Artists
Håkon Thelin
Release: “Light”
The Norwegian double bass player and composer Håkon Thelin releases his first album with his own compositions. Håkon is recognized as one of the worlds leading performers of contemporary music, and he has researched and presented a number of novel techniques on the double bass. The album feature his solo playing and the performance of two duos, with the tenor Frank Havrøy and with the Italian violinist Marco Rogliano who plays on the records title track “Light”.
As an ensemble musician, Håkon is widely known from the group POING who in 2011 are artistic leaders and artists in residence for the Ultima festival in Oslo, the largest Scandinavian festival for contemporary music. He regulary performs with leading European ensembles like musikFabrik and Ensemble Modern. From 2007 Håkon is employed as an artistic research fellow at the Norwegian Academy of Music with the project “A new world of sounds - advancements in contemporary double bass techniques”. Here, he specifically works on the music and techniques of Stefano Scodanibbio, researching novel techniques such as harmonics and multiphonics and questioning performance practices in contemporary music.
Else Olsen S. & Sigyn Fossnes
Release: “Lotto S.E.L.”
Play no music - play Lotto!ations in a toy orchestra with its vitiated overtones are extremely complex, maybe even more than a symphony orchestra! Both of the performers on this cd goes beyond their own instruments together with the toy orchestra and in this way explore a new soundscape.
Kristian Skaarbrevik
Kristian Skaarbrevik, originally from the west coast city Aalesund, is a guitarist and composer based in Oslo.
His music explores encounters between various shades of rock guitar, classical music, improvisation and electronic music.
Skaarbrevik grew up in a musical world filled with Kiss cassettes and punk vinyl records. His first conscious encounter with classical music was when he as a child received a tape with the film music of “2001 – A Space Odyssey”, with various composers such as Ligeti. Since he picked up the guitar for the first time, he has improvised and composed music. Skaarbrevik´s works and musicianship often involves usage of music technology, graphic and traditional scores and social environments.
Skaarbrevik has a Bachelor degree from Berklee College of Music, Boston, where he besides studies in composition and music technology studied guitar with Mick Goodrich. He holds a master degree from the Norwegian Music Academy. Here he studied composition and orchestration with Henrik Hellstenius and Asbjørn Schaatun, and at Notam (Norwegian center for technology in music and the arts).
He has performed with many contemporary music performers and improvisers, such as Christian Wolff (US), Pauline Oliveros (US), Frode Hatli (ECM) and Michael Duch.
In 2008 Skaarbrevik composed music for the art documentary “De Te Fabula Narratur” by Maria Sundby and did music for a crown jewel installation by the Swedish artist Ingbritt Lagerberg. In November 2009 Ålesund String quartet premiered his three movements composition The Kuiper Belt.
Skaarbrevik album “Assemblage” featuring Ålesund string quartet and trumpet player Stian Omenås was released late fall 2011 followed by a Norwegian tour across the country.
Currently he´s making music for musical echo machines that he has created in an art project with artist Roy A. Dahl.
Lisa Dillan
Lisa Dillan has been touring all over the world with her solo concerts and performances. Her first solo CD “Vocal Improvisations” was listed as one of the ten best discs of 2005 by the Norwegian music magazine “Ballade”. In her solo project, Lisa works with sonic extremes and break points between raw and beautiful, between relaxation and excitement. In her solo concept, she works entirely without electronic adaptations, and with a high degree of improvisation. Concerts with Lisa develops with her, and is constantly changing.
Andreas Ulvo
Andreas Ulvo (b.1983, Eidskog) is a Norwegian jazz pianist focusing on composition, improvisation and everything in between. He is a member of bands such as Eple Trio, Ulvo Ensemble, Mathias Eick Quintet, Frøy Aagre Quartet and Karl Seglem Quartet. ‘Light and loneliness’ is his first solo piano record.
Linernote:
“Sometimes it feels natural to take a step back. After doing several recordings in studios with large grand pianos I felt the time was right to go back to the place it all started, to the house where I grew up, to the old Grotrian-Steinweg piano on which I learned to play. Maybe that is why the music on this record is simpler, more poetic than much of my earlier work. This record was made during two days in May, and if you listen closely you may hear the birds sing and the sound of rain against the window.”
