In the realm of contemporary European jazz and cross-genre experimentation, few ensembles have mastered the art of reinvention quite like Old News. Led by visionary Danish percussionist and bandleader Emil de Waal, the group has long been celebrated for its distinctive ability to breathe new life into historical repertoires. From the foundational jazz blueprints of Sidney Bechet, Fats Waller, and Jelly Roll Morton to deeply ingrained contributions from the Danish songbook—including works by John Mogensen, Kenneth Knudsen, and Sven Gyldmark—Old News carved its formidable reputation as an elite interpretive powerhouse.
However, the release of their latest album, Novelties, marks a seismic, intentional shift in the ensemble’s trajectory. Eschewing their well-trodden methodology of reinterpreting outside standards, Novelties features ten entirely original, in-house compositions. This creative pivot is not merely an artistic evolution; it is a profound structural metamorphosis necessitated by loss.
In December 2023, the Danish cultural landscape suffered an immeasurable blow with the passing of Elith “Nulle” Nykjær at the age of eighty-six. A legendary multi-instrumentalist, actor, composer, and broadcasting pioneer, Nykjær’s clarinettist chair was foundational to the DNA of Old News. Faced with the departure of a musician of such towering cultural stature, a bandleader is confronted with a stark binary choice: attempt to preserve a fading past or forge an entirely new path. Emil de Waal decisively chose the latter.
This comprehensive review and investigative retrospective explores Novelties not just as a collection of music, but as an artifact of grief, resilience, and unyielding creative ambition. Featuring contributions from clarinetist Henriette Groth, vocalist Randi Laubek, multi-instrumentalist Gustaf Ljunggren, and pianist Jacob Anderskov, Novelties challenges listeners, reshapes genre boundaries, and cements Old News’ legacy as a living, breathing laboratory of modern sound.
Detailed Chronology: From the Nyhavn Cellars to Novelties
To understand the weight of Novelties, one must first retrace the remarkable lineage of the musicians who brought it into existence—most notably, the late Elith “Nulle” Nykjær. Nykjær’s artistic footprint spanned over six decades, tracing a vibrant arc from the smoky, subterranean jazz cellars of Copenhagen’s Nyhavn district in the early 1960s to the prestigious, acoustically pristine stages of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) concert hall as recently as 2022.
Nykjær was far more than a virtuoso clarinetist, alto saxophonist, and harmonicist; he was an indelible pillar of Danish cultural consciousness. Alongside broadcaster Poul Nesgaard, Nykjær spent eleven formative years crafting groundbreaking television at DR. Among their shared achievements was a legendary 1980 television advent series that galvanized national discourse, sparking passionate debates across Denmark that persisted for decades. When a band loses a creative force whose career intersected with the very bedrock of mid-century Scandinavian artistic life, continuity becomes impossible.
Rather than seeking a replication of the past, Emil de Waal engineered a deliberate generational and stylistic transition. The vacant clarinet chair was filled by Henriette Groth—an artist who had already thoroughly integrated herself into the ensemble’s live touring configuration long before anyone stepped foot inside a recording studio. This seamless integration is palpable throughout Novelties, where Groth’s arrival is met not with hesitant adjustments, but with profound structural authority, including two original compositional credits out of the album’s ten tracks.
The lineup is further stabilized by the enduring presence of vocalist Randi Laubek, whose artistic partnership with the band stretches back to their 2016 debut. Laubek’s credentials are formidable; her own 1998 debut album, Ducks and Drakes, swept the Danish Grammys by capturing three major awards, including the coveted Album of the Year. Combined with the virtuosic contributions of multi-instrumentalist Gustaf Ljunggren and pianist Jacob Anderskov, the newly configured Old News embarked on a recording process designed to test the limits of their collective identity.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Anatomy of Novelties
Structurally and acoustically, Novelties is a masterclass in pacing, tension, and release. Divided symmetrically into two vinyl-length sides, the record clocks in at an economical runtime, perfectly balancing Side A at nineteen and a half minutes against Side B’s twenty minutes. Yet, despite this concise duration, the album refuses to offer the listener easy resolutions.
Side A: Atmospheric Tension
Side A commences with de Waal’s composition “Hellen,” establishing an immediate sonic atmosphere. Gustaf Ljunggren anchors the piece with a contra alto clarinet, its deep, resonant tones lying beneath the mix like a scorched landscape, while delicate brushwork and percussion patter above like the approach of an impending rainstorm.
