Bremer/McCoy on Kosmos

In a direct counter to the loud and chaotic bustle of modern-day life, bassist Jonathan Bremer and pianist Morten McCoy hit the pause button through contemplative and reflective music that prompts you to stop, take a break, and indulge in some intimate and melodic soundscapes. Friends since childhood, and now the aptly named ensemble Bremer/McCoy, the two Danish musicians are celebrating one year since their most recent release Kosmos, and are preparing to perform on their very first tour outside of Scandinavia this autumn.

In the lead-up to the pair embarking on the tour, I was able to ask the duo about how the ensemble came to be, their approach to songwriting, as well as their thoughts about their impending European tour...

What drew you to music initially?

JB: We both went to this very creative, free-spirited school as kids. There was a lot of music and drama, and we both loved playing music. Morten comes from a musical home and had been playing around on the piano since he was little, and I knew in the very first music class that I wanted to play the bass. We had a great and very passionate music teacher, which I think meant a lot too. Of course, there would also have been some things on a deeper level that drew us to music, but that's hard to see when you're a kid.

How did your partnership come about? 

MM: We’ve been friends since age six or seven. We also played music together back then and had a good time with it. During our teen years we went to separate schools and didn't see each other quite as much. We hooked up again when we were around 20, and though we were both successful playing other peoples music, we also really missed doing our own thing. We connected on a more philosophical level - what is music all about and what does it mean to be a musician? Our duo sprung from those kinds of conversations.

You’ve developed a truly unique sound of jazz. How did you arrive at this sound and what influences you?

JB: Our sound came very organically. Each of us had some different inspirations, but we also had some common ones. We booked three days in a studio, and wrote and recorded our first album in those three days. So our sound came very naturally and spontaneously - I guess that's just what it sounds like when Morten and I play.

Can you talk a little about your balance between composition and improvisation? How much of each comes into your partnership and the music that you make together? 

MM: We focus a lot on writing good songs. Without a good song, it doesn't really matter. So the composition is paramount for us. We also love improvisation, but to us that's secondary to the song.

Congratulations on celebrating one year since the release of your latest album, Kosmos at the end of August! Can you tell me a bit about what makes this album special?

JB: Thank you! We’re very happy with the songs on this album. They also still feel very fresh to play live. Regarding what makes the album special... I think when you listen to our catalogue chronologically, you will hear an evolution of the sound. That's nice, and it's a natural result of us getting older and the world changing. But the most important thing for us is that the songs are good.

I believe you're touring outside of Scandinavia for the first time - why do this now?

MM: We've wanted to play outside Scandinavia since we released our first album in 2013, but we never really had the chance to go on a real tour before now. We had one scheduled during Covid, but that was cancelled. Since then we've worked with some different people that have tried to set up a tour, but it didn't happen for one reason or another. Now we have a great team around us and we're finally going – it’s exciting!

What are you most looking forward to? 

JB: We're most excited about meeting our fans abroad and seeing how they react to our music in a live setting, after having listened to the records for many years. From the tour they can expect us to play tunes from our whole catalogue - we play all the tunes that we feel work best in concert, no matter if they are old or new. We also bring all the gear that we use when we record, so they can expect our live sound to be very true to our newer records (though actually we see it the other way around: when we record, we bring all the stuff that we use in concert and try to make it as live as possible). Beyond this tour - we will see!