Danish musician Sarah Elgeti

Diaa Bekheet | Washington, DC – Danish saxophonist, flutist, composer and bandleader Sarah Elgeti has made quite a splash in Europe with her new album, Into the Open. Her expressive, impressionistic music conjures up vivid images of beautiful scenery. Into the Open’s 11 original tracks showcase a variety of music styles from big band swing to bop to Avant-garde and modern funk.

Elgeti’s compositions contain a lot of different impressions. “I try to paint pictures for each song,” she explained in an interview with VOA’s Jazz Beat.  “That’s also why there’s such a stylistic variety [on the album].”

Sarah Elgeti, who has led her own quintet since 2007, plays saxophone, flute, and clarinet. She tries to use the instrument she feels fit to paint her picture, she said. I talked with Sarah, a Holbaek Jazz Award winner, in 2008. I asked her to explain her picturesque music on this album.

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Into the Open, was previously released in Denmark and Germany, and is set for release in Britain next month. Sarah says she finds inspiration for her music in the extreme nature of Denmark. She included several photos in a booklet sold with her album, showing her in breathtaking landscape, in the rain, in stormy and cloudy weather, and reflecting her deep passion for nature and city life.

Sarah played the guitar when she was at a boarding school in Denmark, but at the age of 15, she was asked to play tenor saxophone for the school orchestra. “I said yes, I’d like to try that, and immediately I had this feeling that what I always wanted to do.” She then studied music and took classical education on the flute and the clarinet.

Danish musician Sarah Elgeti at home

She adds that the music always makes her feel at home. “It’s a state of peace in mind. It brings me to write music and play music,” she said. “So, home can be a place you call home, but also a state of mind. And music is home for me.”

Tracks: Home; Bossa Among The Trees; Out In The Fields; Downstairs; Ringe I Vand (It’s Raining); But I Wish I Could; Trying To Forget; Blustering Waves; Clouds; Angelique; Night Moves.

Sarah Elgeti continues her European tour to promote her new album. In the meantime, she’s working on a new album that’s set for release next year.

For more on jazz music, listen to VOA’s Jazz America