Atlantica - 01.09.2002, Blaðsíða 60

i-siteThe Atlantica
INQUISITION
Edward Weinman: On the promotional poster for your album it
says, “the war against the bad jazz”. Who is this war against?
Davíd Thór Jónsson: Against bad jazz, of course, and that can be
whatever you think is "bad".
EW: What is bad jazz?
DTJ: When the music has no sparkle in it and it sounds like the
autopilot is ON. I’m not being arrogant and I mean no offence,
but my point of view is that music has to reflect who you really
are and therefore you have to be completely honest about it, and
when it’s not from the heart, well...
EW: You have said that jazz must “say something”. What is your
music saying?
DTJ: For me, a lot of things – it’s a "painting" of a scene in my life.
EW: Can you describe your music?
DTJ: Well, the music on Rask is divided
into two parts. That’s the music of the
trio FLIS (Valdimar Kolbeinn
Sigurjónsson on bass, Helgi Svavar
Helgason on drums and me on piano),
where we did a lot of improvising and
experimenting together. We approach our
music in a very collective way; we see it
as equals. The other part is composed
of me and a trumpet, saxophone
and a second drum set is some-
times added. It’s hard to
describe, but I would say
some tunes are full of
energy and activity,
some full of peace.
EW: The title of your cur-
rent album, Rask, means
disturbance. Can you
explain why you chose
this title?
DTJ: Rask is the tune of disturbance and "the war against the bad
jazz" is too. They symbolise this disturbance and I thought this
described the album best – the positive disturbance of jazz.
EW: People often complain that they don’t understand jazz. Why is
it so difficult for music fans to appreciate?
DTJ: You see what I mean with bad jazz? Of course, there is a lot
of music and some of it is very complex and difficult, and there-
fore people have a hard time understanding it. But I think if you
represent your music in the right way, so people can sense your
meaning behind it, they will hopefully appreciate it and with time
understand it.
EW: It’s a rainy Saturday afternoon and you just finished rehears-
ing. What will you do next?
DTJ: Meet my girlfriend and make Italian seafood pasta with fresh
basil, garlic bread and vine du blanc – yum – and watch Monty
Python’s The Meaning of Life.
EW: Where do you go to get away from 101 Reykjavík?
DTJ: I go to Skorradalur (a valley in west Iceland) and run around
with only my shorts on. I am a madman.
EW: What Icelandic CD are you listening to?
DTJ: At the moment, I’m hearing Björk’s Vespertine.
EW: There’s a cartoon line drawing of a mouse on your CD
cover, and a boy on the back. Can you explain?
DTJ: The mouse on the cover is originally from a pic-
ture of me when I was two years old, wearing a
mouse suit and shouting at a mountain in
Seydisfjördur (East Fjords). This is so symbolic for
the energy of the music and the mouse – maybe it’s
for me in this music-imaginary world.
Edward Weinman is a staff writer.
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With the release of his first major album, Rask (Disturbance),
jazz musician Davíd Thór Jónsson has boldly waged a war
against “bad jazz”. Edward Weinman asks this
self-proclaimed madman about jazz that sucks,
and one cartoonish mouse.
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