Listen to Nor#2 2012 Jazzway Ahead focus Norway at Jazz Ahead: The Trondheim Jazz Orchestra Saturday 21 April 14:30 - 15:00 Borgward Saal Fattigfolket Saturday 21 April 17:15-17:45 - Halle 2 22:00-23:00 - MS Stubnitz Marius Neset Saturday 21 April 20:45-21:15 Kulturzentrum Schlachthof Solveig Slettahjell Saturday 21 April 21:30-22:00 Kulturzentrum Schlachthof www.listento.no Live: Saturday 21 April - 17:15-17:45 - Halle 2 Saturday 21 April - 22:00-23:00 - MS Stubnitz Fattigfolket Fattigfolket photo by C F Wesenberg Fattigfolket is a Swedish/Norwegian quartet enjoy some hours off, and then our favorite ac- Grunewald is the famous German forest park that gathered in Copenhagen at the beginning tivity is to go to a park. Almost every city has in Berlin. Yet there are no programmatic infer- of the decade. The last ten years has seen Fat- at least one park, where you can find a calm ences here, just solid well written melody and tigfolket touring Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and a quiet place. Some of the songs on this solos that orbit the composers intent so compo- France, Czech Republic and Germany, per- cd are conceived in a park, or inspired by parks sition and improvisation seem of a piece. Their forming at key jazz festivals, clubs and radio we have visited.’ Through communication and ability to come up with an ear-catching melodic shows. a balance of compositional and improvisational line is exemplified by ‘Pfaueninsel Park’, but in material, that pays homage to the contempo- truth this is an exceptionally good album that The band name translates as ‘the poor people’. rary jazz tradition, Fattigfolket perform original communicates timeless musical values.’ States the band members: ‘As kids we shared compositions written by the band members. the same fascination for stories told by our The music on ‘Park’ is also inspired by the rich Line-up: grandparents about their childhood, and what folk music tradition in Norway, Sweden and Putte Johander (b) it was like to grow up in the 1920s and 1930s. abroad. Hallvard Godal (sax, cl) Even though they didn’t own much, they shared the little they had. Today we have a lot, Earlier releases include ‘Fattigfolket’ in 2003, Gunnar Halle (tp) but share very little.’ and ‘Le Chien et la Fille’ in 2005, both on Dan- Ole Morten Sommer (dr) ish label ILK Music. The third album from Fattigfolket is titled ‘Park’, Saturday 21 April and saw its release in 2011 via German label Writes Jazzwise’s Stuart Nicholson in his re- 17:15-17:45 - Halle 2 Ozella Music. Says Fattigfolket on the album view of Fattigfolket’s ‘Park’ album: title: ‘As musicians we are visiting many differ- 22:00-23:00 - MS Stubnitz ent countries and cities, and we spend a lot of ‘The album’s title seems to come from the ur- time on traveling by plane, train, bus or car, to ban institution of the open space – ten of the an airport, to a hotel, etc. But sometimes we compositions refer to a specific park, while The Trondheim Jazz Orchestra: Sidewalk Live:Comedy Saturday 21 April 14:30 - 15:00 Borgward Saal Gambling and gangsters, Ellington and Vaude- Among the orchestra’s recent highlights in- Line-up: ville; The Trondheim Jazz Orchestra sets the cludes the anniversary tour with Chick Corea stage for a unique Jazzahead! performance in Norway and Sweden, commemorating the Øyvind Brække (tb) with their performance of composer and saxo- now legendary 2000 concert at the Molde In- Tor Haugerud (dr) phonist Eirik Hegdal’s celebrated work ‘Side- ternational Jazz Festival, a performance that Eirik Hegdal (sax) walk Comedy’. has since been recreated for major and highly Kirsti Huke (voc) successful nation-wide tours. The 2004 record- Maria Kannegaard (p) During the course of the orchestra’s more than ing ‘Live in Molde’ stands as a monument, ten years of existence, The Trondheim Jazz documenting the unique musical rapport estab- Martin Küchen (as) Orchestra has established itself as one of the lished between Chick Corea, arranger Erlend Ola Kvernberg (vln) leading jazz ensembles in Norway and its rep- Skomsvoll and the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. Eivind Lønning (tp) utation as one of the most innovative jazz or- Mattias Ståhl (vib) chestras in Norway has long spread far beyond 2001 saw the orchestra teaming up with Pat Ole Morten Vågan (b) the borders of their home country. With origins Metheny for an equally successful Molde ap- in the reputable jazz department of NTNU, the pearance and subsequent domestic touring. orchestra has enjoyed strong and rewarding TJO also struck a successful artistic partner- Saturday 21 April partnerships with Norwegian and international ship with New York Voices in the autumn of 14:30 - 15:00 jazz profiles such as Chick Corea, Pat Me- 2002 during the annual Trondheim Jazz Festi- Borgward Saal theny, Joshua Redman, Erlend Skomsvoll and val. TJO and NYV reunited last year to tour of Eirik Hegdal. Norway and Sweden and an album document- ing the artistically successful collaboration is in At the Jazzahead! 