We Float (SE/NO)
Compositions, lyrics and arrangements by Anne Marte Eggen
All songs recorded by Tobias Ekqvist
Produced by We Float and Tobias Ekqvist

Anne Marte Eggen - bass, synthesizers and backing vocals 
Linda Bergström - lead vocals and synthesizers
Fanny Gunnarsson - rhodes, piano, synthesizers and backing vocals
Filip Bensefelt - drums, percussion

Guest guitarist - Samuel Hällkvist

contact: wefloatband@gmail.com
photos: Jens Nordström, Miriam Semb Namork, Elin Hörberg
cover art: Miriam Semb Namork, Kjersti Hansen Eggen

There are singers, and then there are musicians whose instrument is their voice.  Beata Pater is clearly the latter.  Whether interpreting lyrics with the emotional depth and lyrical expression of her personal “goddess” Sarah Vaughan and her beloved Shirley Horn; soaring on the fanciful flight trajectories of another profound influence, Betty Carter; or translating her studies on the violin into a fascinating musical narrative, Beata embodies creativity in its purest sense.
Immersed in music in the most organic sense since her earliest memories, Beata grew up in her native Poland with absolutely no sense of genre barriers or subjective classification. Yet she made the decision to pursue her personal path of expression through jazz.

A world traveler who after leaving Poland has lived in England and Japan, Beata moved to San Francisco in 1994, finding its open-minded ambiance to be ideal for her limitless creative process.
Embracing both the intimacy of classic jazz vocal artistry and the wide open terrain of adventurous expressiveness with equal commitment, Beata has blended both approaches with her stunning 3-album ‘color’ series, Black (2006), Blue (2011) and Red (2013).  Drawing upon a rich and varied repertoire of classic standards, works by such heavyweights as Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Mongo Santamaria and the legendary Polish master Krzyszof Komeda, and her own remarkable compositions along with those of her frequent collaborator Mark Little; Beata has forged a unique place for herself in the forefront of jazz vocal artistry. On Blue, she began to utilize her wordless approach that occupies a special place somewhere between scat and solo violin, moving deftly from one to the other, but most often blending the two into a concoction of aural delight.

Now Beata has decided to travel both paths separately as well, planning to release two albums a year – one as a stripped down intimacy of vocals and rhythm section; the other in a wilder, freely structured boundless adventure.

The first foray into the former zone was her most recent release Golden Lady, a brilliant collection of Brazilian and American songs by a diverse array of songwriters like Tom Jobim, Stevie Wonder, Gordon Jenkins, Marcor Valle, Razao de Viver, Dimitri Tiomkin and Oscar Castro-Neves.

Beata’s extraordinary journey is one that could make a spectacular film.  Surrounded by music throughout her life, from an age so young that she can’t even specifically recall how she discovered some of her earliest influences like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Donny Hathaway, Jaco Pastorious, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report and so many others.  But not only was she exposed to these artists at home, but also through the progressive, artistically open environment of her schooling in Poland, where her musical talents were recognized in kindergarten.  As a member of the Wladyslaw Skoraczewski Choir at the National Theater in Warsaw she participated in operas by Bizet, Mussorgsky, Wagner and Penderecki, an experience that had a tremendous effect upon the young singer.

A fully seasoned, mature and enormously versatile artist by the time she left Japan to settle in San Francisco, Beata has been on a non-stop mission to explore every nuance of her diverse and expansive musical vision.  Calling upon a wide-ranging team of exemplary musicians to achieve her goals, every touring and recording project of Beata’s is specially conceived and specifically assembled to deliver her powerful message as vocalist, violinist, composer, arranger and musical visionary.

With 30 years of vividly conceived and fiercely inventive artistry in hand, the real journey has just begun.	

Sally Greenaway is a jazz pianist and (film) composer based in the ACT, Australia.

'expressive, introspective and emotionally satisfying original compositions...' (Canberrajazz.net)

- Winner of the Canberra International Music Festival Young Composer Competition, 2009
- Winner of the APRA/Jazzgroove National Big Band Composition Competition, 2008

#DRIP OUT NOW! SEXORCISM COMING 2019 ON @NUXXE: https://nuxxe.lnk.to/DRIP

Surprising is the word that perhaps best describes Grammy® nominated and Downbeat cover artist, Thana Alexa, an extraordinarily creative force in music.  An awe-inspiring vocalist, composer, arranger and producer – for whom the voice is both a lyrical and experimental instrument – her music pushes the boundaries of the genre into new and unexplored territory with deep seeded roots in jazz and overtones of contemporary soul and world music.

Her latest album, ONA (self-release, March 2020), which earned her two Grammy® nominations (Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Instrumental Jazz Solo for Regina Carter’s performance), is Alexa’s focus, her mission statement. Translated to "SHE" from her family's native Croatian, ONA was inspired by the cross generational and cross-cultural stories of the immigrant women in her family and evolved into an exploration of the experiences of contemporary women everywhere. Its premise crystalized in 2017 after her attendance at the Women's March on Washington, D.C. after which she was inspired to learn more about the stories of the women in her own family and the influences that their life experiences have had on her own existence, growth and sense of freedom.  The album speaks to us musically about every facet of womanhood, conveying a message of strength and empowerment. 

ONA has spawned more female-focused projects: Alexa, together with Grammy® nominated artist, Nicole Zuraitis and bassist, Julia Adamy formed SONICA, a trio that fuses electronics, three-part harmonies, electric bass, keyboards and percussion into their unique original music and arrangements. Alexa also created the project Founding Mothers of Jazz in conjunction with MusicTalks Concerts to celebrate and honor the powerhouse women who helped build the jazz genre from the ground up, many of whom are not historically recognized for their contributions because of their gender.

During the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown, Alexa made headlines as a co-founder of what Rolling Stone called the first “virtual jazz festival” and fundraising initiative, Live From Our Living Rooms. Over the course of their three series (including a partnership with the DC Jazz Festival to present their FromHome series), Alexa, together with co-founders Owen Broder and Sirintip, contracted over 120 artists, raised over $140,000, and helped facilitate grants to over 80 US based musicians in need.  Live From Our Living Rooms received attention from Rolling Stone, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the BBC, and more.

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