Crispell/Andersson/Østergaard (US/SE/DK)
The music combines original compositions by Michala Østergaard-Nielsen with free improvisations - a mix of strictly composed and "free as a bird", performed with sensitivity and strength in an open, intuitive atmosphere.
★★★★ – All About Jazz (US):
““My Spirit Heart,” like The Cave itself – composed fully by Danish drummer/composer Michala Østergaard-Nielsen – sets an intimate atmosphere for a full-on reflection of what we stand to lose if we let the world take the music, our hearts, our arts away… making “My Spirit Heart” one of the most beautiful expanses of eleven minutes ever recorded.”- review of the Album The Cave by Mike Jurkovic, All About Jazz.
Line up:
Marilyn Crispell (US): piano
Thommy Andersson (SE): bass
Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (DK): drums, percussion & compositions
Crispell/Andersson/Østergaard was formed in 2022 and unites three deeply expressive and adventurous musicians with a shared passion for carefully crafted writing and the unpredictable beauty of spontaneity. On April 25, 2025, they release their debut album “The Cave” on the Danish label ILK.
The Cave is a deeply personal musical journey into the unknown – a space where sound, silence, and spontaneous interaction shape the narrative.
It strikes a delicate balance between form and freedom, shaped entirely in the moment.
A rich landscape where composed melodies meet the wild beauty of improvisation, creating a vivid and almost impressionistic sonic painting.
This debut album, recorded in the studio during their 2022 debut tour, brings together world-renowned pianist and NEA Jazz Masters recipient Marilyn Crispell, highly acclaimed bassist Thommy Andersson, and prizewinning drummer and composer Michala Østergaard-Nielsen.
The title track “The Cave” was released as the first single on February 28, and the second single “A Smile of a Butterfly” followed on April 4. A full live video of “A Smile of a Butterfly”, recorded at Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, was released on April 10.
Please listen and watch on my Music & Videos page.
Østergaard Art Quartet (DK/NO/FR)
“The Art-Quartet by the Danish percussionist Michala Østergaard-Nielsen is an excellent supergroup.” - Umeå jazzfestival, Sweden
Line up:
Per Jørgensen (NO): trumpet, vocal and darabouka
Kasper Tranberg (DK): trumpet and cornet
Marc Ducret (FR): guitar
Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (DK): drums, percussion
Østergaard Art Quartet is an “excellent supergroup” with some of the finest improvisers from Scandinavia and France. It´s a collaboration between three countries and four unique musicians. The format with two trumpets, vocal, guitar and drums is a rare one and it creates a different sound-universe, and at the same time the Art-Quartet offers a personal view of how improvised music can sound. The music is free, playful and full of poetry and a vibrating meeting of love occurs - somewhere between the European motorways and the Nordic tundra.
Østergaard Art Quartet has released two albums: “Stories from the Village” (2011) and “More Stories from the Village” (2016) and the second album came to two “best of the year”- lists (one Swedish and one European) of best Jazz Releases 2016.
2020 they were heading for a tour as well as recording a new album feat. the swedish bass player Anders Jormin, but all was cancelled due to Covid-19. .
Nuaia (SE/DK)
“...Nordic ensemble Nuaia's music is delightfully unclassifiable and it uniquely transcend genres. Their sophomore release Belong to the Moon creates dream like, fantastical soundscapes that are intensely intimate and thrillingly dramatic.” - Hrayr Attarian/All About Jazz
Line up:
Sofie Norling (SE): vocal and live-electronics
Mika Forsling (SE): electric guitar, mbira, hankdrum and live-electronics
Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (DK): drums, percussion, vibraphonette
The collective Swedish-Danish indieband Nuaia is based in Copenhagen and Stockholm. Nuaia plays free-pop, a mix of free improvisations, art-pop and electronica. Known for their intense live sessions, Nuaia has given audiences some rare and beautiful experiences, no matter if the listeners are youngsters, pop lovers, hardcore jazz listeners or everything in between. In a universe where vocal, drums and acoustic instruments meet electronic sounds, stories get born and are told with an exceptional presence. Nuaia released “nuaia” (2009), “belong to the moon” (2015) and the single “Hush Now” feat. Jonas Kullhammer (SE) 2020. For more info, please visit: .nuaia.se
Tusind og én nat - en koncert-fortælling (DK)
Nu har du mulighed for at tage på en musikalsk rejse til det magiske Orienten med skuespiller Ellen Hillingsøe og komponist/jazzmusiker Michala Østergaard-Nielsen. Ellen Hillingsøe er fortælleren Shahrazád med arabiske eventyr på hjertet, i en fortryllende koncertfortælling-forestilling for hele familien. Børn fra 8 år.
Line up:
Fortæller Shahrazád: Ellen Hillingsøe
Josefine Cronholm: sang
Anders Banke: sax, klarinet, basklarinet
Mathias Landæus: klaver
Nils Davidsen: bas
Michala Østergaard-Nielsen: trommer, perc. og komponist
I koncertfortællingen “Tusind og én nat - en koncert-fortælling” opfører de nogle af de mest medrivende fortællinger fra den legendariske eventyrbog (bl.a. “Ali Baba og de fyrretyve røvere”) i et samspil mellem Ellen Hillingsøes oplæsninger og Michala Østergaard-Nielsens stemningsfulde jazz-kompositioner.
