Paid To Cry Nils Berg & Norrbotten Big Band

• 1 Paid To Cry 01:35
• 2 Eyes On the Prize (Paradise) 05:29
• 3 Jag Skulle Bara Hem 06:25
• 4 The Wood Hotel 06:17
• 5 Hunden 06:35
• 6 The Bigger Seed 04:40
• 7 Blues For Siw 03:53
• 8 Legan 05:32
• Total Runtime 40:26

Info for Paid To Cry

Nils Berg has been a cornerstone of the Swedish jazz scene since the turn of the millennium. Known internationally as an innovative bandleader and collaborator, this release places the spotlight — for the first time — on Berg’s work as a composer for large ensemble.

Paid To Cry is the result of an intensive collaboration with the Norrbotten Big Band, one of Scandinavia’s most acclaimed jazz orchestras. Drawing melodic clarity and emotional directness from composers such as Burt Bacharach and Kurt Weill, while embracing the raw courage of Björk and Sun Ra, and the pulsating minimalism of Steve Reich, the music forms a sound world that feels both familiar and entirely its own.

“I wanted to explore how a big band can cry — not only through sorrow, but through joy, tenderness, and release. Music can hold grief and celebration at the same time, and Paid To Cry lives in that space.”

This is contemporary big band music without nostalgia: physical, vulnerable, and expansive. Written with deep trust in the individual voices of the ensemble, the compositions allow space for both collective force and intimate expression. And what an ensemble to breathe life — and tears — into this music.

With fifteen musicians moving as one organism, Paid To Cry carries enough air, rhythm, and resonance to lift the listener far beyond genre boundaries. It is music that dares to be emotional without explanation, and powerful without grandstanding — inviting the listener to feel first, and understand later.

Nils Berg is one of the most influential voices in Nordic contemporary jazz, known for his genre-crossing work and deep roots in Scandinavian folk and pop traditions. His collaborations include Swedish Radio, Fatoumata Diawara, and the Cullberg Ballet. Norrbotten Big Band is widely regarded as one of Sweden’s leading big bands, internationally acclaimed for its versatility, bold collaborations, and exceptional musicianship.

Nils Berg, saxophone, musical director
Norrbotten Big Band

Nils Berg
Swedish jazz pioneer Nils Berg is one of the most influential voices of nordic contemporary music. With a strong foundation in the swedish cultural flora, roots reaching deep down in both pop and folk tradition, he is always moving forwards, fighting clichés, following the body and soul of music. Armed with curiosity and respect, he has made a name for himself as the constant explorer, navigating through genres such as indie pop, indigenous music or contemporary jazz. Collaborators and commissions range from Radio Sweden, Fatoumata Diawara or the Cullberg Ballet.

Born 1977 in Gothenburg, Sweden into a musical family. After moving to Stockholm he attends to the Royal Music Academy for studies of composition, improvisation and woodwinds, while exploring new musical grounds in between jazz and indie pop together with bands like Oskar Schönning, ”Peter Bjorn And John” and Loney Dear. In 2000, he wins “Jazzverk 2000”, a nationwide competition for big band composers. 2004 marked the birth of his quartet ”the Stoner”, and his first solo record was released in 2007, when he was also given the ”Jazz in Sweden”-award.

This album contains no booklet.