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Mads Jakob Pagsberg
is a Danish composer, conductor, bassist and writer living in Copenhagen. Bborn nov. 3rd 1970. He grew up in Jyllinge by Roskilde Fjord. His childhood home was filled with music and he remembers falling asleep every night in my bed while my father played Chopin, Bach and other great artists on the piano in the livingroom just above his basement room. From about 11 years old, he played American folkmusic with his parents and sisters in our own little family band. Both the American music roots and the classical art music, along with my musical education at the music school in Jyllinge, later in Roskilde Gymnasium and finally at the University of Copenhagen have shaped his approach to music, as a conductor, composer, music teacher and musician.

Bass-player
From the age og 14 he started playing bass. Mads plays electric bass, fretless bas and in the later years he also plays the double bass. He is influenced by Mark King, Marcus Miller, Sting, Louis Johnson, NHØP, Larry Graham and John Patitucci. In 1998 he recorded “Whatever it is” with funk big band MI22 live in Copenhagen Jazzhouse. On this CD he plays the bass and has written “Hit Me With Your Rhythm”, “Moonlight Bright”, “Exit 5” and “Jamboree”.

Composer and Conductor
From 1997 Mads started conducting MIBB – The University of Copenhagen Big Band. With this band he has recorded Swingin’ and Singin’ (2000), You Better Watch Out” (2011) as a conductor and arranger. In 2002 he became organizer/conductor of a project called "Almost Arrangers", a big band project where young new composers could write for an Almost Big band. He began to write the first piece of music, called Almost, - “Almost Enough”. The following years were followed by Almost There, Almost Done and Almost Jazz.

In 2012 Mads began to lead and conduct his own orchestra; “The Pagsberg BigBand”. The Pagsberg BigBand is a full big band w. 5 Saxes incl. doubling instruments (flute and clarinet), 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, rhythm section (bass, guitar, drums, piano) and - as the only professional orchestra in Denmark - a permanently attached vocal group of four singers. Some projects also involved include strings and percussionists. The BigBand has a wide repertoire spanning from swing, latin and contemporary big band jazz and their own compositions. The orchestra want to promote the combination of vocal group and big band. The orchestras mission is to explore the boundaries of how a vocal group can be bearer of melody, but also how the vocal group can be included on an equal level with the other instruments and act supportive. The BigBand also want to promote the composition and arrangement business for vocal big band music, partly through workshops and competitions, partly through commissioned work.

In 2014 the orchestra recorded their first CD Almost Music a suite containing 8 songs called something with almost. The CD was recorded in The Danish Radio Studio 3. On the cover of Almost Music Mads Pagsberg writes;"'The music on this CD has been on the way for more than 10 years. The first piece “Almost Enough” was written to a project in 2004 called “Almost Arrangers”. At that time I started to reflect about the writing process as a composer and I came up with lots of questions about the music and the possibilities you have as a composer. All these questions became lyrics to the songs and it helped me develop and investigate my music. As a start the music was written for a bigband and a four piece vocalgroup. I wanted to see if I could use the vocals as an integrated section in the orchestra that blended in with the reeds, the brass and the rhythm section. So when you listen to the music you will probably discover that the vocals are sometimes more an additional color to a sax-, trumpet- or trombone theme, having the lyrics adding a perspective to the sound, than being the front singer, delivering the melody to the listener with a backing band.""Over the years I occasionally found time or a good reason to write yet another “Almost” piece. More instruments was added to the music, (vibraphone, glockenspiel and strings) more questions came up. Can you mix jazz and hiphop? Can you make backgrounds to a solo without writing anything in the score? Can you minimize the use of tonematerial? Can all the main themes from the other pieces be mixed in one piece? How can you change the sound of the orchestra by using various instrumentation techniques? On the way I was inspired by bigband composers like Maria Schneider, Jukka Linkola and Thad Jones but also other artists like film composer John Williams and rapper Eminem.""In the fall of 2012 I got the opportunity to start my own band. Each member of the band is fantastic musicians and they all put lots of soul and nuance into the music. I am proud to have them bring the music to life for you.'"In 2017 Mads Pagsberg made a teaching material for Almost Music (1), free to use for High schools, Universitys and Conservatorys.

In 2016 The Pagsberg Bigband recorded I Love The Standards with songs written by Mads Pagsberg. As the title says the goal of the CD was to make songs with a strong reference to the traditional big band jazz. The Song Thank You Sam (2) is a tribute to Sammy Nestico.

In 2017 the band recorded the CD Nordisk BigBand Poesi with music by Anna Kruse, Lyrics by Edith Södergran and arrangements by Mads Pagsberg, Alexander Hagel Thorn, Ralf Nyqvist, Joakim Midler, Ann-Sofie Söderqvist og Lina Nyberg.

The Pagsberg BigBand arranges an European BigBand Composer Competition every year.

As a composer, arranger and conductor Mads Pagsberg has worked with: Gary Habermann (US), Subiz Garbor (HUN), Peter Jull Kristensen (Clear Prod.), Lubos Soukup (CZ), Stian Swesson (SE), Ralf Nyqvist (FIN), Radek Wosko (POL), Paolo Russo (IT), Carlos Pérez (CUBA), Mari Fujiwara (JAPAN) Emiliano Sampaio (BRAZIL),Mariam Mandipira (ZIMBABWE), Håkon Erlandsen (NO), Alex Cassanyes (SPAIN), Zoran Scekic (CROATIA), Michele Corcella (IT), Richard Schwartz (DE), Paul Anques (FRANCE), Anna Kruse (SE), Daniel Nosewicz (POL), Patrik Thurner (AUSTRIA), Hans Christian Stephan (DE) Dawda Jobartech (GAMBIA), Tupac Mantilla (COLUMBIA), Ole Kock Hansen, Jonas Johansen, Nicolai Schultz, Michael Mølhede, Christer Gustafsson, Uffe Marcussen, Veronica Mortensen, Bobo Moreno, Sidsel Storm, Mads Mathias, Henrik Bolberg, Steen Hansen, Jørgen Emborg, Mia Engsager, Jesper Løvdal, Søren Møller, Miriam Mandipira, Ivan Pedersen, Mathias Heise, Katrine Madsen, Marie Carmen Koppel.

Teacher
Mads Pagsberg has worked as a gymnasium teacher for 5 years at Roskilde gymnasium. He has been a teaching professor at The University Of Copenhagen, department of arts and culturel studies, institute of music since 1998. He teaches in conduction, music leading, practical arrangement and big band arrangement. He has written several books including Bigbandarrangementsbogen (Internal book at the university) Sammenspilsbogen – Spil I Flow (Systime) (3), Sammenspilsbogen – Spil I Kæder (Edition Wilhelm Hansen) og Rytmisk Musikledelse – Metoder og Værktøjer (Edition Wilhelm Hansen) (4)

Personal Life

Mads Pagsberg was married from 2003 to 2014 with Sille Schultz. They have two children and the eldest boy is playing the trumpet.

Discography

Whatever it is (5) (1998) Storyville Records

Swingin’ and Singin’ (6) (2000) Music Mecca

You Better Watch Out (7) 2011 Music Mecca

Almost Music (8) 2014 Gateway Music

I Love The Standards (9) 2016 Gateway Music

Nordisk BigBand Poesi (10) 2017 Gateway Music