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Peter Knudsen

Peter Knudsen started playing the piano and also began writing his own music at the age of 10, and discovered jazz and 20th century music as a teenager. Having worked for some years with adapting the music of Debussy and Ravel for jazz trio, Peter and his trio recorded "Impressions- a tribute to Debussy and Ravel" in 2008, released on Found You Recordings. During 2009-2010, the trio did two summer tours in France. The trio has also performed at Swedish jazz clubs, festivals and concert halls. In 2010, he launched the project "P-B revisited", a quartet featuring Joakim Milder on Saxophone performing new arrangements of Swedish composer Peterson-Berger's music. In 2011, the group toured with the material and also recorded an album in the composer's home Sommarhagen. During the same year, Peter also formed the octet "Peter Knudsen Eight" and recorded the album "Sagas of the Present" featuring his own compositions. The album was released on the Italian label CAM Jazz in october 2012. His albums explore themes as diverse as French Impressionism, Swedish Romanticism, as well as his own compositions inspired by nature, literature and life itself. These can be heard on his octet album ”Sagas of the Present”, released by Italian label CAM Jazz and reviewed favorably by Down Beat, All About Jazz alongside European magazines. He was also commissioned to write new big band compositions for the acclaimed Stockholm Jazz Orchestra, resulting in the folklore-inspired suite “Nature Spirits”, with an album with the same name released by Do Music Records in 2019. Since 2009, Peter is resident in Stockholm, and also teaches piano and ensemble playing at the School of Music, Theatre and Art at Örebro University. Peter has also toured in Brazil on two occasions with his Brazilian-Swedish trio featuring drummer Kiko Freitas, and is also a member of Derupeto, a quartet that brings together musicians from Sweden, Brazil, and Mozambique to create a unique blend of musical influences. 

Awards

Ingvar Johansson Memorial Award, 1999.


Tags

24
Album Review

Derupeto Quartet: Derupeto

Read "Derupeto" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Hailing from Linkoping, Sweden, Gothenburg-based Jazz guitarist Tobias Grim and his new eclectic quartet offer an exciting musical statement on their brash debut, Derupeto. On tap here is a highly energetic production showcasing elements of African, Brazilian, American and Swedish influences on a nine-piece album of fresh new originals from the band resulting in a contemporary and unforgettable jazz sound. The guitarist would not have been able to accomplish the magic on this new outing without the help ...

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"Possessed of a solid technique, the Swedish pianist seems to sit solidly in the tradition of someone like Bobo Stenson, although he may be a little more upbeat than Stenson. (...) What’s truly nice about this disc is that the trio truly uses the motivic material from the classical source material as the basis for improvisation, rather than stating the themes and then going off in a different direction." - Jazzreview.com

"Peter Knudsen Trio plays astounding, and the sound quality is a pure pleasure. (...) entire themes are transferred to a jazz trio format, and one must say 'hats off' for doing it in such a talented way, with such musical and technical capacity." -Politiken (Denmark)

"Music of rare lyrical quality (...) this outstanding CD is to be enjoyed by both the classical listener as well as the jazz lover!"
Nordische Musik (Germany)

"For those who like these classics, Bill Evans, and why not Keith Jarrett, there is much to enjoy here." - Jazzrytmit (Finland)

"Exciting and challenging playing that brings out a new dimension in the music, yet preserving all the beauty of the originals at the same time" Upsala Nya Tidning (Sweden)

"Together they have created a piece of art." -Lira (Swedish music magazine)

Primary Instrument

Piano

Location

Stockholm

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Credentials/Background

Teaches jazz piano and ensemble playing at university level (Music Academy of Örebro)

Clinic/Workshop Information

- Ensemble exercises in Polymeters, Polyrhythm - Ensemble playing and improvising across the genre boundaries - Piano trio/small ensemble clinics with focus on interplay, switching roles etc.

Photos

Music

Tid (Time)

From: Derupeto
By Peter Knudsen

Videos

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