Read or Elsa Nilssons Press Kit here

e sa nilsson
www.elsanilssonmusic.com
FLUTIST• COMPOSER • EDUCATOR
BIOGRAPHY
Elsa Nilsson's music is playful and diversely influenced. She believes that the true beauty of music is
its capacity to transcend cultural boundaries. She
considers all folk music (including jazz) to have a
common thread, and that by weaving those threads
together, a deeper, more complete understanding
among cultures can be reached. This philosophy is
evident in her compositional style, subtly blending
cross-cultural elements to create a sound that is
distinctly her own. Notable performances with her
group include Blue Note Jazz Club (NYC), Rockwood Music Hall (NYC), as part of the Nublu Jazz
Festival (NYC), Discover Jazz festival (Burlington,
VT), ScanFest (Budd Lake, NJ) Aarhus Jazz Festival
(Aarhus, Denmark) and more.
Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, Nilsson started her
love-affair with music at age two, singing in her
father’s ex-Navy choir. By the time she was accepted
to Hvitfeldtska Gymnasium (a conservatory-style
program in Gothenburg) at age 15, she had fallen in
love with the flute and began teaching herself by
playing along to jazz and world-music records. She
continued her studies in the US, completing a BM
from Cornish College of the Arts and MM from NYU.
Nilsson studied with Chris Potter, Peter Bernstein,
Kenny Werner, Jean-Michel Pilc, Robert Dick, Jamie
Baum. Nilsson has performed with Jon Cowherd,
Davy Mooney, Marc Ferber, Brad Shepik, Kenny
Werner's NYU ensemble, Jovino Santos Neto and
more.
Aside from Nilsson’s work as a leader she composes
for and performs in several projects including a duo
with pianist Jon Cowherd (Cassandra Wilson/Brian
Blade Fellowship) and Far Cry Flutes (ft. Robert Dick,
Jamie Baum, Jessica Lurie). Nilsson also conducts a
private teaching studio with 30 weekly students
between age 5 and 13 as well as adults seeking to
improve their rhythm and improvisation and doublers seeking to improve their flute tone and articulation.
Visit
www.ElsaNilssonMusic.com
for updates
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Tiny Bridges, Homemade Islands
Gläns Over Sjö Och Strand
Visans Visa
Visa Vid Midsommertid
Byssan Lull
ALL ARRANGEMENTS BY ELSA NILSSON
RECORDED ON DECEMBER 21, 2014
RELEASED MARCH 14, 2015
Listen here: http://tinyurl.com/Vaxer
“The group plays with tight rhythm and pitch, and Elsa’s music is inventive, mostly spare,
and employs extended techniques and interesting ideas.”
–Barbara Siesel, The Flute View.
ELSA NILSSON- FLUTES
JESSICA LURIE - SAXOPHONE
JEFF MCLAUGHLIN - GUITAR
ALEX MINIER - DOUBLE BASS
CODY RAHN - DRUMS & CYMBALS
Växer (out 3/14/2015) was recorded at
Replay Music Studios engineered and mixed
by Ben O’Brien Smith
This five song EP is a journey through the process
of seeing ones past through rose colored glasses.
Nilsson arranges Swedish traditionals she sang
and played as a child and original music with
styles from north Africa and Brazil as well as Rock
and some Grunge all through the lens of Jazz.
"Tiny Bridges, Homemade Islands" is meant to
evoke images of your younger self when you
return to a place you spent time in as a child,
"Gläns Över Sjö Och Strand" is a Swedish Christmas song as played in spring, "Visans Visa" romanticizes the darkness of teenage years where everything seems fatalistic, "Visa Vid Midsommartid"
captures the reckless abandon of summer and
"Byssan Lull" is a lullaby about things being broken
played with some anger
OTHER RECORDINGS BY ELSA NILSSON
BEST LEFT ALONE
(2010)
ALREADY THERE YET
(2013)
https://aarhusjazz.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/elsa-nilsson-quintet-vaxer/
Review
by Claus Strøm, BA. Musicology
& Jazzblogger at jazzfest.dk
written august 22, 2015
The concept of “place” plays an extremely important role, particularly in literature. In the
works of Alexander Hemon and Jonathan Safran Foer treating the Balkans and Eastern European countries to Danish author Karen Blixen's writing setting in Africa. This can be seen as a
kind of “Orientalism” a term coined by theorist Edwad Said, where the “colonist” (the Western
author) frames a whole culture without catching the subtleties and having a real grasp of the
authentic culture represented. Viewed in a positive light the concept of “place” can help one
find the universal in the particular. When the scope of the art work, be it paintings, literature,
music or movies, has a particular setting the observant viewer or listener can find universal
human qualities of the work despite cultural differences and practices.
Being born and raised in Sweden I am confident that Elsa Nilsson is an example of the latter
description. The album shows tribute to the Swedish folk song heritage, while having its
foundation in American Jazz with a tight groove and fierce improvisations. The album title
“Växer” can be loosely translated as “growth” and the opening theme of “Tiny Bridges, Homemade Islands” fits the album cover picture amazingly. A multilayered flute theme growing by
ascending melodies backed by an intricate, ambiguous groove. Ballads like “Gläns Over Sjö
Och Strand” and “Visans Visa” may not be harmonically complex, but have a very defined
sound with great crystal clear accompaniment from guitarist Jeff Mclaughlin.
The mixture of groove and thoughtfulness in “Visa vid Midsommertid” pretty much sums up
the product of combining Swedish moods with American. Drummer Cody Rahn backs up
supportively while Elsa improvises through the tune with a melodic solo that also has a
definite groove. The theme sounds somewhat melancholic and sad to me and yet the rhythmic drive and intensity of the tune takes away the too depressing aspects of listening to sad
music.
The EP ends on the lullaby “Byssan Lull” a traditional melody with lyrics by Swedish troubadour Evert Taube. Here we hear Elsa gush out the solemn lyrical content with a nasal and
half aggressive voice. A very hip arrangement, which can be divided into two parts where it
starts off calm and serene and ends up intensive and with a rockish feel to it.
The music has been growing on me in the spirit of the EP title and I have found it a joy to get
deeper into Swedish music during the course of listening to this album. Being a work of art in
the genre of mixing places I find myself in a universal indefinable space which encompasses
time and place which should be one of the goals of art. To find something universal in the
specific.
There is no unnecessary instrumental show off or awkwardly misplaced sections for the sake
of being complex. It seems like music of honesty and I recommend it to anyone wanting to
expand their musical vocabulary and find the roots within the so-called different and exotic.
"Elsa has a beautiful conception of
melody and music."
-Chris Potter
"I would've never thought that innocent
face encompassed so much creativity"
-Hubert Laws
"Elsa's sound is strong and she is expanding
horizons as a flutist."
-Jovino Santos-Neto
WORKSHOPS/CLINICS
+ Approaches to Rhythm for the
Classical Flutist
+ Flute for Doublers
+ World Music Mix & Match
WWW.ELSANILSSONMUSIC.COM
BOOKING & INFO
elsanilssonmusic@gmail.com
PRESS & PROMOTION
contact@benobriensmith.com
PHOTOGRAPHY & LAYOUT BY BEN O’BRIEN SMITH
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