Jorden Vi Arvde

Description

In 2023 the Swedish bassist and composer Vilhelm Bromander turned heads with the stunning debut album of a new large ensemble, which has now adopted its name— Vilhelm Bromander Unfolding Orchestra—from that recording: In this forever unfolding moment. That album, which earned him the prestigious Gyllene Skivan and Manifest Awards, was an auspicious premiere, that braided many of the passions of the young musician, including his devotion to Indian dhrupad music, the politically charged folk-jazz sound of the music Carla Bley created for Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, and his commitment to close listening, where tuning with other musicians opens up new harmonic vistas. A veteran presence on the energetic Stockholm creative music scene, he eschews any divide between the pure expression in his music and the social activism of his personal choices.

The twinned directness distinguishes the ensemble’s riveting second album Jorden vi ärvde (“the earth we inherited”), which both reflects on the alarming state of our planet while simultaneously delivering the urgent reminder that we don’t own Earth, but we merely get to spend some time here before passing it on to those to come in our wake. Bromander was inspired to compose the music following the birth of his first son, and it is dedicated to him and his little brother. “The album is an attempt to spread light, beauty, hope and resistance, and at the same time to take in the great seriousness that our time has in front of us; right-wing forces on the rise, rearmament, war and climate disasters,” explains Bromander. “We, the people of this time, seem unable to grasp the fact that our time here is on loan from future generations. But what are the consequences if we take this realization seriously and let it influence the way we live our lives? And how can we find the power and hope to change?”