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Jasper Hoiby

Jasper Høiby (double bass), Ivo Neame (piano), Anton Eger (drums)

Phronesis was created by Copenhagen-born London-based bassist Jasper Høiby in 2005. Phronesis’ debut album Organic Warfare was released in November 2007 on Loop Records. Organic Warfare was in the US iTunes ‘top 100 selling albums’ charts for two months following its release, and has to date, sold more than 12,000 downloads internationally.

Their hotly anticipated second album Green Delay was released in June 2009. The album has met with huge critical acclaim from The Guardian, Jazzwise and The Times, with Jazzwise voting it as one of their top ten albums of 2009 and journalist Chris Parker describing it as ‘a compulsively listenable, often downright haunting album’.

This success has led to Phronesis signing to impressive new UK jazz label Edition Records, for whom they recorded their third album ‘Alive’ live in March 2010 at the Forge Arts Venue in London. Featured on this album is guest US drummer Mark Guiliana (‘fast-rising star of the drum world’ �” Time Out). The album ‘Alive’ was released on July 26th 2010 and launched at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz club, London on August 3rd.

2010 has seen the trio gain increasing attention in Europe, with acclaimed performances at the Banlieues Bleues Festival in Paris, and the Copenhagen and North Sea Jazz Festivals. Back in the UK, the trio were nominated for ‘Best Jazz Ensemble’ in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards in April, featured on the front cover of Jazzwise Magazine in August and nominated as 'best jazz act' in the prestigious MOBO awards in October. Their charismatic live performances prompted Jon Newey (Editor of Jazzwise) to describe them as ‘the most exciting and imaginative piano trio since EST’.

Høiby’s compositions are anchored on powerful, melodic and often hypnotic bass grooves, whilst British pianist Ivo Neame’s continually unfolding melodic lines and Swedish drummer Anton Eger’s astonishingly accomplished rhythmic textures combine to create a vibrant distinctive sound.

Høiby created a name for himself in the UK as the bass lynch pin of the Loop Collective (set up by a generation of like- minded jazz musicians who wanted to create a network of shared resources and a platform for artistic collaborations) and an associate of the F-IRE collective. He continues to perform with Loop bands Jim Hart’s Gemini, Fringe Magnetic and Ivo Neame’s Quartet in addition to other high profile projects Tom Arthurs’ Arthurs.Høiby.Ritchie trio, the Mark Lockheart Group, Kairos 4tet, Sam Crowe Group, Richard Fairhurst’s ‘Triptych’, Julia Biel and Compassionate Dictatorship.

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Multiple Reviews

Høiby, Hart and Neame: Thinking Big

Read "Høiby, Hart and Neame: Thinking Big" reviewed by Geno Thackara


No one's ever accused the members of Phronesis of lacking imagination. This isn't the space to talk about that particular trio, as it comes during a gap in the action, but two of its members concurrently demonstrate that they're just as restless even in some very different contexts. Jasper Høiby Planet B Edition Records 2020 Unity has been one prime theme of bassist Jasper Hoiby's career, as eloquently shown on his solo ...

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Extended Analysis

Jasper Høiby: Fellow Creatures

Read "Jasper Høiby: Fellow Creatures" reviewed by Phil Barnes


Creativity is an unpredictable beast, yesterday's inspiration can soon turn stale, evaporating with the morning dew if not carefully cultivated and attended to. That idea that was once so exciting can easily become a well-worn rut, or even a trap, into which the unwary can fall. Bassist Jasper Hoiby, a third of Phronesis, appears to recognise the benefits of staying creatively fresh on this fantastic new record, explicitly taking the time to try something different, and, possibly, recharging the creative ...

3
Album Review

Jasper Høiby: Fellow Creatures

Read "Fellow Creatures" reviewed by Roger Farbey


Taking a break from his highly (and justifiably) praised trio Phronesis, virtuoso bassist Jasper Høiby described the rationale for Fellow Creatures thus: “it's been a dream of mine for a while to start a larger ensemble and to have the option of writing for two melody instruments as well as the trio." Høiby also regards the album in three ways; first he wanted to tell a story with a whole album, establishing a relationship between the album and ...

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Interview

Jasper Hoiby: In Conversation

Read "Jasper Hoiby: In Conversation" reviewed by Nick Davies


Scandinavian/British jazz trio Phronesis have been described in Jazzwise Magazine as “one of the most exciting bands on the planet today" and by Jon Newy in the same publication as “the most exciting and imaginative piano trio since the Esbjorn Svensson Trio." They have been nominated for numerous awards such as “The Best Jazz Ensemble" at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards and “Best Jazz Act" at The MOBO Awards, both in 2010. The band are currently working on their latest project ...

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Interview

Jasper Høiby: Phronesis and a Walk in the Dark

Read "Jasper Høiby: Phronesis and a Walk in the Dark" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


"The visuals," says bassist Jasper Høiby about his band Phronesis, “are just the icing on the cake." The music is his primary concern, but it's undeniable that Høiby's Anglo-Scandinavian trio is one of the most visually striking outfits on the European scene. There's Høiby himself: tall, slim, blond and often rather intense looking, playing his double bass. Then there's Anton Eger, sartorially stylish--possibly the only drummer in contemporary music who looks good in a bow tie--and constantly in motion as ...

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Press quotes for ‘ALIVE’ (Edition Records 2010)

"Alive sounds like one of the hot UK jazz-album contenders of 2010" GUARDIAN ****

"Alive is about as exciting as it can get without actually seeing this band live and in the flesh" JAZZWISE ****

“The sort of album that should get bigger jazz names quaking in their boots.” BASS GUITAR MAGAZINE

“This scorching live set fizzes with a post-EST/Avishai Cohen-style energy, replete with sunny Mediterranean Brazilian flourishes and depth-charge basslines.” TIME OUT ****

"a spirited and dramatic three-way musical conversation". THE YORK PRESS

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Same Moon in the Same...

Outside in Music
2022

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Planet B

Edition Records
2020

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Fellow Creatures

Edition Records
2016

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Jasper Høiby: Fellow...

Edition Records
2016

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Haven't Meta Yet

From: Same Moon in the Same World
By Jasper Hoiby

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