Benjamin Koppel - Living Room Recordings #1: Illuminations (2013)

Benjamin Koppel, Danish Jazz saxophonist and composer, is one of the most award-winning musicians of his generation, renowned for his versatility and virtuosity.

With Benjamin, the story begins with family. Grandson of the famous Danish classic composer Herman D. Koppel, and son of the beat musician and composer Anders Koppel (Savage Rose, Bazaar), Koppel has always been amongst music. This lineage of classical, jazz and pop is evident in Benjamin’s agile ability to cross genres.

He formed his first band at 15 years old, and has since appeared on more than 50 recordings. Highly sought after internationally as a collaborator, the variety of his work is wide reaching. As a soloist and bandleader he has performed and/or recorded with Phil Woods, Daniel Humair, Palle Danielsson, Sheryl Crow, Alex Riel, Miroslav Vitous, Anders Koppel, Inger Dam Jensen, Michala Petri, Adam Nussbaum, Randy Brecker, Chano Dominguez, Phil Woods, Charlie Mariano, Portinho, David Sanchez, Kenny Werner and more.

In 2001 Benjamin formed his own independent record label, Cowbell Music, releasing exceptional jazz as well as classical, crossover and pop. Cowbell Music also produces big music events, like the Valby Summer Jazz festival – described by international jazz magazine All About Jazz, “...a labor of love that has become so prominent it almost outshines its big brother, the Copenhagen Jazz Festival.”

'Illuminations' is the first album in the series 'Living Room Recordings'. Inspired by the visionary French poet Arthur Rimbaud’s unfinished poetry collection Illuminations (1874), this is an elegant, animated collaboration between two brilliant musicians.

The compositions are written and played by Danish saxophonist Benjamin Koppel, with the great Frenchman Jean-Michel Pilc on piano, and are rich with celebration of French culture and philosophy, its sophistication and history.

The French are special to Ben, and he to them. In 2011 Benjamin Koppel was awarded the prestigious L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand, for his work with French and International culture (the same year as Kylie Minogue and George Clooney received the same).

As part of the award, Koppel was invited to join prominent French musicians (Jean-Michel included) at a concert at the French Embassy in Copenhagen. This collaboration with Jean-Michel Pilc was the beginning of Illuminations the record.

Arthur Rimbaud’s unfinished collection, Illuminations, was a striving to achieve poetic transcendence and second sight through art. Likewise, through intuitive improvisations, Benjamin and Jean-Michel sought to achieve a kind of transcendence in their interactions and musical collaboration. Taking Rimbaud’s text as a starting point, there is in each composition a clear, basic idea that carries the music, unfolding and evolving over time.

Also included are a new interpretation of classic jazz standard Summertime, and a bonus track written by Benjamin’s 10 year old daughter, Astrid (“La Nuit d’Or”, The Golden Night) – marking her debut as a recorded composer.