Stilhed & Storm

Danish jazz singer Cathrine Legardh and renowned Icelandic alto saxophonist Sigurdur Flosason have been collaborating on music for many years. Now, their collaborative musical efforts have produced Stilhed & Storm (Stillness & Storm), a collection of 15 brand-new Danish language songs composed by Flosason with lyrics by Legardh.

Legardh and Flosason have assembled a Ny Nordisk Kvintet (New Nordic Quintet) for this recording, including award-winning Icelandic pianist Anna Gréta Sigurdadottir, versatile Danish bassist Jesper Thorn and the gifted Danish drummer Espen Laub von Lillienskjold. While Flosason is wholly Icelandic, Cathrine Legardh is Danish with Norwegian and Swedish blood coursing through her veins. Together, they have laid the foundation for a record that has a particularly Nordic vibe and is influenced by Nordic folk music.

The album explores themes like life and death, losing a loved one, faith in a higher power, the circle of life, motherhood, nature, raising children, the daily grind and the love of animals. ”The Danish lyrics served as a key source of inspiration, when composing the music. Jazz in Danish, as well as the other Nordic languages, is extremely rare. I believe the expression becomes more direct, honest and intimate. The lyrics are easy to understand and appreciate, so I’m hoping to reach a new audience that might not listen to jazz already,” says Flosason.

Since they were stranded in Iceland during the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic ash cloud in 2009, Legardh and Flosason worked together on the critically acclaimed double album Land & Sky. The album was subsequently nominated for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year at both the Danish Music Awards and the Icelandic Music Awards, while Flosason won Composer of the Year in Iceland for his work with Legardh.