This leads directly into Ljunggren’s own “Scrap Rag,” a piece dominated by the unfamiliar, antiquarian texture of the spinet. Set against a deep bassline, the track feels simultaneously folky, distant, and unmistakably rooted in Danish acoustic traditions.
The emotional center of the side arrives with Laubek’s “I Am Nobody.” An acoustic-guitar-driven delight that evokes echoes of John Martyn stripped of lyrical pretense, the track creates a mesmerizing liminal space where folk, blues, and jazz occupy the exact same structural bars before Laubek’s sublime English vocal delivery cuts through the arrangement.
Groth’s compositional contribution, “Flod” (River), introduces a dreamlike drum figure that gently coaxes Ljunggren into crafting a rich sonic landscape supported by understated keyboard textures. The side closes with Jacob Anderskov’s “Last Millenium When We Were Young.” Here, the throaty, polarizing roar of Ljunggren’s contra alto clarinet returns, driving an exhilarating wedge between discomfort and pure auditory ecstasy.
Side B: Unsettling Resolutions
Side B opens with de Waal’s “Lim,” an arrangement that showcases the leader’s distinct architectural vision, allowing the reed section to weave intricate melodic tapestries. Groth’s “Tightrope” follows, building outward from sparse, inviting piano chords that draw de Waal into a tightly wound rhythmic structure subtly seasoned by a viola.
The undisputed compositional and emotional peak of the album arrives with Anderskov’s “Forgotten, Not Forgiven.” On this track, de Waal seizes absolute control of the rhythm, delivering a ferocious masterclass in percussion.
Yet, it is the album’s final gesture that reveals the true genius of Old News. Closing with Ljunggren’s “Nuntii Veteres”—a two-minute excursion into medieval Latin folk translation—the album pulls off a jaw-dropping tonal pivot. The title itself serves as a knowing, self-referential punchline: Nuntii Veteres translates directly from Latin as "Old News." A band can only execute a joke of that intellectual caliber when it is entirely conscious of the groundbreaking work it has just completed.
Both sides of the record deliberately refuse to offer closure. Side A signs off on its most challenging, abrasive textures, while Side B fades out on a brief, spectral fragment plucked from centuries past. Neither side allows the listener to feel safely finished, transforming the listening experience into an active, psychological dialogue.
Official Statements & Critical Perspectives
The physical packaging of Novelties features liner notes penned by acclaimed filmmaker and musician Søren Kragh-Jacobsen. Best known internationally for his foundational role in the Dogme 95 cinematic movement and his direction of films like Mifune, Kragh-Jacobsen possesses a unique vantage point for evaluating Old News. Before his transition to cinema, he was a working musician and spent years serving as a program director at DR—sharing institutional history within the very corridors where Elith Nykjær shaped Danish broadcasting.
In his liner notes, Kragh-Jacobsen notes that Novelties is steeped in historical ghosts, hearing distinct echoes of the Middle Ages and indigenous folk traditions embedded within the cracks of the arrangements. While some critics might find portions of the album’s tonal experiments overheated, Kragh-Jacobsen’s diagnosis of its medieval undercurrents is precisely accurate.
Critical reception of the album has underscored its willingness to alienate comfort zones in pursuit of artistic truth. The deployment of the contra alto clarinet—an instrument capable of producing guttural, room-shaking frequencies—has been singled out as a stroke of brilliant provocation. Far from being a mere novelty, the instrument infuses the core trio of de Waal, Ljunggren, and Anderskov with a raw, unpredictable dynamic, proving that their decades-long musical chemistry has only deepened with age.
Future Outlook
As Novelties circulates through international jazz and contemporary music circles, it establishes a bold new paradigm for Emil de Waal and Old News. The transition from an interpretive legacy act to a premier vehicle for cutting-edge, in-house composition is complete.
The successful integration of Henriette Groth as both a foundational instrumentalist and a visionary composer ensures that the ensemble is not merely surviving the loss of Elith “Nulle” Nykjær, but actively building upon his restless, experimental spirit. By refusing to rest on the laurels of traditional songbooks, Old News has charted a wilderness of its own making.
For the contemporary music scene, Novelties stands as a vital reminder of what happens when seasoned virtuosos embrace vulnerability, mourning, and radical creative risk. The road ahead for Old News remains wonderfully unmapped—and precisely because of that uncertainty, it is essential listening.
