Jacob Roved
Quintet
Jacob Roved- Logo

  • Jacob Roved

    Speaking the voice of drums...

    Being the son of a skilled church organist and composer, I've been fortunate to have good music around me since childhood. I’ve played drums since the age of 8, and decided that I would pursue a career in music when I finished upper secondary school as a music major at the age of 19. I went on to study at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and now work in a variety of projects, almost exclusively in jazz.

    My current band, the Jacob Roved Quintet, released its first album ‘Remembering Billy Strayhorn’ in August 2015, which has been well received by music critics.

    I have previously led a number of own projects, and been co-leader of the bands ‘Dr. Drawbars’ and ‘Organic Beat’. Through the years, I've been fortunate to perform with such great artists as:

    • Artist Collaboration
      Michael Brecker
    • Artist Collaboration
      Jerry Bergonzi
    • Artist Collaboration
      Barry Harris
    • Artist Collaboration
      John Ruocco
    • Artist Collaboration
      Bob Rockwell
    • Artist Collaboration
      Thomas Fryland
    • Artist Collaboration
      Tomas Franck
    • Artist Collaboration
      Thomas Clausen
    • Artist Collaboration
      Jukkis Uotila

    In 2006-08, I was co-initiator and artistic director of the Copenhagen Jazz Festival concerts at Prøvehallen in Valby, and in 2015 I was an academy member for the Danish Music Awards Jazz.

    Since 2013, I’ve been a board member and treasurer of The Danish Jazz Musicians' Society, working to increase the knowledge and awareness of jazz music among Danish people.

    Furthermore, I have extensive experience in teaching drums and ensembles and currently teach private students at my studio in Copenhagen.

  • Jacob Roved Quintet

    In 2015 the Jacob Roved Quintet released the album ’Remembering Billy Strayhorn’ as a celebration of Billy Strayhorn’s 100th anniversary.

    George Harris of jazzweekly.com reviewed ‘Remembering Billy Strayhorn’ with these words:

    “Ruocco’s clarinet usage was a stroke of genius, as it melds wonderfully on the snappy “Johnny Come Lately” and glows on the dreamy “A Flower is A Lonesome Thing”…. Roved himself is sleek on the brushes during the chamber-sounding “Lotus Blossom” and gives a clever Latin tinge to the usually somber “Chelsea Bridge.” Even more surprising, and pleasantly so, is the extroverted read of “Day Dream” with a ¾ pulse a perfect vehicle for the horns. Strays would give a salute here.”

    The band performed at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival in 2008 and toured the Winter Jazz festivals in Denmark in 2014 and 2016, supported by the Danish Art Foundation, Danish Musicians' Union, Danish Jazz Musicians’ Society, and JazzDanmark.

    The Jacob Roved Quintet gives compelling and memorable live performances, effortlessly showing that Strayhorn’s music is both modern and highly relevant, even if today the composer would have been 100 years old!

Other Members

John Ruocco
Clarinet and Tenor Saxophone

John Ruocco

Clarinet and Tenor Saxophone

The Jacob Roved Quintet offers a unique opportunity to hear the great Billy Strayhorn’s music interpreted by the highly renowned American clarinet and saxophone player John Ruocco. Strayhorn’s soulful and compelling compositions are an ideal match for Ruocco’s improvisational ideas, and his love for Strayhorn’s music reaches back many years. Those who know him often consider Ruocco a mystic, hip underdog, an overlooked genius in his very own league. He’s spent his career nurturing a unique sound, in which advanced harmonic concepts are combined with an enchanting melodic sense. He is truly a “musician’s musician”, highly regarded among colleagues for his professional skills! John Ruocco teaches at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

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Trumpet

Thomas Fryland

Trumpet

The band also features the great trumpet player Thomas Fryland, who has worked for many years with the Danish Radio Big Band, and toured and recorded with international stars such as Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Maria Schneider, Bob Mintzer, Mike Stern, Tim Hagans, Randy Brecker, and Toots Thielemans – just to mention a few! He has released numerous recordings in his own name, including the album ‘Another Song’ in cooperation with the American pianist Jim McNeely. Fryland teaches in the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, and is known for his dedicated work to develop talents on the Danish bebop scene.

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Piano

Rasmus Ehlers

Piano

Rasmus Ehlers is highly regarded and in demand as an accompanist on the Danish jazz scene. His calm and well-disposed melodic style is unique, and his superior ear for complex harmony has earned him high acclaim among critics and colleagues alike. Ehlers has performed with horn players Frank Tiberi and George Garzone and Danish vocalists Sinne Eeg and Katrine Madsen, but is also a successful leader in his own projects. In 2009 he released the piano trio album ’Trinity’, which was voted one of the 10 best international releases by the Danish newspaper Politiken.

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Bass

Jesper Bodilsen

Bass

Bodilsen is a true world-class bassist, and touring all over the world he has earned the respect of music critics across several continents. He is perhaps most well known for his work in the Stefano Bollani trio during the past ten years, but has previously played in the trio of the great drummer Ed Thigpen, and in 2004 was awarded the Django D’Or prize as performer of the year. Bodilsen has also fostered great projects of his own, including the recent Scenografie, which has received high acclaim by music critics.

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