STOCKHOLM CORONA JAZZ SESSIONS
PONTUS DE WOLFE’S SWEDISH JAZZ COLLECTIVE AND STOCKHOLM CORONA SESSIONS VOL 1.
Jazzagenturen" is a Stockholm based network of jazz musicians and bands, with a focus on delivering traditional live jazz of the very best quality to the city's concert halls, clubs as well as private events and parties. It's founder and manager, Pontus de Wolfe gathered 20 of Jazzagenturen's most frequent players in three ensembles and recorded them during a 12 hour non stop session resulting in 50 songs consisting of both new arrangements of old classics at Rixmixningsverket, a studio in one of the center islands run by the legendary ABBA member Benny Andersson
Artists include: Fredrik Hermansson, Moussa Fadera, Fredrik Lindborg, Carl Bagge, Martin Hoper, Leo Lindberg, Kenji Rabson, Nils Janson, Björn Jansson, Konrad Agnas, Jonas Bäckman, Erik Palmberg with Isabella Lundgren, Matilda Gratte, Lina Nyberg & Niklas Lind
The album on Spotify.
Greatest inspirations or influences Pontus?
For jazz music, I would certainly have to say Miles Davis. Not only was he moving around so far and wide in the landscapes of jazz, he also knew how to make records that were listenable and told a story. It was actually when watching a documentary about him recording four records in a couple of days in order to get out of a record deal, that I was inspired to initiate our sessions. I knew we had to make some sort of splash, and thought it would be so cool to top Miles (in that respect) and record five albums in a day. It just has a nice ring to it, and I knew it could be done with the experience and talent of my musicians - and the challenge would be quite attractive to them, too!
Challenges of the music industry?
I’ve been in so many fields within the music business, and know for instance that jazz acts rely more heavily on live performances. That’s why this crises is coming down so hard on their occupation in particular. But I also think it’s kind of cool to approach the jazz crowd in a similar way as you would with a pop album, working cleverly with social media and Spotify etc. We all have things to learn from each other, and connecting people from different sides of the industry, is perhaps my greatest strength.
How has the current situation affected you as a creative, and how do you see the world moving forward?
I’ve practically moved all my activity into the studio recording space. Apart from writing pop songs, releasing them as 'Pontus de Wolfe' or 'The Color Red' or offering them to artists as is my main source of income, I’ve learned the art of mastering a record, pitching ideas to production companies within movies / TV / podcasts / audio books - you name it! I haven’t fallen head over heels for the live streaming trend, since I don’t think it isn’t very entertaining to watch, personally, nor sustainable in the long run. When it comes to live events, I think we’ve practiced social distancing so intensely now, that we’ll be slow to go back to gatherings of big, sweaty crowds of concerts, and will move more towards smaller, more exclusive concert experiences.
Favorite websites, or social media handles.
IGN - I have a passion for video game news. I think it comes from working all the time, and finding it relaxing to indulge in something practically useless. But if I don’t pay attention, I might start creating music for some video game company or something:)
Anything else Pontus?
I really think this is the right time to stick together as creators of art, and not act selfishly although that might appear as the only thing to do when you feel desperate. We have all the tools of the digital platforms available to us, and I’m so, so curious to find out what the long-term effects this crisis will have on our intake of music, and what sort of music will be created. What if, for instance, this is the end of the big arena concerts or record labels as we know it, as well as trends and brands within other fields such as fashion or film - what will take their place?
Thank you!
