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Maria Dybbroe

Maria Dybbroe is a Danish saxophonist, composer and improviser, born in 1993 and based in Copenhagen. She plays alto, soprano and baritone saxophone, as well as clarinet and bass clarinet. Since 2015 she has been a very active performer part of the experimental jazz scene in both Aarhus and Copenhagen. However she also loves to work between the genres and has collaborated with both electronic musicians, contemporary dancers and pop artists.

Dybbroe is known for her listening and very melodic and intuitive playing, as well as her very personal and soft sound on the alto saxophone, especially inspired by saxophonists like Paul Desmond and Lee Konitz. Main ensembles of Dybbroe are the double trio Caktus, where she composes all the music, and a free-impro trio Køs, in collaboration with Valdemar Kragelund (electronics) and Kristian Isholm Saarup (drums). Køs has released three albums - one of them with the awarded Danish poet Pia Tafdrup.  They have also toured with the saxophonists Lars Greve, Lotte Anker as well as the drummer Anders Vestergaard and violin-player Nils Gröndal.

Maria also takes part in: Extemporize Orchestra led by Nana Pi; Dynastiet with her brother Victor Dybbroe; Maraton with Jonathan Jull Ludvigsen, Lasse Sonne and Christian Haase, the saxophone quartet Sidechains with Sven Meinild, Martin Stender, Francesco Bigoni and Henrik Pultz Melbye, Copenhagen Clarinet Choir, as well as the saxophone trio Coriolis with Barefoot-members Nana Pi and Carolyn Goodwin. In 2019 Maria released the LP “Rituals” at label Bad Posture, together with Jacob Ridderberg as composer and with Maria Dybbroe as solo instrumentalist, performing a work for saxophone in many layers. As a composer Maria has written for various ensembles, including commissioned work for fx. Kasper Staub trio and Ojkos.

Besides playing in many different bands Maria also plays solo concerts, and plays in more project-based constellations as part of the vibrant impro-scene in Copenhagen: i.e. she has played and cooperated with prominent artists like Pat thomas, P.O. Jørgens, Laura Toxværd, Tristan Honsinger, Ståle Liavik Solberg, Jesper Løvdal, Jacob Anderskov,  and Bon Iver. Maria also performs on records with artists such as Lowly, Mija Milovic, T.S. Høeg, Slim0, Doom Orchestra, I Just Came From The Moon, Lasse Sonne, Lovis Bechmann, Otonn a.o.

Awards

2021 Nominated to ’Album of the Year’at Danish Music Awards Jazz with Caktus for ’Under Solen’

2021 Received the Prize ’New Name of the Year’ at Danish Music Awards Jazz with Maraton for ’Maraton’

2020 Nomineret to a Steppeulv (The Danish Critic's Prize) as ’Composer of the Year’ for Caktus – Under Solen

2020 Nominated as ’New name of the Yesr’ at Danish Music Awards Jazz with Køs for ’An Uncaught Bird’

2020   Nominated to ’The Children's Jazz Prize’ at Danish Music Awards Jazz with the band 'Hej Jazz'.

2019   Nominated to ’Danish Radio P8 Jazz Prize’ as ’Initiiator of the Year’ at Danish Music Awards Jazz for the work with Sun Ship and The Community.

2019   Received Danish Musicians Labour Union Aarhus’ ’Initiative-prize’ for the wotk with Sun Ship and The Community as well as the aarhusian music scene in general

2018    Received the Student Council's Initiative Prize at The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus.


Tags

"The five musicians glided effortlessly back and forth between tight compositions and free, playful improvisation, and at the front stood the protagonist with closed eyes and a musical sensibility that many young musicians must dream of being able to find. Maria Dybbroe's ear and expression are just some of the reasons why she has developed into one of the most interesting figures on the Danish scene for improvisational music. She is - and was also this day - completely present in the music, inside every note and sound"
 (David Dyrholm, Politiken, July 2021)
Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto
Lee Konitz
saxophone, alto

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Flimrende

Barefoot Records
2023

buy

An Uncaught Bird

Forlaget Kornmod
2020

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Under Solen

Barefoot Records
2020

buy

Rituals

Bad Posture
2019

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