Kjetil Møster solo

The Low Frequency in Stereo did a fine concert at Moldejazz this summer. They had sax man Kjetil Møster in the band, and he opened the concert with a solo lasting around 10 minutes. Svennejanson was there too, and he has put a quite dark video (with some audience talking (aaargh!)) on YouTube. It´s still quite good I think.

Added 3 August: "Solar System" from the same concert.

British Visionary Jazz

Check out the latest issue of Wire (#306) , it has got eight pages of Rob Young´ "The Primer: British Visionary Jazz". Young guides you through the period 1964 - 1976, and should be of interest both to Robert Wyatt fans and Canterbury followers. I´ll just mention a few artists: Keith Tippett, Lol Coxhill, Centipede, John Surman and Ian Carr.

Several of the artists mentioned in the piece are active still of course, and I´ll just recommend the new John Surman album "Brewster´s Rooster" on ECM. A nice one with Jack DeJohnette (dr), John Abercombie (g) and Drew Gress (b).

Some of Wire´s "Invisible Jukebox" interviews have been collected i a book (Quartet Books). Robert Wyatt is in it, and you may order it here.

Explosion/Implosion

I came home with lots of records after the Molde Jazz Festival. Good thing they sell records at concerts! Let me just recommend a couple of Mats Gustafsson´s, both on Lithuanian NoBusiness. "The Vilnius Explosion" is a hot CD with Marijus Aleks (drums), Arkadijus Gotesmanas (drums), Eugenijus Kanevicius (bass) and Ljuda Mockunas (reeds) and the LP "The Vilnius Implosion" is solo Gustafsson, playing saxophones and alto flutophone. Impressive!
"The Vilnius Implosion" is out in 500 numbered copies. The cover portrait is painted by Edward Jarvis.

In Molde I heard Gustafsson with both Otomo Yoshihide and The Thing. The YouTube video below is an edited recording from The North Sea Fest concert with Otomo Yoshihide New Jazz Orchestra , and on Paal Nilssen-Love´s web site he writes that The Thing and Otomo Yoshihide will release an album on Smalltown Superjazzz. You may also pre-order Fire!: "You Liked Me Five Minutes Ago", with : Mats Gustafsson, Johan Berthling (Tape) and Andreas Werliin (Wildbirds & Peacedrums) from Rune Grammofon.
Puh, some of this musicians are all over the place!

Wyatt album and some more

- Don´t forget to order Robert Wyatt´s "Radio Experiment Rome". It´s even possible for me now, since I finally got my new security card from the bank (after loosing it somewhere).
- And how about the box setfrom Domino?
- Times Online writes about the Mercury Prize, and seems to mean that Jim Bob ( Carter USM) has grown older and wiser, and may be compared to Elvis Costello, Kevin Coyne and Robert Wyatt!
-Jim Noir may sing a bit like Robert Wyatt, if I understand a bit of what Nokoss write. Listen on MySpace.
- The blog "Then Play Long" has a post on Monkees, Wyatt and Soft Machine.

Assume vivid astro focus

If you are going to Oslo this summer, visit the National Museum´s exhibition at Tullinløkka. French and Brazilian artists exhibit colorful, psychedelic cartoon-like art, calling themselves "assume vivid astro focus", named after the band Ultra Vivid Scene and the Throbbing Gristle album "Assume Power Focus" (according to the brochure). I almost got lost in the exhibition, walking through hidden doors and ending up in closed rooms, but if you don´t wait too long before you visit, you may find your way out before they close (16 September).
And I know this may sound unbelievable since we´re in Norway, but you´ll get in without paying anything at all.

Offonoff´s "Slap and tickle" is out on Smalltown Superjazzz. Massimo Pupillo (bass), Terrie Ex (guitar) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums) hand out 32 minutes of "Slap" and 16 minutes of "Tickle". This is energetic noisemetaljazzimprorock (or something like that) from Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2007. Tough Enough.
Cover: Kim Hiorthøy.

Crimetime Orchestra

Crimetime Orchestra´s concert at The Molde International Jazz Festival was pretty wild, noisy and lots of fun. You may see 10 minutes from the concert at YouTube, uploaded by gaburu .

Jazzaway Records recently released the double CD "Atomic Symphony" with Crimetime Orchestra , Sonny Simmons and KORK (Norwegian symphony orchestra). The material on this release was recorded at the Oslo Jazz Festival in 2007, and is something else. I´m quite sure it´s better to listen to this concert several times, than the one we heard in Molde. Great album, to tell you the truth.
Musicians on the album are Vidar Johansen, Jon Klette, Gisle Johansen, Kjetil Møster, Øyvind Brekke, Sjur Miljeteig, Hild Sofie Tafjord, Anders Hana, Bugge Wesseltoft, Per Zanuzzi, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Mats Eilertsen, Per Oddvar Johansen, Paal Nilssen-Love, Sonny Simmons And Erlend Skomsvoll.
Kjetil Møster was not on stage in Molde (at this concert!) , Stian Westerhus replaced Anders Hana and Christian Wallumrød replaced Bugge Wesseltoft. feel free to comment if you know other differences in the two versions of the band.

