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Huntsville

Norway’s HUNTSVILLE delves into an adventurous crossbreed of rock, drones, country, jazz and electro-acoustic improvisation. Boston Weekly described their 2006 debut “for the middle class” on Rune Grammofon: «armed with a banjo, a double bass, a pedal steel, a bizarre tabla machine, shruti boxes and a fondness for freeing folk from its folk songs - from Santa Fe to Bombay.» Huntsville’s unexpected sounds and textures, allied with echoes of traditional genres in a radical new conceptual language have been labelled abstract drone Americana and yoga country.

On their third album named For Flowers, Cars and Wars (Hubro), they dig deeper into their striking and original sound world - this time with riffing electric guitars, hard-hitting drums, electronic noise and their secret weapon: a drone commander... and still - a deep fascination for American folk.

Over the years Huntsville have been collaborating with musicians such as Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Nels Cline & Glenn Kotche (Wilco) as well as Norwegian artists Sidsel Endresen and Hanne Hukkelberg - who contributes on the title track on For Flowers, Cars and Wars.

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8
Album Review

Huntsville: Pond

Read "Pond" reviewed 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 players—guitarist Ivar Grydeland, percussionist Ingar Zach and bassist Tonny Kluften—alone together, its follow-up, the double CD Eco, Arches & Eras (Rune Grammofon, 2008 ), featured ...

4
Album Review

Huntsville: Past Increasing, Future Receding

Read "Past Increasing, Future Receding" reviewed 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 ...

232
Album Review

Huntsville: For Flowers, Cars, and Merry Wars

Read "For Flowers, Cars, and Merry Wars" reviewed 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. ...

115
Album Review

Huntsville: For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars

Read "For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars" reviewed 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 ...

303
Album Review

Huntsville: Eco, Arches & Eras

Read "Eco, Arches & Eras" reviewed 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 ...

403
Album Review

Huntsville: Eco, Arches & Eras

Read "Eco, Arches & Eras" reviewed 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 ...

268
Album Review

Huntsville: For the Middle Class

Read "For the Middle Class" reviewed 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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104

Award / Grant

Huntsville, Alabama Proclaims First "Rick Dellaratta and Jazz for Peace Day"

Huntsville, Alabama Proclaims First "Rick Dellaratta and Jazz for Peace Day"

Source: All About Jazz

In partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in support of Jazz Appreciation Month, Mayor Loretta Spencer of Huntsville, Alabama officially proclaimed Saturday April 19, 2008 to be “Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace Day."

Citing Mr. DellaRatta's numerous awards as a Jazz Pianist, Vocalist and Composer, along with his extraordinary achievements of over 500 Benefit Concerts to help outstanding organizations across the country, his Education Series to bring music back into the schools and his Instrument Donation ...

127

Award / Grant

Huntsville, Alabama proclaims the first "Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace Day"!

Huntsville, Alabama proclaims the first "Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace Day"!

Source: All About Jazz

In partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in support of Jazz Appreciation Month, Mayor Loretta Spencer of Huntsville, Alabama officially proclaimed Saturday April 19, 2008 to be “Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace Day".

Citing Mr. DellaRatta's numerous awards as a Jazz Pianist, Vocalist and Composer, along with his extraordinary achievements of over 500 Benefit Concerts to help outstanding organizations across the country, his Education Series to bring music back into the schools and his Instrument Donation ...

151

Event

Ken Watters Group in Concert May 18 in Huntsville, AL

Ken Watters Group in Concert May 18 in Huntsville, AL

Source: All About Jazz


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Performance / Tour

Vince Seneri Brings Burnin' Soul Jazz To Jazz-N-June Festival, in Huntsville, AL

Vince Seneri Brings Burnin' Soul Jazz To Jazz-N-June Festival, in Huntsville, AL

Source: All About Jazz

Hammond B3 jazz organist Vince “The Prince" Seneri will be blazing his way into Huntsville, Alabama. The Tennessee Valley Jazz Society is proud to present Vince Seneri as the headliner at the 2006 Jazz-N-June Festival. Vince will have his band with him, and his special guest Grammy award-winning jazz flutist Dave Valentin. The event will be held on Friday, June 9th, 8 PM, at the beautiful Early Works Museum, 404 Madison Street, Huntsville, Alabama, 35801. Mark your calendars, because this ...

122

Performance / Tour

Ken Watters Group / Huntsville, Alabama

Ken Watters Group / Huntsville, Alabama

Source: All About Jazz


"The result is genuinely hypnotic, even trance-inducing music. Really magnificent (…)" THE WIRE

"A new genre emerges - Americosmische, anyone?"UNCUT (UK)

"...they alternate between brief Americana-esque instrumentals and lenghtier excursions into fast, fluid motion, attaining trance-velocity like some rare amalgam of Miles Davies, Steve Reich and early Tortoise." Rock-A-Rolla (UK)

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Pond

Hubro Records
2015

buy

Past Increasing,...

Hubro Music
2013

buy

Eco, Arches & Eras

Rune Grammofon
2010

buy

Eco, Arches & Eras

Rune Grammofon
2009

buy

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