Maniscalco/Bigoni/Solborg with Special Guest Evan Parker

Italian pianist/drummer Emanuele Maniscalco was admitted to the Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen in 2012 for an advanced p ostgraduate program, and this experience gave him the opportunity to share his ideas and music with many excellent improvisers from the contemporary Danish scene. A recording artist for ECM since 2012, his second work for the prestigious German label was released in 2015 with the band Third Reel. Born in Ferrara, Italy in 1982, sax/clarinet player Francesco Bigoni has lived in Copenhagen since 2009 where he attended the post-graduate program at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory. He has a trio – Hopscotch, with Mark Solborg and Kevin Brow and his latest project, On Dog, puts together Hopscotch and the saxophone/clarinet trio Crisco 3 in a new band co-led with Solborg. He is part of the Danish label/collective ILK.

Danish/Argentinian guitarist, composer & teacher Mark Solborg has composed for a large number of contemporary music groups and written scores for many theatre and film productions. Since 2000 as composer, leader or co-leader, he has released 17 albums of original work. His work as guitarist and composer has been praised for great interplay, enthusiastic energy, precise execution of strong themes and taste and he has received substantial international recognition, working extensively all over Europe and in Asia. He is co-founder of the independent record-label ILK.

Bristol-born saxophone player Evan Parker has been a pivotal figure in the development of European free jazz and free improvisation and has pioneered or substantially expanded an array of extended techniques.;He has recorded and performed with many collaborators, including Peter Brötzmann, John Stevens, Derek Bailey, Keith Rowe, Joe McPhee, Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, John Zorn, Fred Frith, Bill Laswell, Ikue Mori, Cyro Baptista, Milford Graves, George Lewis, Tim Berne, Mark Dresser, Dave Holland & Sylvie Courvoisier. Two key associations have been pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach’s trio with Parker and drummer Paul Lovens and a trio with bassist Barry Guy and drummer Paul Lytton. Though Parker’s central focus is free improvisation, he has also occasionally appeared in more conventional jazz & pop music contexts, including recordings by Scott Walker, David Sylvian, Jah Wobble, Spiritualized and Robert Wyatt. The group’s connection with Parker began in 2013 when Solborg invited him to participate in concerts in Aarhus and Copenhagen in a trio with Herb Robertson. This led to the album “The Trees”, which has received wide recognition, and further performances in Denmark and at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. In Holborg’s words “Working with Evan always blows my mind – it is the greatest recognition I could possibly wish for.”