About this project
Hi, I recorded my sixth album last year in New York and I thought it would be exciting to involve people in the finishing stages of this project (besides being tremendously helpful financially). Now it's time to release it and promote it. It's been mixed... being mastered, artwork in progress, getting ready to spend a whole bunch on having it pressed by Discmakers, sending it to 400 or so radio stations. I will also be performing the music live in CT, MA, MD, NJ and VA . The CD release is planned for June 17th (Iceland's Independence Day!) at An Die Musik in Baltimore.
You can see a video (by clicking here) of the band performing in Washington DC two days before we made the recording.
Here are a few listening samples from the CD
Vitjun by Sunna Gunnlaugs
Tear (as in wear) by Sunna Gunnlaugs
I've set up various levels of awards so you can be a very special and incredibly cool participant in the project. Check out all the levels (in the right column) and see what strikes your fancy. You'll know that not just my pocket will feel better with your support but also my happinessometer will rise accordingly. Once the album is released, I hope that you will also feel a sense of pride that you contributed to it and to my life and career.
The recording features the awesome talents of Loren Stillman on saxophone, Eivind Opsvik on double bass, Scott McLemore on drums and myself on piano. We recorded 7 of my originals, 1 of Scott's and improvised 5 short pieces at Systems Two in Brooklyn last June. The album is titled The Dream and we have the following performances booked.
June 15 Monteabaro Recital Hall, Columbia MD (duo with pianist Alan Blackman!)
June 17 An Die Musik, Baltimore MD
June 18 Trumpets Jazz Club, Montclair, NJ
June 19 Buttonwood Tree, Middletown, CT (double-bill with Noah Baerman
June 20 The Lily Pad, Boston MA
June 28 The Camel, Richmond VA (double-bill with Brian Jones)
*Regarding the House Concert, this would have to be at a mutually convenient time and on mutually agreeable terms. For instance, there are some areas to which I might not want to travel. I also reserve the right to cancel or decline at any time (and of course, would not keep the money in those cases).
FAQ
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on June 10, 2010.
Pledge $10 or more
Full album download before it is officially available, (through bandcamp, meaning pretty much any format you'd want)
Pledge $25 or more
Copy of CD and downloadable files before it is officially available. Signed upon request. (includes shipping)
Pledge $50 or more
All previous levels + pdf files of the sheet music, a t-shirt, downloadable commentary on each of the songs recorded,
Pledge $100 or more
All previous levels + I will cover whatever song you want me to on YouTube and send you said cover in an MP3 format.
Pledge $300 or more
All previous levels (excluding YouTube cover), + iPod Nano with back catalog and unreleased material. You plus 1 on the guestlist at the next Sunna Gunnlaugs concert of your choice. 24 hours notice required.
Pledge $500 or more
All previous levels (excluding YouTube cover) plus a Photo Diary w/ CD featuring select live tracks from this year's performances. (Photo Diary will be sent at the end of the year)
Pledge $1,000 or more
Level 1 thru 3 plus I will come to your house at a mutually convenient time and play a set of music. You choose between my originals, Icelandic songs, standards or a mix of all. (Travel expenses may be required. Some restrictions apply.*)
Project By
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Bridging the Brooklyn-Reykjavik jazz divide with European elegance and a fiery, New York drive… Icelandic pianist Sunna Gunnlaugs is “proof that jazz is as much a part of the picture as the pop of Björk or SigurRos.” - Time Out New York
Unreleased FREE MP3s and exclusive content are available to subscribers of Sunna’s free newsletter. Sign up via her website or choose from 8 different audio formats at her Bandcamp page.
A recent article in the UK magazine Jazzwise says "Sunna Gunnlaugs' Trio [ ] cool atmospherics and meditative quality draws on Icelandic folk melodies and brooding soundscapes, yet internally has an unhurried Bill Evans-like swing and an appetite to explore the inner soul." — Jon Newey, Jazzwise October 2011.
The Washington Post described her music as possessing “such timeless virtues as lyricism and grace… elegantly bridges soul-searching passages with uncluttered swing.”
Upon her arrival in New York, Gunnlaugs was proclaimed an “impressive newcomer” by the Village Voice. She moved to the city after graduating from William Paterson College in New Jersey in 1996 and remained a Brooklyn resident until 2005 when she returned to Iceland with her husband and drummer, Scott McLemore.
Gunnlaugs has performed throughout the US, Canada and Europe, as well as in Tokyo, Japan, and the six recordings she has released as a leader have consistently met with critical praise over the years. She has appeared in publications such as JazzTimes, Downbeat, Jazz Podium, Concerto, Stereo, Jazzman, Village Voice, Time Out New York, Swing Journal, All About Jazz and The Washington Post.
Her latest album "The Dream" was released on June 16th 2010. It features Loren Stilman on saxophone, Eivind Opsvik on bass and Scott McLemore on drums.
