Arnold Ludvig, born in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, is an award winning bass virtuoso known for his melodic, unique, versatile playing on the fretless bass and superb slap bass technique on his Fender Jazz bass. He started playing bass at the tender age of 12, with the band, Plúmm.
Arnold’s first 3 jazz compositions were released on the album, Allar Ættir in 1991, with Holger Laumann & Plúmm . In 1998, his composition, ”Pastel Shades” was released on the album, Green Gate, with Magnus Johannessen and Holger Laumann , on Tutl Records.
Arnold attended the F.Í.H. Music school in Reykjavík, Iceland and was awarded the 1992 Annual Scholarship, for Best Jazz Performance. Arnold also studied Jazz Performance and upright bass at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from 1993-1995.
Arnold played upright bass 3 nights a week at the famous Biddle’s Jazz Club in Montreal from 1999-2003, with Geraldine Hunt & The Arnold Ludvig Trio and performed at the 2003 Montreal International Jazz Festival.
In 2005, Ludvig won the award for Best Bass Player at the Atlantic Music Event, in the Faroe Islands. In 2006, he performed his original jazz compositions with the Thomsen/ Ludvig/ á Rógvu Trio, on a double-concert tour with Sophisticated Ladies, an all female Danish jazz band, in the Faroe Islands. In 2007, Thomsen/ Ludvig/ á Rógvu Trio performed at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, at The North Atlantic Brygge.
In 2011, Ludvig wrote new compositions for the band Norse Nexus and performed them at the Tórshavn Jazz Festival and VetrarJazz Festival in 2012. In 2013, Arnold emerged as an excellent world jazz composer for his own ensemble, the Arnold Ludvig Sextet and received great reviews for Voyages, his debut album. Ludvig’s jazz compositions are greatly inspired by Nordic jazz, elements from American jazz tradition, as well as of folkloric, latin and popular music. His most prominent musical influences are greats like Jaco Pastorius, Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, and Pat Metheny.
Arnold’s musicianship matured a great deal over the years, with his vast experience as a seasoned working musician, for over 3 decades, in the cities of Tórshavn, Reykjavík, Montreal, and Copenhagen.
Arnold Ludvig’s music is very organic, nostalgic, ranges from being sensitive and atmospheric to hard swinging funky grooves and roaring expression, and yet always with that northern melodic air.
More is available here on his website
Thank you Arnold!
