Clash – Michael Bladt (DK) (DK)

Jazz with Contrasts and Clashes

Clash is saxophonist Michael Bladt's new project, which debuted at the 2022 jazz festival in Aarhus. The band has been in the studio recording their debut album, which was released in spring 2023

The newly written music contains lots of contrasts and clashes between different elements: a poppy A-piece / a complex B-piece, straight-ahead grooves, and complex polyrhythmic elements.

The soloing is catchy and melodic, but also acidic, ugly, and harmonically challenging.

80s fusion jazz experienced a revival in the 20s, and Clash draws inspiration from 80s Mezzoforte and today's Snarky Puppy, among others.

There is also a clash in the basic setup of the new band, namely between two different generations.

Michael Bladt has invited four up-and-coming musicians from the Aarhus jazz scene to join the project, as the young jazz musicians have a modern take on sound, rhythm, expression, etc.

“Normally, I and probably most other artists make records and projects with musicians from the same generation as ourselves, but I'm curious to explore what happens when I and my music meet musicians who belong to a different generation than me,” he says.

In other words, there is every reason to seek out this new project live, where the music is both inviting and inclusive, but also challenging in a way that will pique the audience's curiosity.