Danish pianist, composer and pioneer within improvisation Carsten Dahl has, over the last four decades, established himself as a master composing pianist.
Noted as a remarkable, wild and wide-ranging artist on the European jazz scene, his personal imprint is unmistakable in all of his diverse projects – from solo recordings to orchestral works, from free jazz to Bach's Goldberg Variations and the Well-Tempered Clavier.
Any attempt to give a brief description of Carsten’s musical style would have to be quickly abandoned. He is a musician with absolutely no desire to tie himself to any form or genre, and there is literarily no musical expression he hasn’t tried.
Solo piano is very important to him, a challenge where he finds the greatest potential to work with space and time, to create music that relates to the moment searching for eternity.
It’s for his two solo albums that he has received the DMA Jazz Prize for Best Record in 2004 and 2011. Here he takes inspiration from both classical pianist Glenn Gould and jazz pianists like Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans and Bud Powell; cultivating improvisation in extreme situations. There are also clear inspirations from contemporary music and different world regions and folk music - one of very few people able to bring together many global inspirations into one comprehensive personal expression with a clear artistic signature.
Carsten is without a doubt among this century's greatest pianists.
Latest he has been known for his highly acclaimed classical compositions and piano works, such as The 5th Dimension that premiered in 2013 and the double concerto for two pianos and orchestra The Sadness will Last Forever in 2022.
Accolades
Goldberg Variations, nominated for a grammy for best album of the year, 2015
Prize of JazzNyt Magazine - premiered for a persistent, unique, necessary and highly relevant representation in Danish music, 2014
Papillon, Carl Nielsen Prize, 2014
DreamChild, grammy for best album of the year, 2013
Metamorphosis, Jazz Specials Prize for best album of the year, 2011
Effata, grammy for best album of the year, 2011
Django D'orPrize, 1. prize, Master of Jazz, 2006
Solo Piano, grammy for best album of the year, DMA Jazz, 2004
Drums Across, South African grammy for best album of the year, 2003
Moonwater, honoured by the Danish Music Council, 2003
Charlie Butterfly, film score nominated for the Robert Music Prize, 2002
Jasa Prize, prize of honour, awarded by the jazz music journalist's association, 2002
Prize of honour, Edition Wilhelm Hansen (together with NHOP & Per Kirkeby), 2002
Ben Webster Award, 1997
Rodovre Music Prize, talent of the year, 1997
Reflections
"Thank you for your dedicated CD to me Carsten. What a great sound you have. I'm really touched by your music and the mind behind it"
Keith Jarrett
Jazzpianist and composer, New York
"Carsten Dahl is a extremely gifted artist who expresses the divine in music and painting".
Jerry Bergonzi
Tenor saxofonist and composer,
New York
"Carsten Dahl is a true icon.
Simpel as that !"
Ed Thigpen
Drummer, Copenhagen
"Carsten Dahl is simply sensational good. He is a true natural !"
George Garzone
Saxofonist, New York
"Carsten Dahl is not a musician. He IS the music itself. A child of God - musician and painter - blessed with anxiety - genius."
Suzanne Brøgger
Literary Icon, Copenhagen
"Carsten means what he plays. He plays ultra organically to everything he hears and with a strong confirmation of who he is."
( Affirmation )
Arild Andersen
Bassist, Oslo
He never reaches...
his quest is the very goal....
Carsten always flies...
Johan Hauknes
Journalist, mathematician and philosopher, Oslo
"Artistic endeavors require the artist to honestly and thoroughly portray their existence from life's first breath to the moment of creativity; a celebration of individuality. This deep personal immediacy has the generous impact to touch and inspire the innermost regions of human emotion.
Carsten Dahl, with every hip note, every heart-felt brushstroke and every enlightened word of wisdom, welcomes an in-dept visit into his special world of expression.
Maestro Dahl always takes me on a glorious journey on and off the bandstand Eternally grateful."
Tim Hagans
Trumpetplayer and composer,
New York
"Carsten Dahl is a genius of a magnitude I have never encountered on earth. I am appalled that the world doesn't applaud him and reward him with gold."
Cathy Sienkaniec,
New York JAZZ
"Carsten Dahl is widely considered to be one of the most original and creative pianists coming out of Europe. He has received several awards like the Ben Webster Award, the Django D'Or, the Carl Nielsen Prize and several Danish Music Award Jazz. With a huge audience in Scandinavia he is now conquering the rest of Europe."
JAZZBLUES NEWS, New York
"Dahl is a truly great pianist"
Chris Mosey
ALL ABOUT JAZZ, New York
"Carsten is Denmark's best jazz pianist. Ever. Period "
Alex Riel
Drummer, Copenhagen
"Carsten doesn't play ones in the music. Because there are no ones. I like that."
Jon Christensen
Drummer, Oslo
There is nothing wrong with Carsten's mind - other than the fact that he is a true genius"!
Palle Mikkelborg
Trumpet player and composer, Copenhagen
"Carsten is a spiritual brother in every sence I can come up with. We just hit it right away and even without saying a word to each other. What a time and what an imagination.On the piano, as a human being and as a creater of the real good stuff in this world. Looking forward to the next time we meet."
Eddie Gomez
Bassplayer, New York
"It is among the finest examples of taste and restraint that you are likely to encounter"
"In conclusion, for its sheer diversity of approach and intense musicality this album comes highly recommended to anyone who has a liking for contemporary improvising trio jazz"
"The playing throughout is of the highest class with its own collective personality..."
Jim Burlong
JAZZVIEWS, London
"Interpretations" is a record by a mature pianist and one of the best and most fully cast piano trio records from Nordic latitudes in years."
Jan-Erik Holmberg
The Orchestra Journal, Stockholm