Taking a break

Isa & Bella (by Siv)
Originally uploaded by svennevenn

Moldejazz is over. The last night I saw Crimetime Orchestra scare the audience with a brutal ending led by Stian Westerhus and Hild Sofie Tafjord.
Maja Ratkje and Joëlle Leandre did some fantastic improvising with voices, electronics and bass. A concert in France was recorded, and will end up as an album, soon I hope.
Arve Henriksen, Jan Bang, Ståle Storløkken and Trio Medieval played in the Molde church around midnight. All quiet until Ståle Storløkken really got going on the church organ!

Pictures from the last evening will probably be uploaded to Flickr (and the blog) in a week or so. I'm disconnecting now for 8 or 9 days. Please come back later. Bye!

Linkorama

I just had to clean up my inbox a bit:
-The Quietus on "On Some Faraway Beach: The Life and Times Of Brian Eno".
-A new book on Ivor Cutler is soon to be published.
- More on ONJ and Round About Wyatt (French).
- The Thing and Elephant9 at the Edinburgh festival.
- Check out AllABoutJazz's pieces from Moldejazz.
- AllAboutJazz on the best Meltdown festival ever.
- The Guardian on Crimetime Orchestra og Sonny Simmons: "Atomic Symphony".
And tonight I will hear Crimetime at Moldejazz!

Break of day in Molde 2009

At seven in the morning the park Reknesparken in Molde was packed with people, all out to hear Arve Henriksen, Terje Isungset, Jon Balke, Svante Henryson and Therese Skauge (dancer), and get some free sponsor coffee. Henriksen thanked the musicians, the audience, the soundman and the light man up in the sky.
Most of the audience also participated in the morning gymnastics led by Arve Henriksen! Break of day in Molde indeed! Beautiful.

Han Bennink

Today Han Bennink played a solo concert at Reknes in Molde. It was a 45 minute long drum show, but perhaps not as wild as yesterday's performance where Frode Gjerstad was hurt in a cymbal accident.
Bennink also lectured on jazz history, ornithology and improvisation. He claimed woodpeckers are the best drummers and said that to improvise is like throwing yourself into a swimming pool with a rucksack strapped to your back, and then work yourself out of the troubles you are in.
He stopped playing several times to ask if there were any questions. One guy wondered how Frode Gjerstad was doing and Bennik just hoped everything was fine, and stated that a viking from Stavanger should be able to shrug off a small accident like that.
The only accident today was a broken vase.

Thursday at Moldejazz

- Ingebrikt Håker Flaten was interviewed at the "Jazz Academy". Not too many people awake this early in the morning, but an interesting hour with Håker Flaten. I know him best from Scorch Trio, The Thing and Atomic, but I'll just have to check out his earlier stuff too.
- You think free jazz is boring? Not if you see Han Bennink and Frode Gjerstad. Bennink worked the room, and even moved out into the sunhine to drum and talk, while Gjerstad played saxophones and clarinettes inside. Bennink even managed to hurt Gjerstad by tearing down cymbals and hitting Gjerstad's foot (only sandals there)! Bennink seemed a bit shocked himself, but told jokes as Gjerstad had a rest. I was impressed by Gjerstad's playing too, and It's hard work to get people to see and hear you alongside a drummer like Bennink.
- Artist in residence Arve Henriksen was on stage with Ståle Storløkken and Helge "Deathprod" Steen in Supersilent this evening. Rythmic, noisy and perhaps a bit scary to those in the audience that knew Arve Henriksen only from his more friendly stuff.

Wednesday at Moldejazz

- The Thing played a hot concert as usual Wednesday, in the smallest venue at Moldejazz. Paal Nilssen-Love, Ingebrikt Håker Flaten and Mats Gustafsson had to play two extras to the audience, who almost sweated as much as the band in the hot weather.
- Christian Wallumrød Ensemble with "Artist in Residence" Arve Henriksen, Nils Økland and Per Oddvar Johansen played at the Forum, another intimate scene at the festival. A perfect concert for me after the energetic The Thing show one hour earlier. Wallumrød on toy piano and harmonium, Henriksen on trumpet and vocals, Økland's Hardanger fiddle and Johansen's drums and saw made magic!
- Midnight is bedtime for an old man like me, but I took a chance and mixed with young people to see Low Frequency In Stereo with Kjetil Møster. Møster plays on one track on the band's "Futuro" album, but here he was on stage almost all the time. The concert even started with a ten minute saxophone solo from Møster.
Great sound and lights, good tunes and some people even danced. Kids!

More from Moldejazz 2009

Just some glimpses from the second day at Molde International Jazz Festival (Norway).

