First artist release for 2023

Superstar Marcus Miller is a real Moldejazz friend. He really wrote himself into festival history In 1997 when he visited Romsdalsmuseet's outdoor stage with the "Legends" band, which included Eric Clapton and Steve Gadd, among others. Since then, he has performed brilliant concerts in Bjørnsonhuset in both 2013 and 2019. Now he is back with a young fresh band and will perform songs from his entire career!

With his characteristic playing and "sound", Marcus Miller has contributed to the recordings of world stars such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Elton John and Bryan Ferry - to name a few In total, he has contributed to well over 500 albums as both musician, producer and arranger! The last time Miller was in Molde (2019), he had a new album out, "Laid Black", which was naturally played a lot. This time he will perform songs from the Miles Davis period as well as completely newly written material. In any case, it will be a great event that the Moldejazz audience will appreciate!

Marcus Miller is a committed, inclusive, and active artist. Here you can see a video when he was named "Artist for Peace" by UNESCO in 2013

The last time Kurt Elling guested as a main artist at Moldejazz was to a sold-out Teatret Vårt together with Molde's own Silje Nergaard in 2015. The following year he performed as a guest artist with the Branford Marsalis Quartet. In 2023 he returns and as one of the most versatile jazz vocalists we know of, we are very excited to see where he will take us this time. Where are you marching, Kurt?

Many know the baritone Kurt Elling as the extension of an extended crooner tradition, where references to Frank Sinatra, Johnny Hartman and Tony Bennett are as natural as to Al Jearreau and Bobby McFerrin.

With his vocal resilience and expressive range, and a voice that spans four octaves, he has navigated between art and popular music territories with the greatest naturalness, and at the same time prepared the ground for slightly more polished artists such as Jamie Cullum. It is perhaps not surprising that he has been nominated for a Grammy several times - and won.

It comes as no surprise that Elling has a complex musical background. Raised in the church, where he sang Bach motets and madrigals in a classical vocal style, to technically demanding a capella and private studies of, among others, Chet Baker's muted closeness as well as other instrumentalists such as Dave Brubeck and Dexter Gordon contributed to Elling being a versatile musician early on. In addition to interpreting popular standard songs and writing his own material, he has been particularly good at continuing the scat tradition and writing so-called vocalisations - that is, composing lyrics for songs that have only been instrumental.

As a musical chameleon, Elling may have been difficult to place, and thus became the object of both fascination and provocation. There IS something about Kurt, something that is difficult to place, and which continues to make us curios. He is undeniably a respected performer, and has collaborated with greats such as Fred Hersch, James Morrison, Brad Mehldau, and Lee Ritenour, to name a few.

Kurt Elling - vocals, Charlie Hunter - guitar, TBA - Keys, TBA – drums

Di Derres has a unique status in Molde. When the previous concert at Romsdalsmuseet was announced before Christmas in 2017, the interest and attention was as if the artist was a great international star.

This is a concert many have hoped and waited for, and we are certain that the beautiful «Marka-concert» will be worth the wait. The «Marka-concert» was first performed together with Kringkastingsorkesteret at Frognerseteren in 2019. For Moldejazz 2023, Di Derre will perform an expanded version together with Trondheimsolistene and The Norwegian Air Force Band.

In 2018, Di Derre celebrated their 25th anniversary and had a new album out, «Høyenhall». 2023 will be the 30th anniversary of this super popular Molde band. Hwever, that is just one of many good reasons to bring them home. The band is constantly adding new yards to its success, and plays a number of well liked concerts around the country every summer.

The audience appriciate well known, classic Di Derre songs, such as «Faren til Ivar» and «90-metersbakken» regardless of whether they perform at Stiklestad og in Grimstad, even though many of the songs’ textual content refers to Jo Nesbø’s childhood in Molde.

Through the many concerts, Di Derre has become a very cohesive and «tight» band, and all the members contribute with their own spesific identity and musicality. Unni Wilhelmsen has given the band an extra dimension.

Make sure to experience the special occasion when Trodheimsolistene augmented by musicians from The Norwegian Air Force Band under the direction of Kork conductor Nick Davis. This will be the concert everyone in Molde MUST attend in 2023.

Di Derre: Jo Nesbø – vocals og guitar, Magnus Larsen jr. – bass, Espen Stenhammer – drums, Halvor Holter – keyboards, Unni Wilhelmsen – guitar og vocals, and Lars Jones – guitar, harmonica and other instruments.

During 2022, Hedvig Mollestad's new trio has managed to make a name for themselves at a number of festivals and concert stages, due to the band's respective and solid individualism, and the slightly funny name. The meaning of the word "Weejuns" is hardly obvious to everyone.

This moccasin variant suddenly became a world sensation when, at the turn of the century 1800-1900, it was imported by (wealthy) British anglers from Norway - from "Norwegians". With their versatility and comfort, their simple elegance and subtle roughness, Weejuns became an iconic fashion classic.

In recent years, the moccasin shoe has unsurprisingly had a striking comeback, which moves with ease through most situations and landscapes - just like the band Weejuns. Together, the band comprises three generations of jazz musicians where all the performers have solid roots in rock, improvisation and jazz. Exemplified through the stoic calm and organ funnel of Ståle Storløkken (Elephant9, Supersilent, Terje Rypdal) combined with the explosive energy of Ole Mofjell (Neon Ion, Signe Emmeluths Amboeba), and Mollestad's naturalness to bring forth material from standard jazz repertoire as from psychedelic rock and noise.