2012, The Trondheim Jazz the pipeline. “...a far reaching orchestra clearly capable of Orchestra is set to perform its musical director handling anything and everything that’s put in Eirik Hegdal’s work “Sidewalk Comedy” which Recent album releases include “stems and cag- front of it.” (John Kelman, All About Jazz). saw its premiere at the 2011 Vossa Jazz festi- es” by TJO & Kim Myhr and “Triads and More” val. As a composer Hegdal has written works by TJO & Eirik Hegdal w/ special guest Joshua for the group Krøyt with Vertavo string quartet, Redman. In March 2011 TJO made their Eu- Alpaca Ensemble, Trondheim Jazz Orches- ropean live debut when they toured Germany tra, Trondheim Sinfonietta, Midtnorsk Kam- and Austria with Hegdal and Redman. Other merorkester and others. In addition to being TJO artistic partners that have contributed with a saxophonist and composer Hegdal teaches works written specifically for the highly skilled saxophone and composition at NTNU’s jazz ensemble includes Norwegian composers/per- department in Trondheim, Norway. formers such as: Jon Balke, Terje Rypdal, Knut Kristiansen, Eirik Hegdal, Vigleik Storaas, Geir ‘Sidewalk Comedy’ brings associations to the Lysne, Erlend Skomsvoll and Bendik Hofseth. 1920-30s in USA. Gambling and gangsters, El- lington and Vaudeville, The Jazz Age followed by the Great Depression. As if escaping from the economic crisis with prohibition and the like, the orchestra presents a fascinating show where all the everyday sorrows are forgotten. www.listento.no Solveig Slettahjell SolveigSlettahjell photo by AndreasFrøland Solveig Slettahjell is a gem among singers. Her working in other constellations it is really excit- of songs. We searched among our favourites first albums with the Slow Motion Orchestra/ ing to go back to my original format and see and our friends have been suggesting their fa- Duo earned her international praise as one of what these years of life and music brings to it vourites to us – and we have chosen the ones the great jazz-standard interpreters of our time, – to redo it in our way today. that spoke to us the most and trigged our urge and from the album Pixiedust (2005) she has to make music. stood forth as one of the foremost conveyors of While Slettahjell’s previous album, 2009’s ‘Tar- original material in the same genre. Her latest pan Seasons’ featured original material, ‘An- Musically, a project of ‘Antologie’s calibre en- outing is ‘Antologie’ created in partnership with tologie’ is a collection of Solveig and Morten’s tails shedding all notions of correctness and keyboardist Morten Qvenild and represents a personal favourites, compiled through a long letting the songs –and the singing itself– mani- return to her favourite repertoire with its covers process that even involved friends and family: fest as a basic mode of being. of some of pop and rock’s all time classics. - I have always seen myself as singer first -I am always completely immersed in what I am Says Slettahjell on ‘Antologie’ and its collection and songwriter second. Not that song-writing doing. It is not just that music and singing is of favourite tracks ranging from Rolling Stones’ doesn´t interest me or is not important to me, very important to me, it is a way of reflecting Wild Horses to Abba’s The Winner Takes It but because singing is what nourishes me. So on existence. I really sing because I have to, All and Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy: - This album then, now to finally have the possibility to re- singing works as a fundamental perspective on could have been my first. This is how I started; cord an album with my dear friend Morten Qve- life. I don’t think I could keep on doing what I do Coming home from school, sitting down at the nild where we sing and play our way through if I felt detached from my music. Actually, I feel piano, picking whatever song was my flavour this rather eclectic selection of songs has been blessed with an inability to distance myself and of the day and in my childish way making it a thrill. Somehow it feels like coming home. just do a job. This means that there is always my own. Piano and vocals has always been Morten and I have worked together for more a form of oscillation going on, between chang- my basic format and as I grew up, I most often than ten years now and his open-mindedness ing personal phases, concerns, inspirations played the piano myself.