"We Say" - Out Now!
- Magnus Bakken
- Nov 3
- 3 min read
When Italian trumpeter Cosimo Boni came to Norway on a grant from the ItalianInstitute, he reached out to his former Berklee College of Music classmate, saxophonist Magnus Bakken. Together with Håkon Huldt-Nystrøm on bass and Amund Kleppan on drums, they entered the studio for what became We Say, a full-length album recorded in a single day.
Featuring a mix of original compositions by Boni and Bakken, Nordic and Italian folk melodies, and fresh interpretations of tunes from The Great American Songbook, the quartet finds a playful and exploratory common ground.
We Say was recorded live, almost entirely as first takes. The result is an album that moves seamlessly between the lyrical, the energetic, and the atonal, where magical moments follow one another in rapid succession.
“This is everything I think jazz should be,” says Magnus Bakken. “Taking risk, trusting that your bandmates have got your back if you try to go somewhere. It's opening up your ears, listening more to what's going on around you than listening to yourself. Not trying to replicate what was happening on the gig yesterday, but being in the moment and trying to make this moment sound good.”
Taking risk, trusting that your bandmates have got your back if you try to go somewhere. It's opening up your ears, listening more to what's going on around you than listening to yourself.
Cosimo and Magnus had met years earlier at Berklee, but We Say marked their first musical reunion in nearly a decade. Their chemistry was instant.
“It’s the confirmation of the magic of jazz,” Cosimo says in their conversation. “If the chemistry is right, you don’t need a lot of rehearsal. You can feel that exploring vibe, and it’s sincere because we were actually exploring each other’s sounds in the moment.”
“If the chemistry is right, you don’t need a lot of rehearsal. You can feel that exploring vibe, and it’s sincere because we were actually exploring each other’s sounds in the moment.”
They only had two days available before Cosimo had to return to Italy. They picked one, and magic unfolded. “The band had been together for four hours,” he laughs, “and somebody asked me how long we’d been playing together.”
Among the tracks are two folk melodies, one Italian and one Norwegian, both reimagined in the group’s unique language. Cosimo recalls the Italian traditional song’s deep history, originally sung during the resistance in World War II: “They took a traditional melody and put words that meant pity has died. There’s this war underneath, but the melody reminds you of the love side, the calm side. When we played it, I felt you all understood that.”
There’s this war underneath, but the melody reminds you of the love side, the calm side. When we played it, I felt you all understood that.
Magnus responds: “Just when you play it like you mean it, it might mean something different to each of us, but we all read our own stories into it.”
That sense of freedom — to express, to interpret, to take risks — defines We Say.
Drummer Amund Kleppan reflects on the recording: “I thought we managed to get a very consistent sound immediately. Everyone in the band listens and plays amazing. We gathered some original tunes, and some melodies both from Italy and Norway.”
I thought we managed to get a very consistent sound immediately. Everyone in the band listens and plays amazing.
We Say is out now on all streaming platforms, a vivid snapshot of four musicians meeting with open ears, courage, and curiosity. Listen here!
Cosimo Boni – trumpet
Cosimo has performed with Darren Barrett, Jason Palmer, Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, Terri Lyne Carrington, and George Garzone. His debut album May Be (Unable to Return) was released on Fresh Sound New Talent in 2023.
Magnus Bakken – saxophone
Described by critics as our next big saxophone talent, and an outstanding saxophonist in the tradition of Michael Brecker. Well known from his work with A Tonic For The Troops and Jørn Øien’s Cosmopolitan, as well as his own acclaimed projects Slackline, Ninjabeat and Cycles.
Håkon Huldt-Nystrøm – bass
Known from Phillip Granly Trio, Pesh, Det Nye NSB, and collaborations with Helge Sunde, Bohuslän Big Band and Felix Peikli. A virtuous and versatile upright bass player, both in pop, folk, classical and jazz.
Amund Kleppan – drums
His debut album Venture (2019) received international acclaim. Educated at Jazz Institute Berlin and the Royal Academy of Music, he has studied with Dave Holland, James Maddren, and Orlando Le Fleming, and tours widely with his quintet and Aloft Quartet.
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