JESPER THORN - STILLE JESPER THORN

Danish bassist and composer Jesper Thorn has become one of Scandinavia's most distinctive musical voices, known for blending introspective storytelling with the understated lyricism of Nordic jazz. His award-winning albums Boy and Dragør earned international praise for their emotional honesty and cinematic depth, establishing a sound world where fragility, melancholy, and quiet beauty intertwine.

A deeply personal meditation on the search for calm, connection, and meaning in a world that often feels overwhelming, the album continues his exploration of sound as refuge, a place to pause, reflect, and breathe. Joined by long-term collaborators Marc Méan (piano), Andreas Bernitt (violin), Cecilie Strange (saxophone), and Maj Berit Guassora (trumpet), Thorn reunites with producer Mette Damm and engineer August Wanngren to craft an atmosphere both intimate and expansive.

Where 2023's Dragør confronted the ghosts of Thorn's past, STILLE (meaning "quiet" or "silent" in Danish) looks outward - and inward - toward reflection. "For me, music has always been a refuge," Thorn writes. "It's a place where I can reflect and immerse myself - both as a listener and, maybe even more, as a composer." Each composition functions as a kind of musical still image: fragments of emotion captured in time, responding to both the chaos and fragile beauty of the modern world.

From the flickering calm of Fragmentarium, to the urgent, primal fear of Run (written as wildfires swept through California) to the tender domestic peace of Stilleben, these pieces balance melancholy and hope in equal measure.

Thorn's writing continues to thrive on collaboration and trust. Such is Fate emerged from a discarded melodic fragment, reimagined through the expressive playing of Bernitt on violin. Recover and Rebuild form a quiet hymn to resilience, with Guassora and Strange lending understated, breath-like power to the ensemble. The closing track, Shimmering (for MM), is dedicated to pianist Marc Méan, a constant presence in Thorn's projects since 2014 and, as Thorn puts it, "the touch and sound I hear in my head when I compose".

"I wanted to create a space that feels like silence, peace and quiet in a noisy world that often moves faster than it feels possible to keep up with." says Thorn.

Line-up>>
Jesper Thorn: double bass, electronics
Marc Méan: piano, electronics
Maj Berit Guassora: trumpet & flugelhorn
Cecilie Strange: tenor saxophone
Andreas Bernitt: violin