AiR Hedvig Mollestad med bestillingsverk og bestillingskonserter

Disse konsertene med AiR Hedvig Mollestad er allerede annonsert:
Hedvig Mollestad & Colin Stetson Duo (Storyville 18/7)
Weejuns feat. Trevor Dunn (Teatret Vårt 19/7)
Hedvig Mollestad med Cortex (Teatret Vårt 20/7)
Hedvig Mollestad Trio feat. Nels Cline og Snah (Romsdalsmuseet 21/7)

Commissioned works are not a new theme for this year's Artist In Residence Hedvig Mollestad. In 2018 she wrote Tempest Revisited which won Spellemann, in 2019 she made Tingingsverket Ekhidna for Vossajazz which also won Spellemann and the following year she made Maternity Beat for Moldejazz's 60th anniversary. All the works have been released on record and praised to the skies by a collective group of critics.

This year's opening concert will also be the world premiere of a brand new commissioned piece from Mollestad's hand: Liquid Borders.

With Liquid Borders, Hedvig Mollestad takes another step forward in writing for orchestra. This time she has included several strings, grand piano, bass clarinet and a vocalist, in addition to creating lyrics. She envisions a work without the "loud" dimension of a hard-hitting comp, and is looking for a kind of contradiction. She herself describes the work as follows: - I look for my extremes, and as AIR I have a unique arena to show them, without them needing to be interpreted as a new direction, but more as an image of how much I can accommodate here and now.

About what has inspired her for this work, she says further: - I have listened to Jon Balke's ensembles a lot. I have played with Jon in several contexts, but he as an arranger and composer has touched me deeply, from his distinctive expression with Magnetic North, Oslo 13, Siwan, and not least through his work for Trondheimsolostene and Trondheim Voices: "A World of Daughters ». It made such an extreme impression on me to hear this performed, not least in context with everything else he has done, and how far he has moved from his jazz-harmonic expression, and to a much greater extent combined it with classical traditions and herds. It changed my view of what was possible to achieve as a jazz composer. Another key inspiration is Trygve Seim, and especially his release from 2000, "Different Rivers". A record that has followed me since it came out, and always put me at the bottom by virtue of creating a beautiful melancholy with resistance, variation and unpredictability. The presence of Sidsel Endresen on selected parts of that record has been decisive for the direction of Liquid Borders.

It's quite a star team of musicians she has brought along for the premiere of Liquid Borders. Resident artist at Moldejazz in 2012, Jon Balke, and ubiquitous Sissel Vera Pettersen are two of those who will be helping to leave their mark on this concert.

Sissel Vera Pettersen - vocals and sax, Emil Strandberg - trumpet, Håvard Lund - bass clarinet and clarinet, Anna Lindal - violin, Eva Lindal - violin, Tanja Orning - cello, Jon Balke - grand piano and synth, Ellen Brekken - double bass, Ingvald Vassbø - drums, Hedvig Mollestad – guitar

Sound: Johnny Skalleberg | Lighting and video: Joffe Myrvold

Music and lyrics: Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen

In 1975, a record of folk music from Østerdalen was released, arranged and played by Norwegian jazz musicians, including Torgrim Sollid, Jan Garbarek - and Lars Martin Thomassen. The latter would 7 years later become the father of this year's Artist in Residence at Moldejazz.

The album was called "Østerdalsmusikk" and was the starting point for Søyr, Torgrim Sollid's major project, but it is also an important time marker in Norwegian jazz history, and a record that Hedvig has had a close and dear relationship with throughout her musical life. Now she has chosen to touch her Holy Grail, and together with a bunch of wonderful musicians will interpret a selection of the songs from Østerdalsmusikk.

Here we can expect a wonderful star-studded ensemble that enhances the beautiful old material, gives it new structure and revitalized value, almost 50 years after jazz musicians did it the first time.

Sissel Vera Pettersen – sax, Torben Snekkestad – sax, Fredrik Ljungkvist – sax, Emil Strandberg – trumpet, Jon Balke – piano and synth, Trevor Dunn – bass, Ole Mofjell – drums and Hedvig Mollestad – guitar

Terje Rypdal is a guitarist who has left a deep mark on himself. His influence has been enormous and a number of today's leading guitarists have him high on the list of role models. This also applies to this year's resident artist, Hedvig Mollestad. For this night concert in Teatret Vårt, the star team of Norwegian musicians who participated in the Rypdal tribute "Sky Music" in 2017 have been paired with Nels Cline from Wilco.

Nasjonal Jazzscene Victoria with Gard Nilssen on drums, Ingbrigt Håker Flaten on bass, Ståle Storløkken on "keys" and guitarists Even Helte Hermansen and Hedvig Mollestad. A group referred to at the concert at NJS as "the tenderest tenderloin in Norwegian musical life".

It will be a very special event when the aforementioned Nels Cline joins this band for an entire concert where the three guitarists remain on stage the entire time.

It is hard to imagine a more worthy tribute to Rypdal!

What could be more natural than this year's resident artist Hedvig Mollestad ending the week with a solo concert in the Cathedral? At the eighth concert in six days, she will be alone with the guitar to thank for the work and fill the church room with evocative tones.

"I'm going to fill this room," said resident artist Mats Gustafsson before his final solo concert in the Cathedral in 2015. That's exactly what Hedvig Mollestad is also thinking of doing with her concert. While Gustafsson, who has also played a lot with Mollestad, played acoustically, Mollestad will use the guitar rig and his familiar effects to conjure up a sonic universe with various sound planets floating freely in the church room.

It is a rarity that Hedvig Mollestad does solo concerts. Arild R. Andersen describes such a rare occasion at Café Hærverk; - It sounds like the chirping of an unknown bird, before Hedvig slowly moves back to the more traditional guitar world again. It is precisely these shifts and combinations of sound play and guitar licks that are the strength of the performance. A tough and hoarse movement presents itself, and Hendrixoid embellishments dress up the expression. Hedvig Mollestad has her own way, as important guitarists should have. (...) The flair for the tough and this instrument's inherent coolness! (...) The applause is solid and well-deserved. The guitarist has filled the demanding solo format with his own character.

This will be an opportunity for Mollestad to take the solo format further than she has ever done before. Maybe there will also be something vocal? Maybe a guest will appear? Be there!

Hedvig Mollestad – guitar