On the 20th of January 2009 Barack Obama was inagurated as the 44th president of America. In his
speech he said: “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the
work of remaking America”. With those words he echoed the lyrics from the song Pick yourself up,
written by Dorothy Fields in 1936. Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904– March 28, 1974) was an American
librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs, 15 broadway musicals and 26 films. Her strong
carachterisations, her precise language and heartfelt and humorous approach has granted her a
special place in the history of American music and popular culture.
This album is a loveletter to this remarkable woman who was way ahead of her time.
/Isabella Lundgren
ISABELLA LUNDGREN is one of Sweden’s foremost jazz singers, with a unique ability to enthrall an audience.
Isabella Lundgren debuted in 2012 with the album It Had to Be You, and she has since then received numerous
awards, scholar ships and been nominated for a Swedish Grammy, twice. As a Swedish music journalist once
said: “If the 20th century be longed to Monica Zetterlund, the 21th century belongs to Isabella Lundgren “
2014 she released Somehow life got in the way, it was named one of the 100 most influential albums in
Swedish jazz history. In 2016 Where is home, containing her original songs was released and also Grammy
nominated. The Swedish Daily News then called her “one of the greatest things to ever happen to the Swedish
jazz scene”. Isabella Lundgren has a great love for the American Songbook and American folk & blues tradition.
This showed in Out of the Bell Jar, her 2019 album where she interpreted the works of Bob Dylan, and this year
she continues on the theme with a bunch of timeless classics
CARL BAGGE is one of Swedens most versatile jazz pianists. In ad dition to a 20-year freelancing experience on
the country’s stages, big and small, he has also together with comic genius Henrik Dorsin composed the music
for Henriks’ production of the iconic Christmas tale ”Karl Bertil Jonsson’s Christmas Eve”, collabo rated with the
legendary Georg Riedel with the music for ”Alfons Åberg” and ”Emil in Lönneberga”, as well as for just over 10
years toured, recorded and arranged for the phenomenal Isabella Lundgren. Isabella and Carl’s trio has also
spread their music in many countries of Europe, the US, and for a number of tours in Japan. For ten years he
has also led the “Ekdahl/Bagge Big Band” together with Per Ekdahl.
MUSICA VITAE: The string ensemble Musica Vitae is based in the medium-sized cathedral city of Växjö, in the
south of Sweden. Over the past four decades it has become one of Sweden’s leading chamber groups with the
classical chamber music repertoire at its core. Numer ous newly written compositions in various styles have
been added to their repertoire, including experimental music, jazz, popular music, and works for children. To
date Musica Vitae has com missioned and premiered some 250 compositions by established composers and by
students at Swedish conservatoires.
Musica Vitae performs wherever there is an opportunity to bring music to life and meet an audience, whether
at their home hall at Nygatan 6, in larger concert halls, parish halls, rebuilt cinemas or even decomissioned
locomotive sheds. It is these musical meetings that motivate the musicians of Musica Vitae. Musica Vitae is part
of Musik i Syd, a regional music institution in Skåne and Kro noberg, whose purpose is to give everyone access
to the experi ence of live music. The activities of Musik i Syd bring music of the highest profesional levels to
adults and children throughout the region whether in rural or urban areas, and in every social set ting: from
schools and concert halls, to nursing homes, and from large festivals to the smallest most intimate occasions.
