10 nyheter! Jazz, stepping, satire ++

As a SpareBank 1 SMN JazZscholarship 2022/2023, Trygve Waldemar Fiske will receive a work grant to develop a new project for the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. Fiske's project "Songs to SeRa" has its premiere at Moldejazz 2023 with a tour later that autumn.

Fiske shows that he has mastered the art of balancing musical form with freedom of expression. Through his latest recording, Five Against You, Fiske draws inspiration from many quarters, and brings together the threads in an elegant and distinctive Fiske variant. The jury believes that Fiske's music is both historically aware and innovative. Fiske says: "This year of writing, I got a real kick out of making music based on rhythmic play, various grooves and tempo changes, simple and nice pop chords and hip synths! Swing, jazz and freebag, which I love, are of course nor ever far away. The combination of this and an absolutely brilliant orchestra makes me look forward enormously to this year's Moldejazz!"

Crew:

Trygve Waldemar Fiske - double bass, Josefin Runsteen - fiddle and percussion, Thomas Johansson - trumpet, Guro Kvåle - trombone, Signe Emmeluth - alto saxophone, Hanna Paulsberg - tenor saxophone, Eirik Hegdal - bary, alto and soprano saxophone and clarinet, Atle Nymo - contrabass clarinet, bass clarinet and tenor saxophone, Amund Storløkken Åse - vibraphone, Håvard Aufles - synth,, Oscar Grönberg - piano,, Hans Hulbækmo - drums and recorder, David Solheim, sound, TBC, lights

Balassenkunst

Some use the expression "music you didn't know you needed" about strong musical experiences that have the ability to surprise. Others use with a positive sign: "jazz for those who are not so fond of jazz". Both apt descriptions in the case of Harald Lassen's Balance Sheet.

The words belong to Arild R. Andersen's review of the album Balans, which was released in March 2023. It is his fourth release under his own name, and has caused critics as well as colleagues to roll multiple eyes - on dice, and in the back of the head with euphoric approval. In Tidens Ånd, Audun Vinger wrote that it "is in its most inspired moments the most beautiful Norwegian music this season."

In the past, Lassen has garnered good reviews, including for the Spellmann-nominated Human Samling (2020). On the latest release, Lassen shows a significant maturation as a composer, band leader and musician, expressed through more vulnerability and honesty, but also clear security. He takes more risks, is searching, doubting in an articulate way. One could almost compare it to a kind of sensuous academic text. Musical philosophy in the literal sense.

Balancing is not static solidity, but constant and active movement. The optimal and fastest interaction between relaxation and tension. Redemption and contraction. Like breathing. Good breathing – which is also essential for good musicianship. As tears spill out, as laughter pours in. Like the undulating being of the tide, like spring and autumn, like life and death. From the completely microscopic to the completely astronomical particles, existence requires balance. And it can look – and sound – so different than what we expect.

In addition to his roots in Norwegian jazz, we also know Harald Lassen from the pop band No. 4, collaboration with Cassandra Jenkins, Frida Ånnevik, Sondre Lerche and many more. With him he has musicians who leave their mark on artists such as Fieh, Daniella Reyes and The Switch. The band is characterized by an unassailable agility, a playful mastery that is tactile on the sound fixation, and at a concert, if possible, will make the air vibrate with para-corporeal energy.

Harald Lassen – saxophone, flute, piano, Solveig Wang – synth, Sander Eriksen Nordahl – guitar, Stian Andersen – electric bass, Tore Flatjord – drums

These young musicians play in several groups, but the BLISS Quintet is their playroom, with open music that draws both modernism and jazz tradition in their own personal direction, with both American and Nordic points of departure. The band has developed a brilliant interplay, where two innovative wind players are supplemented by imaginative piano playing, intensely driving drums, and a distinctive banter in the music from the relatively rare instrument acoustic stringless bass guitar. BLISS Quintet is definitely a band with its own sound.

The debut album Dramaqueen came out on Jazzland Recordings in 2022 and garnered rave reviews. Jazzwise wrote about "an impressive-sounding young Norwegian band for the future". BLISS also walked away with two international prizes in the 7 Virtual Jazz Club International Contest, respectively Best band under 25 and Special Prize Innovation.

This spring, the band was selected to represent Norway during the international jazz gathering Jazzahead in Bremen, and received reviews such as "BLISS played a terrific state of the art set....with a fantastic interplay they represent the new generation in improvised music. BLISS Quintet is the future of jazz".

Are you curious now? Here, Moldejazz gives the public the opportunity to check out one of the most unique groups in European jazz.

Sara Fjeldvær from Hitra is among the most exciting new vocalists to emerge from Trondheim's jazz scene in recent years

Already at the age of 16, she moved away from home, and began to work seriously on her music. Followed by a bachelor's in jazz at NTNU, she released her self-titled debut album in 2021 and last autumn she released the EP Best Love (Fjorgata). Over the summer, she will release music from her forthcoming second album, but most importantly will help close Moldejazz 2023, as the last concert at Storyville.

Fjeldvær impressed greatly during Trondheim Calling, in the presence of Moldejazz's emissaries who did not hesitate to make contact for this year's programme.

Fjeldvær has a nerve in his music that is difficult to overcome. She herself says that the lyrics want to penetrate and force you to feel something, but also the very sound of the compositions and the communication does this to you. It hits you in the diaphragm without you seeing it coming.