“Eventyrene er et udtryk for et møde mellen Østen og Vesten. Visse fortællinger er østlige af oprindelse, mens andre er stærkt præget af europæisk hånd og ånd. Fælles for dem er fascinationen af og ikke mindst lysten til at få dem fortalt højt. I “Tusind og én nat - en koncert-fortælling” sætter vi musik til fortællingerne. En lytten ind i eventyrene og deres magiske verden. Med musikken i hånden.” - citat fra presseteksten/HUSET - KBH.
David's Angels (SE)
“David’s Angels expresses beautifully one of the most tasking experiences in any one’s life, in an honest, brutal but finally a comforting manner.” - Eyal Hareuveni / All About Jazz
Line up:
Sofie Norling (SE): vocals
Maggi Olin (SE): rhodes/piano
David Carlsson (SE): electric bass
Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (DK): drums/percussion
Underneath it all it’s not always what it seems. Dark sounds and pure melodies, angel-like and brutal. The musicians born in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s are influenced by different styles; jazz, rock and avant-garde. David’s Angels crosses the often known boundaries of genres and creates music focusing on the core of the story. The music is written by Sofie Norling, Maggi Olin and David Carlsson. Lyrics by Sofie Norling. For more info, please visit: www.davidsangels.se
Resonans (DK) - Agerskov & Østergaard (DK)
Et nyt projekt med “Musik som Fortælling - Fortælling som Musik”.
Flemming Agerskov: trompet, flygelhorn, effekter og oplæsning
Michala Østergaard-Nielsen: trommer, slagtøj og oplæsning
(Opdateres)
Teaterforestilling/Performance - “Julia and five hundred years of freedom“
Få din verden vendt rundt af Julia Luisa Geraldo Machindano. Hun er rejst hertil fra Mosambique og nu gør hun status over de seneste 500 år af sit liv. En performance om Østafrika, det nye liv i Danmark og om at genopfinde sig selv. Med sig på scenen har hun free-jazz trommeslager Michala Østergaard-Nielsen, der netop er vendt hjem fra Sverige med den prestigefyldte pris jazzkannan.
Medvirkende:
Performance: Julia Luisa Geraldo Machindano
Musik/komposition/trommer/perc: Michala Østergaard-Nielsen
Instruktion: Daniel Norback
For mere info:
https://vimeo.com/296016034
http://www.norpol.org/Julia.shtml
OTHER GROUPS
Aldrig i Livet: Jesper Zeuthen (sax), Martin Nilsson (SE) (guitar), Thomas Præstegaard (drums, perc), Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (drums, perc)
Petterson/Østergaard Duo (SE/DK): Andreas Pettersson (drums) & Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (drums)
Ikonen/Østergaard (FI/DK) Kari Ikonen (piano) & Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (drums, perc.)
Kallerdahl Big Band (SE): Lindha Kallerdahl (vocal, bandleader), Fabian Kallerdahl (piano, bandleader), Emil Strandberg (trp), Josef Kallerdahl (bass), Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (drums, perc).
Soukup/Tuznik/Illerhag/Østergaard (CH/PL/SE/DK): Lubos Soukup (sax), Artur Tuznik (piano), Joel Illerhag (Bass), Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (drums, perc).
Double Drums (DK): Thomas Hass (sax, Bandleader), Thomas Agergaard (sax, bandleader), Joel Illerhag (bas), Lisbeth Diers (drums, perc.), Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (drums, perc.)
SounDance (SE): Staffan Svensson (trumpet, electronics, bandleader), Thomas Gustafsson (saxophone, electronics, bandleader), Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (drums, perc).
Nordström & Østergaard Duo (SE/DK): Lisa Nordström (electronics, flute) & Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (drums, perc.)
PREVIOUS GROUPS (selected)
Yamnayas Yngel: Jesper Zeuthen (sax), Maria Bertel (trombone), Jesper Bordberg (bass), Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (drums, perc)
Ra-kalam Bob Moses “Copenhagen project” (Bob Moses (bandleader), Anders Banke, Sture Ericson, Jesper Zeuthen, Martin Nilsson, Søren Kjærgaard, Richard Andersson, Nils Davidsen, Michala Østergaard-Nielsen)
Television Pickup (Katrine Amsler (bandleader),Thomas Backman, Samuel Hällkvist, Johannes Burström, Michala Østergaard-Nielsen)
Pistol nr 9 (Maria Faust, Maria Bertel, Katrine Amsler, Michala Østergaard-Nielsen)
Midaircondo feat. Michala Østergaard-Nielsen (Lisen Rylander (bandleader), Lisa Nordström (bandleader), Michala Østergaard-Nielsen)
European Worlds Around (Tineke Postma, Susana Santos Silva, Karin Hammar, Sandra Hempel, Linda Oh, Michala Østergaard-Nielsen)
NEO (Johannes Nästesjö (bandleader), Marcelo Gabard Pazos, Stefan Pöntinen, Michala Østergaard-Nielsen)
Interplay (Yazz Ahmed, Denys Baptiste, Ira Mogilevsky, Samuel Hällkvist, Gary Crosby, Michala Østergaard-Nielsen)