Three Swedes and an American bring borderless music of an uncanny kind to ears alive. Crossing genres, blending free jazz and European folk music, the Pirates are a high-energy collective bent on domination of the seas or a busted dingy -- whichever comes first.
Devin Gray's propelling skins ebb, sway, stagger, and tumble; Joel Grip's woody double bass creaks and moans and pummels buffeted like a tall ship caught in a gale; Niklas Barno slices streaks of pilfered lightning via trumpet and lungs; and Lars Ahlund navigates a wary course through some major double-vision with a saxophone that quits for no man.
Asked about their repertoire, bassist Joel Grip remarks, "It consists chiefly of original compositions assembled in such a manner as to allow for a complete openness for the generation of new variations and entirely new sections in the music at any given point." The result is live performances that are constantly shape-shifting, and man, do they cook!
Inspired deeply by the folk tradition, THE JOLLY BOAT PIRATES use improvisation to tell stories. What makes the music so compelling is the extent to which the musicians extend their abilities to share their tales
