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Jazz Articles about Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen
Hedvig Mollestad, Trickster, Loren Stillman
by Ludovico Granvassu
At a time when music producers have been seriously entertaining the thought of promoting one minute-long songs to deal with the short attention span of today's online music listeners, we want to celebrate musicians who are unfazed by this trend, and instead follow their internal muse. At the top of the hour the remarkable new album by Loren Stillman.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Loren Stillman “Backyard" Time ...
Continue ReadingHedvig Mollestad & Trondheim Jazz Orchestra: Maternity Beat
by Gareth Thompson
Norwegian jazz-rock guitarist Hedvig Mollestad has never shied away from the big themes. Previous outings have seen her dabble with notions of Greek mythology and weather conditions, while channelling her love of guitar greats from Jimmy Page to John McLaughlin. Now with Maternity Beat, she offers a series of musings on the nature of family and social justice issues. Mollestad is backed here by the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, whose many credits include Chick Corea and Joshua Redman. It is Mollestad's ...
Continue ReadingHedvig Mollestad, Wayne Horvitz, Anne Pacéo, Chris Potter & Other New Releases
by Ludovico Granvassu
This week we put together an energy-packed playlist to boost us towards the finish line of the winter season. At the heart of the show is electric jazz, from a rather guitar-centric set of albums. They oscillate between the shredding power of Hedvig Mollestad or Marbin, and the legacy of the New York Downtown scene that has emerged from the vaults of Wayne Horvitz with echoes coming back to us from across the world; exhibit A: the Belgian band Echoes ...
Continue ReadingFire And Ice: Two Nordic Contrasts
by Gareth Thompson
The twin forces of ice and fire have long existed in Nordic mythology. In the twenty-first century, northern European music has offered stark contrasts too, with a scene as vibrant and compelling as any on earth. Labels such as Hubro, Odin, Rune Grammofon and Jazzland have brought us many artists with a common grounding in jazz and styles far beyond. On a first listen there is more that separates Hedvig Mollestad and Kjetil Mulelid than unites them, but no Norwegian ...
Continue ReadingPer Oddvar Johansen: The Quiet Cormorant
by Neri Pollastri
Collaboratore di alcuni dei più importanti musicisti scandinavi—da Trygve Seim a Christian Wallumrød fino alla giovane Mette Henriette—il batterista norvegese Per Oddvar Johansen è qui alla guida di un trio completato dai connazionali Helge Lien al pianoforte e Torben Snekkestad alle ance, che in due brani si allarga a quartetto con l'ingresso della chitarra di Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen, per mettere in scena musica, che ha pensato e composto durante un ritiro sulle solitarie coste nordiche. Il risultato è ...
Continue ReadingHedvig Mollestad: Ekhidna
by Gareth Thompson
In 2003, the English writer John Murray published his Booker Prize-listed novel Jazz Etc. It narrated the life and times of a female guitarist, the improbably named Fanny Golightly, from working class Cumbria. One observer in the story describes Golightly's playing thus: “I suppose jazz is the only name for it. It was as delirious as heavy metal, but far too complex to be any sort of rock. Most of the time she was playing as if she wanted to ...
Continue ReadingHedvig Mollestad Trio: Enfant Terrible
by John Kelman
While making noise with her debut, Shoot! (Rune Grammofon, 2011), it was with All Them Witches (Rune Grammofon, 2013)--and subsequent touring that took her from her home country of Norway, playing at festivals like the 2013 Molde International Jazz Festival, to a short North American tour this year--that guitarist Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen's career really took off. Alongside Pixel, Hedvig Mollestad Trio represents some of the most exciting music from a new generation of Norwegian musicians, though the two groups couldn't ...
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