Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Norwegian Digital Jazz Festival 2020, Part 1
Norwegian Digital Jazz Festival 2020, Part 1
Courtesy Hans Fredrik Asbj?rnsen
Norwegian Digital Jazz Festival
Sentralen
Oslo, Norway
November 6-17, 2020
With the physical 2020 festival cancelled, the Big Ears Festival has turned its attention to broadcasting filmed and live streamed concerts, under the moniker "Sites & Sounds From Big Ears." Many of the shows have taken place in the Knoxville area, but for this ambitious series of filmed concerts they have turned to Norwegian partners Musikkprofil Booking & Management, Oslo's Sentralen performing arts center, and Hes & Falck: each performance was beautifully filmed on-site at the Sentralen in Oslo, Norway.
The Norwegian connection should not be surprising, as Norwegian jazz musicians have frequently played at the Big Ears Festival over the years. The 2017 festival was especially notable, when a partnership with Music Norway, the Norwegian Jazzforum, the Ultima Contemporary Music Festival and the Norwegian Consulate General in New York brought a large contingent of Norwegians to the festival (including double bassist
Mats Eilertsen
bassb.1975
Ståle Storløkken
multi-instrumentalist
Mathias Eick
trumpetb.1979
All but one of the digital concerts is a double bill, making for a total of 15 hour-long sets of music. Instrumentation ranges from solo to quintet.
November 6
Bugge Wesseltoft
The festival opened with a solo set from pianist
Bugge Wesseltoft
pianob.1964
Paul Simon
composer / conductorb.1941
"Koral" was an arrangement and expansion upon a J.S. Bach piece (koral means chant or hymn in Norwegian). It was very chorale-like, and at one point the melody recalled Paul Simon's "American Tune." it may have been a quote, or it may just have sounded like one because Simon's melody was based on a hymn which Bach had also used. This part of the performance was marked by an especially creative use of camera angles (as was the entire concert). Switching perspective between the pianist, the keyboard and the inside of the piano helped to make a solo performance look more dynamic. "Hoping" was an original which featured mbira (thumb piano) played into a sampler: Wesseltoft then used the sampler keyboard and a tablet to create an ostinato, which he played over on the piano. At some point it morphed into "Reflecting," another Bach arrangement. The mbira part ended, and rhapsodic two-handed playing took over, shadowed by live electronics.
"Morning Has Broken" is an early twentieth-century Christian hymn that is often credited to Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens because of his famous, 1971 recording of it. Stylistically it was very much in keeping with the preceding songs, and was again played with a deliberate, almost classical approach—which did not stop Wesseltoft from playing some dazzling fast lines at one point, an indication of technique tastefully held in reserve. "Bridging" took the concert into more contemporary, experimental territory, beginning with a bass ostinato using synthesizer and tablet. After adding piano the ebb and flow included frenetic synthesizer and an energetic burst of piano.
Bob Dylan's "Blowing In The Wind" was played very slowly, as well as re-harmonized, enough to make it hard to recognize at first. The Beatles' "Let It Be" was another hymn-like modern selection. The performance was notable for a dramatic field of white lights—like stars—and a big re-harmonized climax, followed by a gentle coda spun off from the song proper. Last but not least, Henry Mancini's hopelessly romantic ballad "Moon River" provided a final bit of beauty to a lovely (and often surprising) concert.
Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity
Led by drummer
Gard Nilssen
drumsb.1983
Ole Morten Vågan
bass, acoustic
Andre Roligheten
saxophoneb.1985
Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto1930 - 2015
"Omkalfatring" had a march feel, and featured Roligheten playing tenor and alto saxophones simultaneously, like
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
woodwinds1935 - 1977
John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967
"B?tteknott" was another tenor saxophone ballad. After lyrical double bass and saxophone solos Nilssen took a distinctive solo using cymbals only at first, then adding drums played with mallets. "Elastic Circle" was played over another bass ostinato, but this time V?gan played part of the solo with both horns, sometimes alternating with tenor sax alone. "Cherry Man" sounded like
Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto1930 - 2015
Don Cherry
trumpet1936 - 1995
November 10
Tord Gustavsen Trio
In this concert pianist
Tord Gustavsen
pianob.1970
Jarle Vespestad
drums
Steinar Raknes
bass"The Tunnel" has a deliberate, folk-song like theme, and featured an intense double bass solo from Raknes, who never sounded less than comfortable in his new role in the trio. For the Norwegian traditional song "Ingen Vinner Frem Til den Evige Ro" arco double bass playing high harmonics doubled the piano melody, resulting in an almost electronic sound. "Wide Open" from The Well included a piano solo with the intensity of gospel music, recalling
Keith Jarrett
pianob.1945
Bach's "Schafes Bruder" has a bit of a funk feel on the album version. Here it was even more pronounced. Gustavsen stood up from the piano bench for part of his solo, as he had done earlier in the show during moments of great intensity. The funky bass solo was accompanied by the rest of the trio, so the groove never faltered."Tears Transforming" from The Ground was a lyrical, rubato finale to the concert. An earlier orange and white lighting scheme that evoked sunset switched to white light, like sunrise. An appropriate image for a beautiful, uplifting set of music.
