Amalie Dahl’s Dafnie is an energetic and expressive band from Norway, led by Oslo based saxophone player and composer Amalie Dahl. The quintet colour her strong, melodic compositions with playfulness and convincing weight. What we hear is harmonic yet avant-garde, with references to both old school, free jazz and modern contemporary reed-led bands. But rest assured, Dafnie is something of it’s own.
“Her quintet’s lively spirit and tuneful orientation falls in line with bands like Cortex and Friends & Neighbors. But this LP, her first as a bandleader, also displays Dahl’s strengths as an arranger and a composer. Each tune has a distinct character, drawing upon the ensemble’s strengths (…)”
Bill Meyer, The Wire Magazine, July 6th 2022
The band contains five well-known names from the Norwegian jazz scene, also known from other award-winning projects like Kongle Trio, Bliss, I like to sleep, We don’t Imagine Anymore, Hedvig Mollestad’s Tempest Revisited and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, among others.
In September 2021 Dafnie won the 1st prize in the Young Crocus Jazz Contest, in Jelenia Góra (Poland). On the 6th of May 2022 they released their debut album, “Dafnie”, with Sonic Transmissions Records, which has received excellent reviews. The band have been touring in the Scandinavian countries, Poland and Germany, playing on stages and festivals such as Avant Art Festival (Wroclaw), Krokus Jazz festival (Jelenia Góra), Sowieso (Berlin), Copenhagen Jazz festival, BrÖtz (Göteborg), Oslo Jazz festival among others.
“(…) Dafnie play with free-spirited and open structures while maintaining a mutually supportive interplay. This is combined with a kind of narrative and, sometimes almost dramaturgical development, where both moods and melodies unfold.”
Chris Monsen, 5 out of 6 stars in Klassekampen May 16th 2022
Members:
Amalie Dahl (DEN/NO) – saxophones and compositions
Oscar Andreas Haug (NO) – trumpet
Jørgen Bjelkerud (NO) – trombone
Nicolas Leirtrø (NO) – double bass
Veslemøy Narvesen (NO) – drums
Live at Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene September 7th 2022
Pictures by Cristina Marx (Photomusix) from our concert at Sowieso, Berlin in September.
More pictures from the tour:
Live at BrÖtz May 18th 2022