[press]

YOU HAD ME AT HELLO feat. AB BAARS

Influenced by the 60´s free jazz-scene and more contemporary European approaches, the music of You Had Me At Hello rapidly changes from exploding energy to more meditative and quiet modes. The music stretches from tonal to non-tonal, from minimalistic to dense patterns and textures. All this is resulting in the many-coloured and detailed universe that defines the sound of the trio.

This European group was founded in 2007 at ‘The Banff Centre of Arts’ high up in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, where the three members met for the first time. The connection was strong and a common musical language was instantly created, and since then the group has been playing on a regular basis, touring in France, Norway and Denmark.

You Had Me At Hello has been working with great musicians such as Oliver Lake (US), Sylvie Courvoisier (CH), Ab Baars (NL) and Michael Moore (US), and to celebrate the release of two new records with some of these fine improvisers You Had Me At Hello will be touring in northern Europe with special guest Ab Baars (NL) early 2010.

Ab Baars (NL) - sax, clarinet + Alexandra Grimal (FR) - sax Adrian Fiskum Myhr (N) - bass Christian Skjødt (DK) - drums

To be released January 2010 on limited edition vinyl · You Had Me At Hello: ‘Meet Oliver Lake’ · You Had Me At Hello: ‘Meet Ab Baars & Michael Moore’ web: http://www.myspace.com/ihaveseenthefuture [special guest]

AB BAARS is a Dutch musician-composer and bandleader and was born in Magrette in 1955. He is a major figure in the Dutch jazz scene, having played with Misha Mengelberg and Han Bennink in their legendary ICP Orchestra for more than 25 years. Ab Baars has been internationally acclaimed for both his solo and ensemble music performed in hundreds of concerts throughout Europe, North America, Japan and Australia. This flying Dutchman accentuates the improv, playing with an intensity reminiscent of Albert Ayler whether on tenor or clarinet, and in reviews Baars’ music has been characterised as joyfully obstinate, but surely appealing and as colourful as it is astonishing. It embodies the best typically Dutch improvised music has to offer.

Ab Baars has worked with great improvisers such as Han Bennink (NL), Misha Mengelberg (NL), Cecil Taylor (US), Steve Lacy (US), Ken Vandermark (US), Anthony Braxton (US), Tristan Honsinger (US), George Lewis (US), Sunny Murray (US), Roger Turner (UK), Roswell Rudd (US) and groups like The Ex (NL) and Sonic Youth (US).

The discography of Ab Baars contains more than 50 records, with 15 releases in his own name.

Discography (selected) Ab Baars Trio & Ken Vandermark: 'Goofy June Bug' (Stichtingwig, 2009) Duo Baars-Henneman: 'Stof' (Stichtingwig, 2009) ICP Orchestra: 'Weer is een dag voorbij' (ICP, 2006) Ab Baars Quartet: 'Kinda Dukish' (Stichtingwig, 2005) Sonic Youth-ICP-The EX: 'In the Fishtank 9' (Konkurrent, 2002) Ab Baars Trio/Roswell Rudd: 'Four' (Data Records, 2001) Misha Mengelberg: 'Two days in Chicago' (hatOLOG, 1998) The EX: 'Joggers and Smoggers' (EX, 1989) [personel]

CHRISTIAN SKJØDT was born in Aalborg, Denmark and started playing drums at the age of 7, after first trying out the violin and the recorder. Since then he has been awarded Jazz Musician of Northern Jutland, Denmark 2007, received the Appetize Awards Talent of the Year 2008 and several other prizes, and has a master’s degree in drums and music technology at The Academy of Music, Aalborg. He is also curating and managing his record label Tonometer Music releasing creative and adventurous music on vinyl, and has played and/or recorded with Eugene Chadbourne (US), Pat Thomas (UK), Herb Robertson (US), Martin Klapper (CZ), Sture Ericson (SE), Peter Dahlgren (SE), Pierre Dørge (DK), Hasse Poulsen (DK/F), Lotte Anker (DK), Simon Toldam (DK), among many others.

Discography (selected) Glöggerne & Martin Klapper: 'With Dr. Chadbourne' (Tonometer Music, 2009) Astro Black: ‘Is Blood The Love Of The Universe?’ (Tonometer Music, 2009) Glöggerne & Martin Klapper: 'With Sound!' (Tonometer Music, 2007) Knob A Siesta: 'In My Head There Is Silence...' (Tonometer Music, 2007) Moskus: 'Moskus' (Ninth World Music, 2005)

ALEXANDRA GRIMAL was born in Cairo, Egypt and started music at the age of 5 with classical piano. At 15, in Paris, she was introduced to the saxophone, and in 2005 she received her master’s degree at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in the Netherlands. She continued her studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris (CNSM) and in the Sibelius Academy of Helsinki, Finland with the Socrates Exchange Programme, and has won many prestigious awards and prizes like the Soloist Prize in ‘Tremplin l’Esprit Jazz à St Germain des Prés 2008’ (FR), 1st Group Prize in ‘Grand Prix du Tremplin Européen de Jazz d’Avignon 2007’ (FR), and International Contest for Young Jazz Soloists of Fribourg 2007 (CH). She has collaborated with Jarmo Savolainen (FI), Rhoda Scott (US), Uffe Krokfors (FI), Jean-Jacques Avenel (FR), Dré Pallemaerts (BE), John Betsch (US), Nelson Veras (BR), Lynn Cassiers (BE), among many others.

Discography Alexandra Grimal Trio: ‘Shape’ (Futura Marge, 2009) Julio Resende Quartet: ‘Da Alma’ (Clean Feed, 2008) Ruben Samama Quintet: ‘Hotaru’ (OAP Records, 2007)

ADRIAN FISKUM MYHR was born in Trondheim, Norway and picked up the double bass at the age of 18, after starting his musical career on the electric bass. He has studied at the Academy of Music in Oslo, and is a very active bass player on the music scene around the Norwegian capital, working with Sidsel Endresen (NO), and playing in groups like Trabant, Scatterheart, Aphrodisiac, Astrid Pedersen Ensemble. He has also many projects abroad, like Vojtech Prochazka Trio (CZ), Chiba (AU), Karma Sample (DE), Yuma Yuma (F/DE/DK) and several upcoming record releases. [concert review]

YOU HAD ME AT HELLO - LIVE AT JAZZKLUB LIMBO

‘As a child I rarely had fever. But when I had, the fever was always accompanied by one particular hallucination, which I got to know and love. I experienced that from the center of my room an invisible and in defined, but nonetheless strongly detectable energy emerged. It was massif, though silent. Forceful like a frozen ball of lightning – static and all embracing. As a grown up I have even more rarely had fever and as of yet, no hallucinations.

However, this Thursday, where the Café at Studenterhuset had been transformed into 'JazzKlub Limbo', I enjoyed several re- encounters with this raw and unfathomable energy of my childhood hallucinations. During the concert of the trio 'You Had Me At Hello', that, lead by the local Christian Skjødt on drums, Adrian Myhr (NO) on double bass and Alexandra Grimal (FR) on saxophones, played one connected, improvised piece, evolving during a small hour.

Quiet, melodic segments alternated with frenetic and more rhythmic developments, which again interchanged with extended and continued explosions of sound, which was exactly what brought me in contact with my past experience of raw and unspoilt energy. These climaxes of the collective improvisation where any thought of time, place and music must surrender to the pure experience of a limitless potential Now, only occurs if the musicians, apart from containing an outstanding musicality, also have the aptitude for profound presence. 'You Had Me At Hello' has this aptitude along with my warmest recommendations.’ Søren Gemmer (Denmark, March 2007)