In Melodic Melange, Anders has gathered some of his favorite musicians in a breathless meeting between Scandinavian jazz and Arabic maqam.
Anders Hagberg – flute, alto & bass flutes, soprano sax
Ahmad al Khatib – oud
Johannes Lundberg – double bass, voice
Lisbeth Diers – percussion, voice
The collaboration between Anders and Palestinian oud virtuoso Ahmad al Khatib has resulted in the album Melodic Melange and tours in Scandinavia, Estonia and S.Korea.
They have also made several tours in India with artists from Bombay and Bangalore with whom they have made the album Ley Lines.
Connecting Worlds is a platform for musical collaborations between genres and cultures.
In 2016 a new serie of concerts was launched in Gothenburg and West Sweden, proceeding in 2017-2018 with tours and new collaborations.
Enjoy videos with Melodic Melange from Vara Concert House october 2016.
In 2014 Connecting Worldscreated new music for the four musicians and a string ensemble.
Hagberg & Landgren
ANDERS HAGBERG and JOHANNES LANDGREN –flutes/soprano sax & church organ/piano
”Celestial inspiring music.” all about jazz
“These two musicians … create an organic, almost physical sensuality.”/Lira
“You just feel very grateful…unbroken passion.” /Hallandsposten
”Hagberg and Landgren offer some stunning moments.” /Greenman Review
Hagberg & Landgren explore and develop improvisations taking their point of departure in Gregorian chant, chorales, contemporary music and their own original compositions. An encounter between two improvisation traditions. Anders and Johannes also play together with choirs.
”Det är den stora rörelsen, det vida gränsöverskridandet, den melodiska finstämdheten, som gör detta njutbart…En imponerande spännvidd.”
Orkesterjournalen ”Det är andaktsfullt, kontemplativt men också sublimt spooky. Transcendens är ett centralt begrepp som…får relevans i det gränsöverskridande mötet mellan Hagberg och Landgren”
Kulturbloggen ”Magiskt är bara förnamnet!…”
Kulturdelen ”Man vet aldrig riktigt vad som ska komma härnäst. Men man kan vara tryggt förvissad om att de här två musikerna ser till att det som kommer också kommer att låta bra. ”
Solo
SOLO
NEW ALBUM – TRUST
”An enchanting musician who unites the improvised freedom of jazz with an archaic quality.” UNT
”A fantastic interpretation of waves, winds and the singing of whales.” GT
REVIEWS TRUST:
Opulens, 5 of 5 stars. A rich desolation “Anders Hagberg creates a unique world of sound, filled with beautiful, lyrical melodies and suggestive rhythms…Music that knows no boundaries, independent of time and space…it moves from quiet wonder to expressive, explosive exuberance. With a singular color and fragrance. Inventive and playful throughout…Anders Hagberg has truly made music for the entire world.”
Kulturbloggen, TOP rate. Tranquil, radical timbres “intense and enormously virtuosic…majestic, magnificent weight…breathtakingly beautiful, a quiet reflection on the cosmos…magical…”
Lira Musikmagazin. Painterly woodwinds “Anders Hagberg suffuses his performance with a captivating intimacy and strong sense of presence…infinitely creative…well worth going along for the ride.”
Kulturdelen, 4 of 5 stars “…a simply superb flautist who coaxes from his instruments every scintilla of their register, often with highly suggestive results.”
Upsala Nya Tidning (5 of 5 stars) “Uppsala’s native son, Anders Hagberg, has repeatedly demonstrated his creative breadth as a musician. If any doubters remain, let them listen to his new album, Trust, where he uses a whole bevy of flutes, including a contrabass flute, plus soprano sax and percussion to create suggestive timbres and exciting rhythms.
The Contrabass Flute is one of many amazing colors in a site specific performance that has been given at openings, art exhibitions, concerts, dance performances and caves.
On the new album, TRUST, Anders takes his creative approach to the flute to a new level with cinematic sounds, solitary melodies, and evocative grooves.
Anders made all the music for the album using his many flutes, a soprano sax, and some percussion. The unique contrabass flute plays a key role. Anders used it to create all the rhythmic grooves and ambient sounds in the music. TRUST is one of the first albums ever to focus on this unique instrument in the context of melodic improvisation.
The music for TRUST was originally created in interaction with visual artforms such as dance, pictures, video, and sculpture. It has been performed at exhibitions of art by Louise Bourgeois and Bill Viola, for the dance production RED at the Nordic Watercolor Museum.
