Svein Rikard Mathisen

Svein Rikard Mathisen is a Norwegian guitarist and composer, who grew up in Brumunddal in the county of Hedmark north of Oslo. Having played the guitar since the age of eight, he pursued a musical career, studying at the University of Agder (bachelor), and the Rhythmic Music Conservatory (masters) in Copenhagen. His approach to improvised music and composition, can be traced back to his meetings with Fryland, Hess and Bates in Copenhagen and Lund, Rogers and Krantz in New York, alongside the brilliant books by Paul Hindemith and Olivier Messiaen. ​

Svein Rikard is the founder of the group Somebody's Quartet, which features on Mathisens debut as a leader, COPENHAGEN DIARIES (2015). The album is critically acclaimed in various countries around the world, and the music was written during his five year stay in the danish capital (2010-2015). Mathisen has stated himself that it was: created in moments where couriosity meets nightmares and self-imposed pressure meets coffein. Curling Legs A/S stated upon its release that: Copenhagen Diaries stands as an excellent example of originality and exquisite interplay from a new generation of nordic jazz musicians. In 2015 Mathisen eventually moved back to Norway, but he had a strategy in mind for the sequel, and on October 6th 2017, MONSTERS was released, continuing the project's gradually expansion across Europe. The album is a conceptual piece, drawing most of its atmospheric influences from the brilliant novel The Snowman, written by Jo Nesbø in 2008 (not to be mistaken for the movie, with the same name). ​

Svein Rikard also co-leads the group Mathisen/Breistein with saxophonist Inge W. Breistein. The duo focuses on composing pieces of music together with the timbre of the saxophone and guitar in mind. The melodies and the music are remarkably different, than what Mathisen composes for his solo project. In this project the textures of sound is more in focus, which has lead Mathisen down a new path - The focus on sound in general. Mathisen/Breistein presented their commission work, MUTANT at the Nattjazz festival in Bergen in 2017. They will release their first album together in 2018, GADGETS, on AMP Music & Records.

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