Double Bill – Noah Baerman Trio and Sunna Gunnlaugs Quartet June 19, 2010

Double Bill – Noah Baerman Trio and Sunna Gunnlaugs Quartet
by topher

June 19, Saturday, 8 pm, Reservations suggested $12.

Noah Baerman is once again gracing our space with his immeasurable talents on the piano. Noah is a prolific composer, having earned honors from the Billboard Song Contest (First Prize, jazz category), the Unisong Contest (First Prize, jazz category), and ASCAP (“ASCAPlus Awards” every year since 2004). SEE MORE at: www.noahjazz.com

Sunna Gunnlaugs

Equally influenced by such American pianists as Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, and Scandinavians like Bobo Stenson and Jon Balke, Sunna has found a way to make music to which people on both sides of the Atlantic can relate. Her own charming brand of romantic lyricism soaring over a driving American rhythm section appeals to jazzers and non-jazzers alike.

The Washington Post described her music as possessing “such timeless virtues as lyricism and grace… elegantly bridges soul-searching passages with uncluttered swing.” On her latest CD, “Songs from Iceland” she confirms that assessment by re-imagining 5 Icelandic folk-songs for jazz quartet, adding new perspective to Time Out New York’s statement that Gunnlaugs is “proof that jazz is as much a part of the picture as the pop of Björk or SigurRos.” Her next recording is scheduled for June in New York amidst US tour-dates.

The latest incarnation of her quartet includes drummer (and future husband), Scott McLemore, Norwegian bassist Eivind Opsvik and saxophonist Loren Stillman. “This is a band that I’ve wanted to record for some time, but which I made the decision to put off and instead moved back to Iceland to have children.” Gunnlaugs will be touring the US with the quartet this summer and recording her next album in NY.

“… a pianist with Evans-like tendencies and a rock-solid jazz sensibility. Her compositional sense comes more from Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea than Evans, but the combinations work out well. To call Gunnlaugs a thoughtful player is not faint praise. She thinks, but she swings too.”
— Hartford Advocate

http://www.sunnagunnlaugs.com/