Mollestad has invited bassist Trevor Dunn (Tomahawk, Mr. Bungle) to join him in his residence. He is one of John Zorn's regular collaborators and impressed greatly during Zorn's residency at Moldejazz 2022. With his incomparable energy and assured style, Dunn fits in nicely with the musicians in Weejuns - a rock-solid soloist ensemble. (Dunn's list of accomplishments is as long as it is impressive, and the particularly interested can check out the biography on his website for learning and laughs.) What is a Weejun? Read more about Trevor Dunn

US-born Douglas first came to Norway in 2008. His career really took off after he won the TV contest «Stjernekamp» in 2017 and received the Spellemannprisen in the blues class in 2021. He has become a popular artist with a large and distinctive voice who delivers varied music inspired by blues, soul, gospel, jazz and roots. Fifteen years in open Norwegian landscapes have also influenced his music.

Best Western Swing stands for a mixture of jazz/country/bluegrass, slightly humorously called horse jazz. Accordion phantom Stian Carstensen shows that he is a master of the steel guitar and banjo. Staffan William-Olsson has been one of our leading and most popular guitarists for several decades. Guitar colleague Asle Røe, originally from Midsund in Molde, is also in the process of making a name for himself at home after playing in the USA for many years, starting in Houston, Texas.

A rock-solid comp with Finn Guttormsen on bass and Jarle Vespestad on drums makes us sure that this will swing! When you add fiddler Ola Kvernberg to this pot, this will indeed be a very special concert with virtuoso and captivating music. Be ready for a rare performance, set up especially for Moldejazz 2023.

Adam Douglas – vocals, guitar, Ola Kvernberg - fiddle, Stian Carstensen – steelguitar, accordion, Asle Røe – guitar, Staffan William-Olsson – guitar, Finn Guttormsen – bass, Jarle Vespestad – drums

Despite the fact that Elias Akselsen and Stian Carstensen have been musical partners for many years, the project "Horta" is quite new. Together with fiddler Ola Kvernberg, they released an album (Heilo/Skøyerstaten), with the same name in October 2022.

The album consists of nine personal interpretations of Tater music that range from shilling songs to Balkan rhythms, and guests younger generations of Tater musicians such as Sara Wilhelmsen and Anita Kleppe.

With Akselsen's clarity and experience, Molde Cathedral will be served a cross-section of the Tatar musical heritage, from one of the last time witnesses to the tragic (but also rich) history of the Tatars - a real romani.

We also hear traces of how the contemporary cultures have mutually influenced each other. We know, for example, that famous Norwegian folk musicians such as Myllarguten and Fante-Karl played Tater music, which has survived in the form of slatter (and become Norwegian).

The way folk musicians, taters and art musicians have made an impression on each other throughout history reflects jazz's philosophical ideals and attitude to life: you meet the world and its movements with an open mind and take with you what makes an impression - and then you go further.

Perhaps we will be left with a more nuanced impression of cultural identity creation than the polarized version we are used to after hearing "Horta"? Time will tell.

Akselsen has for many decades been an important communicator of the history and culture of the Taters. Watch, among other things, this documentary on NRK before the concert!

Hedvig Mollestad Trio is the band Hedvig started as a result of her receiving the SpareBank1 SMN Jazz Talent Award in 2009. The following year, the band debuted at Moldejazz and the rest is history - including six studio albums, a live record, a slew of tours, and a number of award nominations.

The band has played at most jazz festivals in Norway and also plays equally well at rock festivals. They have been on tour in Japan, Malaysia, the USA, Canada, and large parts of Europe. One of the many highlights was when they warmed up for jazz legend John McLaughlin during the London Jazz Festival in the autumn of 2014.

The young singer Tamara Lukasheva and the well-known pianist Vadim Neselovskyi met in Odessa when Vadim had a workshop at the local university. Already then, he was literally knocked to the ground by her great talent. In the last decade, the two have performed a string of critically acclaimed duo concerts in Germany and central Europe, but never in Norway.

Two virtuoso musicians born and raised in the Ukrainian city of Odessa showcases a musical chemistry that really sparks!

"We come from a similar cultural background but have followed different paths. We speak the same language in many different ways, and the room to discover and explore something new is always present," says Vadim Neselovskyi.

The pianist and composer Vadim Neselovskyi was born in Odessa in 1977 and is now an important figure on the jazz scene in New York. Neselovskyi comes from classical music. He was characterized early as a musical prodigy and was the youngest person ever to be admitted to the Conservatory in Odessa. Neselovskyi showed an early interest in jazz. - An interest he increasingly cultivated when he later continued his education in Germany, and finally at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. There he was aken under the wing of Gary Burton, and later played with Herbie Hancock, Julian Lage, Terence Blanchard, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Chaka Kahn. Neselovskyi also recently began to explore his Jewish musical roots in collaboration with John Zorn on Zorn's label Tzadik, and has, among other things, recorded a duo record with Craig Taborn.

The artist, composer and jazz singer Tamara Lukasheva obtained her master's degree at the Cologne Conservatory and quickly made a name for herself on the European scene, winning numerous awards.

Norwegian jazz connoisseurs will perhaps find associations with the concerts and ECM releases of the legendary Misha Alperin and Arkady Shilkoper - a duo who in the same way, and with great success, built musical bridges between folklore, classical music and jazz.