Randi Pontoppidan & Martin Fabricius - Clouds (2024)

Revered vocalist Randi Pontoppidan and leading vibraphonist Martin Fabricius proudly present the culmination of a blossoming musical relationship of the past eight years. Blending acoustic and electronic timbres, free improvisation and ethereal composition, their otherworldly universe ‘Clouds’ is set to release on the 12th of April.

The duo first met in 2016, at Jazz Denmark’s Summer Session - a jazz camp for professionals, led by some of the world’s most renowned musicians, including Jamaladeen Tacuma - Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time bassist.

A mere two hours before Tacuma was set to depart for the airport, he gathered a select group of session attendees to record an improvised album - later titled ‘The Legend of the Pipe and Sweater’. Taken aback and inspired by his spontaneity, Fabricius and Pontoppidan incorporated this mindset into their practice, taking every opportunity to play together over the years to come.

A collection of eleven varied pieces, the duo’s creative process behind ‘Clouds’ took on a wide array of shapes. The record contains several older compositions tried and tested through extensive live performances, free improvisations done in the spur of the moment, a 12 tone row composition accompanied by improvisations in the style of Schoenberg, as well as multi-tracked produced compositions enhanced via overdubs and layering.

Martin Fabricius is a former student of Gary Burton and is schooled in the pianistic 4-mallet approach of playing the vibraphone. Building on Burton’s legacy, Martin is considered a leading exponent of a new generation of vibraphone players, exploring the use of electronics, new repertoire and inventing new playing techniques in the quest of expanding the expressive possibilities of his instrument.

Randi Pontoppidan is an internationally acclaimed artist, improviser and composer, working with free improvisation, jazz, performance art, electroacoustic composition and sound poetry. Known for her extended vocal techniques, poetic sensibility and live electronics, she has been likened to Diamanda Galás, Joan La Barbara and Maja S. K. Ratkje. Exploring the outer limits and deepest secrets of the human voice, Pontoppidan has received numerous award nominations over the years including the Steppeulven award for best vocalist in Denmark in 2020.

Tracklist
01 - Mandade Sida
02 - Reset
03 - Theme for a Loved One
04 - One Step at a Time
05 - Minor Confession
06 - Say What
07 - Time Travel
08 - Clouds
09 - Twelve
10 - Old Love
11 - Afterlife