Arve Henriksen & Harmen Fraanje

The Transition Festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands, celebrated the 50th anniversary year of ECM records during the 2019 edition of the festival. At this festival the Norwegian trumpet player Arve Henriksen and Dutch pianist Harmen Fraanje played their first duo concert together. The performance was entirely improvised but felt more like songs were shaped and born into being within a mysterious cloud of colors and sound waves.

Arve Henriksen (1968) is a trumpet player, singer and composer from Norway. He released many albums on ECM and Rune Grammofon with projects he’s connected to, like Supersilent, Trio Mediaeval’s Rimur, Atmoshphéres (with Jan Bang, Eivind Aarset and Tigran Hamasyan).

In addition, Henriksen has composed and commissioned music for festivals, films and documentary programs. He has a long discography counting over 180 records in total. He performed with many musicians, including Jon Christensen, Dhafer Youssef, Sidsel Andresen, Bill Frisell, Jaga Jazzist, Mats Eilertsen, Laurie Anderson, Gavin Bryars, and David Sylvian.

According to the internationally renowned website AllAboutJazz ‘Harmen Fraanje (1976) is emerging as one of the most impressive young European pianists of the past decade.’ He leads and co-leads several groups like the trio Reijseger Fraanje Sylla, a quartet with French musicians Magic Malik, Brice Soniano, Toma Gouband, and trio Peltomaa Fraanje Perkol, and is a member of the Mats Eilertsen Trio and Michael Moore’s Fragile Quartet. Recordings of the projects he’s involved in have been released by renowned record labels like ECM, Winter & Winter, and Hubro Music. He collaborated with the likes of Ambrose Akinmusire, Mark Turner, Kenny Wheeler, Thomas Morgan, Han Bennink, Werner Herzog, Trygve Seim. Fraanje is chairman of the Jazz Piano faculty at the Conservatory of Amsterdam.

'Pianist Harmen Fraanje and the Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen explored all possible limits without getting lost for even one second. An emotional musical weave that left the entire hall breathless in total silence. Truly magical.'
Review for the Horn of Plenty Festival