Approximate translations from Danish through Google Translate
With instruments that rarely converge, two geniuses make everything soar (review of Mathias Heise and Bjarke Mogensen’s album Flux)
The new album from a duo who playfully explore jazz and classical origins is excellent.
Heise is a jazzman. Mogensen has a classical background. Both are brilliant instrumentalists, and if anything emanates from the album, it’s their enjoyment of using their surplus to meet and elevate each other.
Forget about genres. Mathias Heise phrases so that all jazz fans will feel comfortable. You can hear it in his ballad ‘Voices in the Dark,’ where he also showcases his skills as a jazz pianist before the pair switch roles, with Mogensen’s accordion accompanying Heise’s harmonica.
Thomas Michelsen, Politiken
Miraculous: 25-year-old Danish harmonica player is almost too good to be true.
Mathias Heise is nothing short of amazing. As a musician, as a composer, as an organizer and as an entertainer.
His mastery of the chromatic harmonica is absolutely unique. He can savor both sweetly swinging harmonies, swaying beats and rhythmically edged fusion.
And yes, you come to think of Toots Thielemans; but in reality it is rather a saxophonist like Michael Brecker, who tones the scene as an important role model. Her sharp and effortless melody and rhythmically striking phrasing are clearly part of Mathias Heise’s otherwise unique dazzling style.
And Mathias Heise, yes. He is almost too good to be true. In addition to his musical qualities, he is both charming and gifted to listen to. How many other jazz musicians have assigned a number to the philosopher Karl Popper and are able to explain Freud’s explanation of the connection between sublimated sexuality and creativity?
Henrik Palle, Politiken
Virtuosos let the funk loose. There was soul-colored juice in the jazz virtuoso Mathias Heise’s harmonica, while Christian Sands listened and unfolded at the grand piano.
Thomas Michelsen, Politiken
Listen up! You’ve never heard anyone play the harmonica like this guy. 25-year-old harmonica player Mathias Heise breathes new life into Danish jazz.
Finn Frandsen, Heidi Skibsted and Aske Hald Knudstrup, Politiken
Mathias Heise is an old soul in a young body. He has a rare warm and welcoming sound in his mouth harp playing that embraces melancholy, nostalgia and exuberant joy of life at the same time. Most of all, the sound contains a scent of bygone times, from when you were a child in the quiet, empty suburban streets of the 70s. For example, audible in the song ‘Para Mi Padre’. (…) Mathias Heise gave us musical magic of the highest carat.
Martin Loft, LoftsKammer
A 25-year-old guy from Rødovre has lifted the harmonica from a children’s toy to new heights with recognition from the Crown Prince couple and the rest of the jazz industry, where Mathias Heise is considered one of the greatest talents at home.
Teis Jeppe Gärtz, Euroman
The Beast
It is shown for the first time that a 25-year-old Danish artist has composed and arranged all the music for an album release and tour with the DR Big Band, where he is also at the forefront as a soloist.
It is well seen and heard by DR Big Band, to let the harmonica virtuoso Mathias Heise, one of the greatest talents in Danish jazz for many years, be at the head of the big band. Especially because Mathias Heise has gone completely unimpressed with the task. He knows what he wants to use the big band for.
Mathias Heise has gone to the task with a convincing maturity. In all the solo pieces he plays with a slight straightforwardness. The sense of the melody’s meaning while challenging the big band succeeds to the full.
The Big Band and Heise are like created for each other. He is good at keeping track, which the big band answers with a sublime performance led by Nikolai Bøgelund.
The Beast – The Beast is a revelation in Danish jazz. A successful unification of the old established big band and the young virtuoso that can gather an audience across generations. Where it is “just” about the good music.
Hurray for Mathias Heise and DR Big Band – and then get off and hear them or buy the record.
Niels Overgård, Jazznyt.com
Mathias Heise is a true virtuoso on his instrument. With The Beast, Mathias Heise and Denmark’s Radio Band have proven that jazz – and big band music – has a future. It is an exciting album that wins at several hearings.
Great to cultivate how to make room for and exploit the opportunities that this art conception of musicians provides. The traditional, but also new approaches to jazz are drawn.
Kenth K. Nielsen, bibzoom.dk
The Beast does not disappoint, but is another example of how competent a band The Danish Radio Big Band is and an underline of what brilliant talent Mathias Heise is as an instrumentalist and jazz composer.
Capac.dk
Mathias Heise Quadrillion
Awesome fusion, funk, rock and jazz! Everything!
Where should I start? In this case, there are so many roses to hand out that I hesitate. But, first of all, it is to say that Danish Mathias Heise is quite eminent in chromatic harp (and is also a skilled composer and pianist).
Ivan Rod, Gaffa
Shades of Weather Report and Herbie Hancock can be detected in their funkafied, polyglot grooves, though they boast a sound and style all their own.
Record Collector
A feast for fusion fanatics.
Mojo Magazine
Mathias Heise Quadrillion’s fine performance at the Penang Island Jazz Festival demonstrated that jazz-fusion can be accessible and ambitious at the same time.
Ian Patterson, All About Jazz
Been digging these young cats. Stop and give your ears a real treat.
Leland Sklar (superbassist), Facebook