Makiko Hirabayashi with the new Weavers

After four critically acclaimed records and more than 15 years of international tours with her trio feat. Marilyn Mazur, Makiko Hirabayashi expands his creative field of work by introducing a new group of Weavers with saxophonist Fredrik Lundin, bassist Thommy Andersson, and drummer Bjørn Heebøll.

Weavers debuted as a piano trio in 2018 at Mahrajazz, a Palestinian jazz festival in Haifa, where they played in a cave-like space filled with steaming energy from a music-starved audience. The magical and spiritual energy has characterized their music from the very beginning.

In the spring of 2020, Makiko Hirabayashi had a sort of revelation when playing in a duo with saxophonist Fredrik Lundin. As a natural continuation, she merged the two projects and formed the quartet Weavers with a focus on the collective creative process. With four strong voices, they create a dynamic, innovative, and refreshing musical universe that varies from earthbound narratives to the spherical and abstract.

Weaver's debut album was recorded in Nilento Studio and released on the German jazz label Enja in April 2021.

Makiko Hirabayashi is a Japanese pianist and composer living in Denmark since 1990. She has released eight albums, toured internationally with, among others, her own trio with Marilyn Mazur and Klavs Hovman, and received a DJBFA's Honorary Award for her work as a composer in 2020. She has a personal voice that incorporates elements from jazz, classical music, music from the Far East and the Nordic style.

Fredrik Lundin is one of the biggest names of his generation in Scandinavia, known for his dynamic and expressive saxophone playing. For over three decades he has performed with both his own bands and as a sideman in some of Europe's leading ensembles. He has led 13 album releases and received several awards, including three Danish Music Awards for best jazz record of the year and the Ben Webster Award. In 2019, he was awarded the Stamina Award for Lifetime Achievement by DJBFA.

Thommy Andersson is one of the most sought-after bassists in the Nordic countries with roots in Swedish folk music tradition. His warm tone and sensitive, organic bass playing are heard in countless contexts across genres - from pop to bop, from punk and heavy to jazz, crossover and avant-garde. He is also a renowned composer, arranger, and producer and has written many works for large ensembles.

Drummer and percussionist Bjørn Heebøll is an active part of both the rock, jazz and avant-garde scene in Scandinavia. He has won several awards with the rock band Bisse and participated in countless jazz and free jazz contexts, where he has distinguished himself as a creative and innovative drummer.

The concert is part of the series The Iconic Saxophone at Aarhus Jazz Festival 2021.

The concert series pays tribute to an instrument that has been an important part of jazz music since the beginning, having fostered legendary musicians such as Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Yusef Lateef, and Charlie Parker.

The Iconic Saxophone is supported by The Knud Højgaard Foundation, CAC Foundation, STIBOFONDEN, Aarhus Stifttidende Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, and Aarhus Municipality.

Read more about Weavers - Makiko Hirabayashi

Read more about Weavers - Makiko Hirabayashi