The recording was produced in close collaboration with sound designer and technician Åke Linton, who mixed the album. Several tracks feature the creative musicianship of Danish percussionist Lisbeth Diers.
”… Hagberg plays, constantly inventive and with a highly vocal quality to his musicianship.”GP
” The groups´ improvisational quality was finely balanced with a sense of direction and destination; one was carried along a world journey.” Washington D.P.
“…The world…grow both larger and smaller when we listen to Stories of now.” OJ
A unique synthesis, where the freedom of jazz blends with melodies and rhythms of the world. Melodic lyricism, dynamic improvisations and enchanting soundscapes!
With the starting point in Jazz, the quartet creates a wide spectrum of sounds with unusual instrumentations and influences from Nordic and Oriental music. The musicians have played with artists such as Steve Swallow, Carla Bley, Bob Mintzer, Billy Cobham, John Tchicai, Marilyn Mazur e.g.
Anders Hagberg – flutes, bass flutes, soprano sax
Johannes Lundberg – double bass, vocals
Joona Toivanen – piano, prepared piano
Göran Kroon – drums, percussion
DANCE, FILM, ART
Anders has been commissioned to compose music for a number of films, dance performances and exhibitions of visual arts.
In connection with Embla dance he has been composing music for several performances for children that have been touring extensively all over the Nordic region as well as the acknowledged site specific performance Traces of Rock Carvings. As an artist in residence with choreographer Anna Wennerbeck at the Nordic Water Colour Museum he created REDinspired by gouaches of Louise Bourgeois.
FILM, SELECTED WORK
His work with documentary films with Agaton Film include Stone carvers about Nordic pre-history and War against Disease about the work of photographer Lennart Nilsson.
ART, SELECTED WORK
Anders´work with visual arts include openings concerts for exhibitions with video artist Bill Viola, painter/sculpturer Louise Bourgeois and a number of other artists.
TEACHING
TEACHING Anders is a Professor in Musical Performance, specialized in Improvisation at the Academy of Music and Drama, Gothenburgh University. His work includes teaching (individual and ensemble classes in improvisation, lectures and seminars) supervising student thesis, mentorship.
His work with artistic development and research at the Academy resulted in conducted several projects and recordings. Link to published works
WINDUO ”Human communication, crossing musical borders…astoundingly expressive”. / JazzLife, Tokyo
Anders Hagberg and japanese bass player Yasuhito Mori started playing duo together in 1985. Since then they have gone through many phases, developing the rare touch that only somes from a long musical friendship.
Both musicians work in other groups but keep returning to this duo, where the traditional roles of solo and comp are replaced by an open script for two voices in free flight. On the repertoire you will find Japanese lullabies and Swedish folkmelodies, but also bluesy rhytmic grooves and viruoso unison parts in a close dynamic interplay.
Winduo has made 5 CDs and toured both Europe and Japan. They have also performed with others, including Japanese pianist Wong Wing Tsan, a number of Swedish and Indian percussionists, modern dance ensembles and with the Ginestera string quartet.
EARTHSONGS
EARTHSONGS ”Boundary crossing music at its very best…modest beauty, magical sounds…breaths love, veneration and respect for the roots.”
Earthsongs was formed by Anders Hagberg from a will of expressing his nordic roots, using the melodies from joiks and herding calls as a starting point for improvisations. Together with experiences of Indian and Japanese music, Earthsongs has explored soundworlds where jazz, world and ambient meet.
The CDs EARTHSONGS and THE HERDwere both nominated for swedish grammy award and the group has featured some of the finest nordic traditional vocalists including Sami Inga Juuso and Faroese Eivor Palsdottir.Earthsongs has been featured at the openings of several festivals and exhibitions where Stockholm Millenium Celebration and ”Eldnatt” at Urkult Festival is worth noting. In 2004 they recorded music for STENRISTARNA, a TV-documentary. The CD and DVD was released in 2005.
”Earthsongs amused me deeply and wholehearted. Beautiful lines, interesting harmonies and rhytmical variety were forming the base of their success.” Dziennik Polski.
In 2010 a unique collaboration was made with balafon player Moussa Hema from Burkina Faso The project was called Eartsongs Afrique.
AH – woodwinds
Stefan Blomquist – keyboards
Ola Bothzén/Micke Nilsson – percussion.
Moussa Hema – balafon, ngoni, vocals
Anders Hagberg
