio has a special bond both artistically and personally, which shines through in their performances. The three musicians have decided to resume their collaboration on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the first release, and this concert will be an exclusive opportunity to hear the trio again at Aarhus Jazz Festival, as this is the only concert the trio will perform at the festival.

In this concert, they will dive into some of the material they have recorded on their four albums. Along the way, Mads Bærentzen will tell a few anecdotes from some of the trio's countless concerts at home and abroad over the past 25 years.

A glass of wine will be served at the concert, and the ticket price also includes an MBT Trio CD of your choice.

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