Arnold Ludvig Sextet - Iceland (2016)

Tracklist

01. Miles Beyond
02. Desire
03. Pacifizism
04. Gróthúsvatn
05. Iceland
06. Gamlarætt
07. Corazon de Cuba
08. Tough Goin'
09. Port of Thor
10. The Wren and the Raven

Arnold Ludvig, born on February 27th, 1968, in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, is an award winning bass virtuoso known for his melodic, unique, versatile, and superb slap bass technique. In 1980, he started playing bass at the tender age of 12, with the band, Plúmm, still active till this day, with members, Leivur Thomsen, Magnus Johannessen, Finnur Hansen, and Rógvi á Rógvu, hailed as the finest musicians, in the Faroe Islands.
Arnold’s first 3 jazz compositions were released on the album Allar Ættir in 1991, with Holger Laumann & Plúmm . In 1998, his composition, ”Pastel Shades” was released on the album, Green Gate, with Magnus Johannessen and Holger Laumann , on Tutl Records.
From 1990-1993, Arnold attended the FÍH Music school in Reykjavík, Iceland and was awarded the 1992 Annual Scholarship, for Best Jazz Performance. Arnold also studied Jazz Performance and upright bass at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from 1993-1995.
Arnold played upright bass 3 nights a week at the famous Biddle’s Jazz Club in Montreal from 1999-2003, with Geraldine Hunt & The Arnold Ludvig Trio and performed at the 2003 Montreal International Jazz Festival.
In 2005, Ludvig won the award for Best Bass Player at the Atlantic Music Event, in the Faroe Islands. In 2006, he performed his original jazz compositions with the Thomsen/ Ludvig/ á Rógvu Trio, on a double-concert tour with Sophisticated Ladies, an all female Danish jazz band, in the Faroe Islands. In 2007, Thomsen/ Ludvig/ á Rógvu Trio performed at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival ,at The North Atlantic Brygge.
In 2011, Ludvig wrote new compositions for the band Norse Nexus and performed them at the Tórshavn Jazz Festival and VetrarJazz Festival in 2012.
In 2013, Arnold emerged as an excellent modern jazz composer for his own ensemble, the Arnold Ludvig Sextet and received great reviews for Voyages, his debut album. Ludvig’s jazz compositions are greatly inspired by Nordic jazz, elements from American jazz tradition, as well as of folkloric, and popular music. His most prominent musical influences are greats like Jaco Pastorius, Keith Jarrett, and Pat Metheny.
Arnold's musicianship has matured a great deal over the years, with his vast experience as a seasoned working musician, for over 3 decades, in the cities of Tórshavn, Reykjavík, Montreal, and Copenhagen.
His debut album, Voyages, with Arnold Ludvig Sextet was released on August 6th 2013 on TUTL Records at the release concert performance at Summartónar Festival, in the Faroe Islands. Arnold Ludvig Sextet has since then performed concerts in 2014 at Paradise Jazz in Copenhagen and Giant Steps in Svendborg, Denmark . The band has also performed at the 2014 Copenhagen Jazz Festival /Worlds Scene Platform in Huset, where they have been invited once again in 2015.
In 2014, Arnold Ludvig started performing solo bass concerts to astounded audiences on his first solo bass Grotto Concerto in Klæmintgjóv and at the Sandur Mordern Museum of Art.
Arnold Ludvig Sextet performed at the 2015 VetrarJazz Festival at The Nordic House and Reinseriíð, has been invited to perform at the 2015 Summartónar Festival, and will make their debut performance in October, at the Nordisk Festuge 2015 Festival, in Katuaq, Greenland Culture Centre.
Arnold Ludvig Sextet is populated with a stellar international cast of award winning musicians and composers, all in their own right. The talented line-up is: Arnold Ludvig (Fo) - fretless bass & composer, Simon Spang-Hanssen (Dk) - saxophones, Mariane Bitran (Fr) - flute, Alain Apaloo (Tg) - guitar, Marko Martinovic (Me/Dk) - piano & Wurlitzer, and Niclas Campagnol (Se/It) - drums.
Arnold's music is very organic, nostalgic, ranges from being sensitive and atmospheric to hard swinging funky grooves and roaring expression, andyet always with that northern melodic air.

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