Vitouš Assembles Nordic Masters in a Session
A bassist leading the room, Nordic musicians finding common language through melody and restraint.
Stefan Pasborg's studio became the gathering place for Miroslav Vitouš and a constellation of Danish and Nordic musicians to make The Poetic Principle (2023). Vitouš, the Czech bassist whose career spans from Herbie Hancock's Weather Report orbit to decades of bandleading, stepped into the role of leader and conceptual anchor. Around him sat Carsten Dahl on piano and Anders Koppel on organ — two different harmonic voices that could shift the color of a tune without anybody forcing it. Benjamin Koppel handled the wind instruments, Jacob Andersen added percussion, and Thommy Andersson shared bass duties with Vitouš. The choice to have two bassists is the session's boldest decision: rather than compete, they move around each other, sometimes locking into unison lines, sometimes occupying separate harmonic space.
The material leans toward composition over virtuosity, though the players are certainly capable. Vitouš writes plainly — melodies that stick without being obvious, structures that breathe. What emerges is less about tempo and flash than about listening, about how each voice in the room occupies its own lane without crowding anyone else out. The Scandinavian players bring a particular restraint to the session, a comfort with space and silence that tracks with their regional sensibility.
This is late-career Vitouš, not a reinvention but a refinement. He has been leading sessions for decades; here he simply gathers good musicians and trusts the material to hold them together. The album works because nobody is trying to prove anything. It is the sound of professionals who know their instrument and know how to listen.
Who's playing
Miroslav Vitoušbass
Thommy Anderssonbass
Carsten Dahlpiano
Anders Koppelorgan
Stefan Pasborgdrums
Jacob Andersenpercussion
Benjamin Koppelwind instruments
