"Jakob has something going on, this egoless thing. There's a quality he has as a person
that allows the music to happen" – Bill Frisell
After briefly receiving musical training at the Royal Danish Academy of music Jakob Bro decided to go his own ways. This naturally led him to the U.S., where he studied at Berklee in Boston and subsequently at the New School in Manhattan. Even more importantly, it was here Bro made both friendships and professional connections with musicians such as Mark Turner, Steve Cardenas, Chris Cheek and Ben Street. In 2002 Bro had the opportunity to go on tour with Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band. Something which not only established a productive relation with the legendary drummer – Bro appears on the Paul Motian Band's Garden of Eden (ECM, 2006) – but also got him in contact with other highly acclaimed musicians; for instance, one of the most important guitarists of modern contemporary jazz, Bill Frisell. Alongside these activities, Bro has set up his own label Loveland records, where the majority of his music is released.
Both Motian and Frisell are featured on some of Bro's latest albums – Pearl River (2007), The Stars Are All New Songs (2008), and Balladeering (2009). The latter also includes breathtaking performances by Lee Konitz, all documented on the poetic documentary film Weightless – a recording session with Jakob Bro that accompanies the album. This trilogy of recordings marks a personal and artistic high point for Bro, as well as a new direction in his music. From the hard-edged, deconstructivist bebop-aesthetics on the earlier releases, his compositions and sound have developed into a more universal and organically flowing tone. At the same time it has become even clearer that a crucial part of Bro's compositional ideas is about openness and spaces of musical possibilities, as he states himself:
"I like to set up some kind of vibe or mood where everybody can be himself. When I hire Lee Konitz to do a recording, I don't want him to be reading all kinds of hard music; I would like him to be able to give as much of himself as possible".
So far Jakob Bro has received 4 Danish Music Awards, among which are awards for both best Crossover and best Jazz Album of The Year. And the breadth of his musical efforts can clearly be heard if one traverses his discography. For instance, his awarded second album as a leader Sidetracked (2005) mixes electronica, micro-sound sampling, and the acoustic improvisations of three reed players (Chris Cheek, Chris Speed, and Mark Turner), while the Jakob Bro Trio album Who Said Gay Paree? (2008) showcases Bro's ability to transform classic ballads and standard-material into something new with a minimum of effects. This trio with fellow players Anders Christensen (bass) and Jakob Høyer (drums) was also the point of departure for a series of successful live sessions that took place at Copenhagen Jazz House in 2009. The invited guests appearing here were respectively Tom Harrel, Joe Lovano, and Lee Konitz. All sessions were recorded and are planned for future release.
Lately Jakob Bro has been touring intensely with the iconic, Polish trumpet player Tomasz Stanko's new quintet and features on his most recent album Dark Eyes (ECM, 2009).
Other of Jakob Bro's significant collaborations and performances involve work with: Andrew Cyrille, Jim Black, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Tony Malaby, Andrew D’Angelo, Ben Street, Joey Baron, Anders Jormin, George Garzone, Marilyn Mazur, Maria Laurette Friis, Jerome Harris, Ben Monder, Thomas Morgan, Nasheet Waits, Mats Eilertsen, and Per Jørgensen
