Lee Thomas | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

Jakob Bro, born in Denmark in 1978, switched from trumpet to guitar after discovering the music of Jimi Hendrix. He went on to study at Denmark’s Royal Academy of Music, Boston’s Berklee School and the New School in New York.

Bro first appeared on ECM as a member of Paul Motian’s Band and Tomasz Stanko’s Quintet, on 2006’s Garden of Eden and 2009’s Dark Eyes respectively, before making his label-leader-debut alongside bassist Thomas Morgan and the legendary Jon Christensen on drums with Gefion (2015). A second trio date followed a year later on Streams, this time with Joey Baron replacing Christensen on drums. The same group was captured live at the Jazz Standard, NY in 2017, released on Bay Of Rainbows a year later.

Jon Christensen and Thomas Morgan returned for 2018’s quartet recording Returnings, with Palle Mikkelborg joining in on trumpet. The Danish trumpeter would reappear several years later, accompanying Bro and percussionist Marilyn Mazur on the 2023 live recording Strands, captured at the Danish Concert Hall — „an exquisite performance,“ according to the Making A Scene.

Different accomplished projects were released in the meantime. Uma Elmo (2021), recorded at the Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano, presents the guitarist in deep trio conversations with trumpeter Arve Henriksen and Jorge Rossy on drums (BBC Music Magazine: „quintessential ECM: a small group of intensely talented individuals making rarefied music in the moment, captured by superb production values“), while Once More Around The Room (2022) celebrated the musical legacy of drum icon Paul Motian. On the album, Bro is joined by a cast of key improvisers, with Larry Grenadier, Thomas Morgan and Anders Christensen on bass, Joe Lovano on sax and Joey Baron and Jorge Rossy on drums. The Guardian called it „a variously raw and delicate balance of collective improvisation, quirky themes and haunting harmonies.“

Taking Turns, released in 2024, is another star-studded affair that was recorded in 2014. Joined by pianist Jason Moran, late grate alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, Bill Frsiell on guitar, Thomas Morgan on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums, on the album Bro presents a lusciously harmonious set of tunes that depend on subtle collective improvisation.

Jakob: “Much of my music is constructed around melodies. My compositions are almost like a song. But within the frame I set up with a melody, a lot of things can happen. New layers of music are constantly added to the vocabulary, and when you play, you unconsciously get to a new place.”