In some ways she resembles Ingrid Helene Håvik's highly developed and well-controlled use of melismas, in other ways she weaves in idioms that can be linked to kveding as well as RnB, vibrato that resembles Adele, or various eastern music. At other times, one can hear possible compositional inspirations in Susanne Sundfør and Hanne Hukkelberg. There are many references that come forward, but still with such a completely cast appearance that they only become parentheses against Fjeldvær's uniqueness.

Apart from guitarist Johannes Konstad Brevik, Fjeldvær has musicians with whom Moldejazz has seen a lot in recent years. Including Alexander Riris from last year's Jazzintro winners in the Joakim Rainer Trio, and the Jazzintro winners from 2018 from I Like To Sleep, Amund Storløkken Åse and Øyvind Leite.

Come in, for a defining and life-giving rawness. We promise a concert where beauty, pain, hope and search are in contact with each other and will come out to you in the summer night, with wild and intense energy. Like the sea.

Sara Fjeldvær - vocals, Amund Storløkken Åse - vibraphone, Johannes Konstad Brevik - guitar, Alexander Riris - bass, Øyvind Leite - drums

Fra Øy til Åh!

This concert will therefore suit any curious ear (and eye!), regardless of age.

Those who know their music history know that tap dancing and jazz go hand in hand. Or foot in shoes. How was it again? The historical roots of tap dancing go back hundreds of years, and for many it is only associated with Broadway musicals and old movies. Tap dancing as we know it today is much more recent, and characterized by colonialist trends such as minstrel shows - not unlike Dixieland jazz.

However, tap dancing is much more.

Besides being intricate musical structures, clapping and body music were originally a form of communication introduced and used by slaves in the United States. In addition to the song forms that gradually became spirituals and blues and street jazz, which Moldejazz's audience is well familiar with.

The name Island must be said to point to at least one thing, the fact that Eraker is limited to, and supported by, the small "island" she moves on while she and Kristoffer play. The plate she is standing on is connected to Lislegaard's electronics, which process it in real time. The movements modulate various parameters and trigger sequencing or become concrete audio signals for processing and sampling. According to them themselves, the result is a two-way communication where both respond to each other's contributions. What is controlled changes live in the moment as part of the improvisation.

Eraker and Lislegaard started working together in 2019, and have gone by the name Øy since 2020. They have managed to become an integral part of Norway's cross-border art environment, and have been heard on concert stages and festivals around the country. Particularly noteworthy is a concert from 2020 that was streamed from Lufthavana Mir in Oslo (with audience), to an audience in Vienna, Austria. An excerpt can be seen in the video below. Future plans include Eraker's solo record Movements for Listening, which will be released on 3 November, and work on a full-length Øy album, which is already underway. In other words, there is a lot to look forward to.

Øy's process is highly sensitive and listening. It envelops the audience in a very active sphere. At the same time, the aural and visual outcome can vary greatly from time to time, ranging from small and crackling noises to sustained and melodious parts. The constant is the Island as a bounded whole, surrounded by the world as an ocean.

Norwegian Poetry & Satire Orchestra consists of:

Dagfinn Nordbø, lyrics and vocals. Over 30 years of experience in the humor industry. From the nineties copywriter for comedians; Rune Andersen, Shabana Rehman, Dennis Storhøi and others. Fixed for 20 years at NRK Hallo i Uken. Writes in VG and regularly in Dag og Tid.

Vigleik Storaas, piano. One of our finest jazz pianists, awarded with e.g. The Gammleng prize and two Spellemann prizes for own publications. He has a heavenly CV, a number of engagements with other musicians, as well as his own quintet. Also teaches at the jazz line, NTNU.

Gaute Storaas, bass. Graduated from Berklee College of Music. Was a bassman for hire with most of the best for a long time, now an award-winning film composer with very high productivity. "A man named Ove", for which Gaute had the music, was nominated for an Oscar.

"Dagfinn Nordbø is related to both Børretzen and Bjørneboe, but has created his very own form. This form is intelligent but folksy, unpredictable but immediately understandable. It is fabulous but precise, heartfelt but unsentimental, literary but from the heart and street smart. Hilarious and rambunctious one moment, beautiful and naked the next.” (Lene Kongsvik Johansen)

These are Facebook's words about this band, who have such cool pictures of themselves that even Prince would be envious.

A band with such an elaborate image initially arouses a bit of suspicion in the inner programming circles at Moldejazz. This time, however, the program committee was surprised by the level of quality and very charmed by the band's energetic bånngas-jubaluba-soul funk.

There are others who have allowed themselves to be impressed; - One of the best bands I've heard, stated Vidar Busk after their performance at Trandalblues last summer. Pastor Rex will get a good reception in Alexadraparken on the closing day and the band will in return keep the audience warm until Blåsemafian takes the stage!

Kristoffer Eikrem has a long career as a musician, composer and DJ and has contributed to a number of recognized and critically acclaimed projects such as Baksaas & Eikrem, Beautiful Disco, Fredfades & Eikrem, Ivan Ave and Mutual Intentions. Eikrem has always had a passion for jazz and a great interest in disco, ambient and hip hop beats, and in recent years has taken the step as a producer towards an electronic beat-oriented solo project, with several million streams on streaming services.

Kristoffer will contribute to a party night in Alexandraparken on 21 July before Louisiana Avenue takes the stage.