Words by Justin Turford

For those with only a passing knowledge of jazz or who have recently been seduced by a few certain artists from the current ‘revival’, then it’s very possible that you are not aware of the vast catalogue of musicians and records from the Scandinavian countries. Lovingly referred to as Scandi or Nordic jazz, the given agreement is that jazz from these northern climes is often contemplative, free and progressive, the natural world an influence as powerful as the urban environment is to New York or Chicago jazz musicians. The famous Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek dives deeply into ‘New Age’ spirituality in his work, and many Scandinavian musicians have also recorded their atmospheric take on the North American artform for the acclaimed German label ECM Records - a particular sound unto itself.

However, jazz has been present in the region for nearly as long as jazz has existed and comes in many hues and colours (Danish jazz dates back to 1923 when Valdemar Eiberg formed a jazz orchestra and recorded what are thought to be the first Danish jazz records in August 1924). A music form that became, as elsewhere, a form of resistance and of progressive societal change, has never gone away and keeps changing as the years roll inexorably on.

Denmark has had a particularly acute impact on the region’s jazz history and April Records is one of the more prolific and wider in vision of the Danish labels currently at play with a relentless release schedule that goes from the Big Band orchestral thunder of artists such as ALAWARI and Fredrik Lundin & Odense Jazz Orchestra to the intimate stylings of Cecilie Strange or the cinemascope romance of Little North, and there’s so much more. We asked co-founder Jan Schmidt a few questions…

JT - Can you give us a brief history of April Records and the people behind it?

Jan - April started in 1994. In the beginning it was primarily an electronic label, but towards the end of the ‘90s and the beginning of the ‘00s we moved more into the sound which at that time was called Nu-Jazz. Apart from running the label, my partner Tom Jensen and I was also part of the Record Distribution company VME. In 2006 I got a bit fed up with the record industry and wanted to do something else, so I started to work with film distribution, while Tom continued working with music. In 2020 we reactivated April Records again, after a fourteen years break, now with a more jazzy profile.

JT - 2021-23 has been an outrageously prolific time for the label, how are you able to sustain such a schedule? Energy, finances, A&R, recordings?

Jan - We release about one album a month, some months even two, so around fourteen albums a year. There is so much good music out there, so we have to say no to a lot of projects, even good stuff.

The company is mainly financed by our own founds (savings), and that can be tough. But there is too much good music out there to just let it go, and that also boosts our energy, so to say. We are only two people, but apart from the A&R role we get a lot of help from freelancers when it comes to recordings, artwork, PR etc.

JT - Your artists cover a broad range of styles. How do you choose who you sign for the label?

Jan - When we get demos or see an act live it has to….. how do you say, ‘touch us’, so at a start we do not think about styles. But before we decide what to release, we have in mind what we already released and try to avoid to release ‘the same’ album again. On the other hand, we are both still curious, so by releasing different kind of styles, we show what’s going on, not only among jazz musicians, but also in our minds (perhaps). So, in an ideal world, every time we sign a new act, it should represent a new kind of sound. For me, that’s also what jazz is all about, to be open-minded towards new sounds.

JT - Why has Denmark been such a strong outpost for jazz since the 1930s and ‘40s?

Jan - In the ‘30s and ‘40s the Danish jazz scene was not specifically original. During WWII swing (Big Band) was the big thing and it represented a resistance to Nazi Germany, because it was an American culture.

The big change came in the ‘60s when many Afro-Americans migrated to Europe, mainly to avoid racism.

In Copenhagen there was (and still is) the Jazzhus Montmartre, that frequently had international names on the programme. Many of the American musicians that came to Copenhagen, fell in love with the city or the girls and stayed for a shorter or longer period (some never left). You have Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Don Cherry, Ed Thigpen, Thad Jones, Stan Getz, Sahib Shihab, Kenny Drew, just to name a few that lived in Copenhagen. They played with local musicians and that set a high standard. It has both been inspiring for the local musicians, but it also meant hard work, if they wanted to be in the game and play with the Americans. So, the result is that we got a very strong scene in Denmark and that many Danish musicians like Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Alex Riel, Palle Mikkelborg, Marilyn Mazur, John Tchicai, etc became world famous.

So, that heritage is important, but the jazz scene changed over the last 50-60 years. In the ‘50s and ‘60s jazz was an American artform, but today jazz is an universal language. So European jazz is as much the real thing as American Jazz, and in Scandinavia we have over the years developed a Nordic sound.

JT - You could run a festival with your roster! Any leftfield plans for the label? Tours, movies, merchandise, NFTs?

Jan - It would be nice to make an April Records Festival, but it’s not really necessary. We have a very good live scene for local jazz in Denmark. In Copenhagen we have Copenhagen Jazz Festival in the summer. This year it’s from June 30th – July 9th. It’s all over town, every club, bar, café and square will have jazz on the programme, and you will almost be able to see all our acts during the festival and Copenhagen is so beautiful in the Summer. So, I really recommend people to go. Apart from that nearly every town has their own jazz festival and April Records artists are well represented, and in February there are the Winter Jazz Festival in Copenhagen and several other Danish cities. So right now, our main focus is to get our artists outside Denmark.

You heard the man - spread the word, let’s get them out there! Dig deep into the April Records catalogue, I promise there is something for everyone. https://aprilrecords.bandcamp.com/music

(* Many thanks to Arlette Hovinga and Jazzfuel for the initial introductions back in 2021!)