November 17
Bendik Hofseth's Woodlands
Saxophonist/composer
Bendik Hofseth
saxophoneHelge Iberg
piano
Eivind Aarset
guitarMats Eilertsen
bassb.1975
Per Oddvar Johansen
drums
Jan Garbarek
saxophoneb.1947
The ballad "Sapwood (for Evalill)" began with unaccompanied piano. After being joined by a fine bass solo, the rest of the band came in. This piano/bass duet approach would be repeated later in the set. Fittingly, "Bark (for Eivind)" opened with a lush electric guitar soundscape full of textures and electronic treatments. Later in the piece Aarset played a beautiful melodic solo, calling
Terje Rypdal
guitarb.1947
Mike Mainieri
vibraphoneb.1938
"Bamboo (for Christer)" continued the rhythmic diversity with a calypso feel. "Norway Spruce (For Mats)" began with unaccompanied piano, joined by swelling guitar pads and light percussion (mostly cymbals and bells): all to set up the dedicatee's gorgeous arco double bass solo. The hushed ending was almost hymn-like. "Cambium (for Helge)" concluded the concert, opening with the dedicatee's piano accompanied by only drums. It included some of the wildest playing in the set, with animal sounds from the saxophone and percussion from the double bass. Not a word was spoken, but the music spoke for itself very well.
Mathias Eick Quintet
Trumpeter/keyboardist/vocalist/composerMathias Eick
trumpetb.1979
Torstein Lofthus
drums
Audun Erlien
bass, electricHakon Aase
violin
Andreas Ulvo
pianob.1983
Arve Henriksen
trumpetb.1968
"August" went from a vocal introduction into a memorable, majestic trumpet theme. It spotlighted pianist Ulvo in a rhapsodic solo. "At Sea" comes from Midwest (ECM, 2015). Its initial slow, deliberate pace was driven by mallets on the drums: it featured a lyrical violin solo. After moving into a rock beat electric bassist Erlien added high lead lines. He has a distinctive sound; his tape wound strings produce a muted sound not unlike tuned drums. "Oslo" from Skala (ECM, 2011) continued featuring the bass, this time playing rhythmic riffs accompanied by the whole band playing percussion—like a drum circle.
After an opening bass riff "Parents" brought out drummer Lofthus' most assertive drumming of the night: really energetic and driving. After a breakdown to just vocals, piano and violin the full band returned to the theme (on trumpet). "Ravensburg" (named for the German town from which his grandmother came) continued the extroverted mood with a moderate rock beat, and once again included a melodic bass solo. Eick introduced "For My Grandmothers," a lovely trio for piano, violin and vocals. It sounded reminiscent of a
Pat Metheny
guitarb.1954
.
Tags
Live Review
Tord Gustavsen
Mark Sullivan
Norway
Oslo
Big Ears Festival
Mats Eilertsen
St?le Storl?kken
Mathias Eick
Bugge Wesseltoft
Paul Simon
Gard Nilssen
Ole Morten V?gan
André Roligheten
Ornette Coleman
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
John Coltrane
Don Cherry
Jarle Vespestad
Steinar Raknes
Keith Jarrett
Bendik Hofseth
Helge Iberg
Eivind Aarset
Per Oddvar Johansen
Jan Garbarek
Terje Rypdal
Mike Mainieri
Torstein Lofthus
Audun Erlien
H?kon Aase
Andreas Ulvo
Arve Henriksen
pat metheny
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