Bild på Karl Wallmyr / Henning Ullén

Karl Wallmyr / Henning Ullén

Karl Wallmyr is a trumpeter and composer with roots in Värmland. Together with his ensemble, he creates music influenced by classical music and Swedish folk music. The compositions resonate in a distinctly Nordic tradition. A rare bird flying straight into the future with Gullin and Grieg as the air beneath its wings.
Last autumn, he released his second album, “Serendippo” (HOOB Records), which has been warmly received in both Swedish and foreign press. The album represents a musical step aside from an increasingly intense world. In contrast to a contemporary era filled to the brim with impressions, this music has an everyday quality; at the same time, there is more going on if one listens carefully. A form of musical realism.
“Melodic and lyrical, with a heavy dose of nostalgia running deep within its core, it’s beguiling warmth and honesty makes it an album I highly recommend listening to.”
– Mike Gates, UKVIBE
Karl Wallmyr – Trumpet
Per Wallmyr – Woodwinds
Nils Berg – Woodwinds
Max Agnas – Piano
Mauritz Agnas – Double Bass
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PLAY! is Henning Ullén’s second album under his own name. Together with Mauritz Agnas on double bass and Nils Agnas on drums, the trio offers music with a melancholic undertone, yet infused with a joy of playing. The title of the album, also the title of the second track urges us to play, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and improvisation in its simplest form. On the other hand, the music is rich, oscillating between well-composed, sometimes complex passages and freer sections that leave room for improvisation. The album is infused with a driving high-energy vibe. At times, the boundaries blur between what is composed and what is improvised. In addition to the trio format, the album also includes some shorter solo improvisations where Ullén for the first time on record presents his solo-playing.

Henning Ullén is an award-winning pianist and composer primarily active in jazz and improvisational music. He studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Berklee College of Music, and the conservatory in Paris (CNSDMP). Henning Ullén was one of Sweden’s most promising and acclaimed young jazz trumpeters when he had to end his trumpet career in 2019 due to a rare disease that caused dizziness and headaches in connection with playing the trumpet. He then quickly transitioned to the piano and released his first album, Debut, in 2021.

Henning Ullén – Piano, composition
Hannes Bennich – Alto saxophone
Mauritz Agnas – Double bass
Nils Agnas – Drums