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About Huntsville
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
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by John Eyles
Since the Norwegian trio Huntsville first came together in 2006, they have been eclectic enough to keep listeners guessing what to expect next and who they might collaborate with, making each of their album releases an intriguing and exciting event. After their debut album For The Middle Class (Rune Grammofon, 2006) featured the three core playersguitarist Ivar Grydeland, percussionist Ingar Zach and bassist Tonny Kluftenalone together, its follow-up, the double CD Eco, Arches & Eras (Rune Grammofon, 2008 ), featured ...
read moreHuntsville: Past Increasing, Future Receding
by John Eyles
For their fourth album release--the second on the Hubro label--the Norwegian guitar/bass/drums (plus effects) trio Huntsville have moved away from the collaborations (notably that with vocalist Hanne Hukkelberg) which characterised their last two recordings, and again opted to record as a threesome. The main reason for that is obvious once the music begins. Past Increasing, Future Receding was recorded in the Emanuel Vigeland Mausoleum at Slemdal in Oslo--a dimly lit barrel-vaulted room completely covered in frescos painted by Vigeland, who ...
read moreHuntsville: For Flowers, Cars, and Merry Wars
by Glenn Astarita
Hubro Music is a young and adventurous label from Norway. Here, electronics rule the roost, featuring three prominent musicians noted for their many-sided, avant-garde albums for the country's Sofa label. These and other interrelationships accentuate Scandinavia's unique approach to jazz improvisation and off-kilter productions, often confronting rigid classifications. Musically speaking, Huntsville is a prime example of Scandinavia's innovative applications. Ear/Eye Connector" offers a hyper-Tangerine Dream-like, undulating rhythmic ostinato, tinted with a faint eeriness that overlays the background. ...
read moreHuntsville: For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars
by John Kelman
Jumping to the relative upstart Hubro label, Huntsville continues to mine similar territory to its sophomore Rune Grammofon release, Echoes, Arches and Eras (2009), but there are some significant changes as well. Unlike Echoes--its second disc culled from a live performance teaming the improvising trio with American guitar maverick Nels Cline and his partner in alt-country rocker Wilco, percussionist Glenn Kotche--Huntsville pares things back to essentials, going it largely alone. Even the sole guest appearance by Hanne ...
read moreHuntsville: Eco, Arches & Eras
by Anthony Shaw
"Eras" actually comprises the majority of Huntsville's whole double-CD Eco, Arches & Eras, recorded live at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in 2007. It therefore typifies the trio's live sound, although here they are augmented by guests from Wilco--percussionist Glenn Kotche and guitarist Nels Cline. The band specializes in the gradual build-up of powerful soundscapes through layering, with all three members using some sampling techniques. Percussionist Ingar Zach opens the piece with gentle throbs and minimalist percussion, though ...
read moreHuntsville: Eco, Arches & Eras
by John Kelman
Continuing with its unique mesh of free improvisation with roots Americana tinges and hypnotic Indian rhythms, Huntsville's Eco, Arches & Eras capitalizes on the successes of For the Middle Class (Rune Grammofon, 2006). Eco, despite its eclectic and experimental nature, remains curiously accessible, despite the Norwegian trio's unorthodox approach to combining guitars, bass, percussion and electronics. Its 45-minute set at Punkt '07 was some indication of what was to come, a trance-inducing performance that explored all the sonic nooks and ...
read moreHuntsville: For the Middle Class
by Kurt Gottschalk
The chugging rhythm of the train is a staple of country music, the rolling four-count evoking the promises of opportunity and escape across vast open lands. Traditionally that rhythm is portrayed by an acoustic guitar or brushes on a snare drum, not tablas and much less mechanized ones. But Norwegian trio Huntsville isn't a traditional country band, or a traditional anything else for that matter. It does, however, cite country music, along with John Cage, Morton Feldman and drone music, ...
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