- Arve Henriksen is "Artist in residence" in Molde this year. He plays lots of concerts and visited the Jazz Academy, where he was interviewed by Bjørn Stendahl. Arve is a great talker too!
- Ingebrikt Håker Flaten (bass) and Håkon Kornstad (saxofon) performed the music from the album "Elise" in a small chapel (80 seats) at the Molde Museum. Beautiful and very touching to hear religious folk tunes performed by great musicians in such a place.
- Otomo Yoshihide Sextet's concert was part contemorary, part noise and part relaxing jazz! Otomo brought along Mats Gustafsson, german Axel Dørner, Dutch Cor Fuhler and two Japanese guys (bass and drums) that I don't know he names of. Great concert, but unfortunately not sold out.
I may irritate some people by taking pictures from my seat, but the more or less professional photographers at this show were way out of line. Or rather way up on the stage! Please behave gentlemen!


Added after comment (thanks!):
Hiroaki Mizutani on bass
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki on drums

Atomic in Molde

Atomic played in Molde on the first day of Moldejazz 2009. They were introduced as the best band on earth, and possibly the best in the universe! Some words to live up to, but that descripton feels spot on after the concert. Fredrik Ljungkvist (saxophones, clarinet), Magnus Broo (trumpet), Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass) and Håvard Wiik (piano) are explosive, and the audience is happy all the way through the concert.
I must have said this before, but it's soo good to be at a jazz concert where the musicians smile and seem to be happy to play for us. Ljungkvist was the friendly toastmaster as always. Great evening!

Molde International Jazz Festival 2009

Moldejazz 2009 is happening this week. Molde's main street Storgata is not it's quiet self, but a nerve wrecking market place, with pan flutes, jazz parades and sales booths with all kinds of stuff you don't need. Some of the booths may have some stuff you need too, and I found another version of Daevid Allen's "Banana Moon", with Robert Wyatt on "Memories". Tonight the music is all over town. I'm off to see Atomic. More on the concerts later.
And remember, next year it's festival number 50!

Interview Project

David Lynch sendt his coworkers on a road trip across USA to interview people they "found". I saw a documentary on this project at last year's Bergen International Film Festival, and now new interviews are posted every third day on the David Lynch Interview Project site.
Enjoy the interviews!

Love in July

We have presented noise, hard core and all kinds of jazz, rock and pop, but hardly any Italo-disco(whatever that is)! Sally Shapiro's new single "Love in July" is out 14 July (Paper Bag Digital), and here is the video made by Paul Leeny & David Loom. Qute, isn't it?

Snöras

Today just a tip for you metal and hardcore fans out there. I guess you often look to Norway anyway, and here is Snöras (meaning avalanche, "snö" is snow) and the double vinyl "Plague Waters/H.O.W." (originally two earlier albums from 2006 and 2008). They have a playful site at snoras.org.
The cover is made by K8 Wince, and it's no wonder his URL is www.houseofbloodandguts.com!
I think you'll like this if hardcore is your taste.

Gandusiana Music Festival

Over at Hibou, Anemone and Bear I found some info on on a Croatian festival happening this weekend. Those of you near by Rovinj better hurry up and be part of Gandusiana Music Festival (7 - 12 July). You'll find Delta Saxophone Quartet's Soft Machine project and "DONDESTAN! The Wyatt project!" with among others Karen Mantler and John Greaves on the program.

And over at Nokoss you'll find an article on Robert Wyatt in Italian. I'm sure it's good stuff too.

Lasse Marhaug and John Wiese

It's Friday and here is some dance music for you. NOT! It's John Wiese and Lasse Marhaug live in Warsawa (June 2009). These guys are not afraid of electricity.

Vandermark 5, Broo and Wiik

See this recording of Vandermark 5 (Ken Vandermark, Kent Kessler, Tim Daisy, Dave Rempis and Fred Lonberg-Holm), and Haavard Wiik (p) and Magnus Broo (tp), at Green Mill in Chicago 19 June. Expect an album with Vandermark 5 tunes from this happening in September, and one with new compositions in 2010 (autumn), when Vandermark 5 will tour with Atomic.
Follow Ken Vandermark's site and Not Two Records to stay informed.

September in Norway

Autumn in Norway? Not too tempting perhaps, until you see the festival list:
- PUNKT in Kristiansand 2 - 5 September. Not easy to beat last year's program with Eno, but there will be lots of good concerts: Maja Ratkje, Hild Sofie Tafjord, Sidsel Endresen, Susanna, Sweet Billy Pilgrim, Arve Henriksen, seminars , live remixes and more.
- Numusic and Nuart in Stavanger 9 - 13 September. Here you may hear among others Fennesz, Faust, Arvo Pärt and Shining.
- Ultima in Oslo 9 - 19 September. Contemporary music in Oslo.
-Ekkofest in Bergen 24. - 26. September. Ekkofest is a festival for elektronic music and art, and you get Röyksopp, Efterklang, Karin Park and Svarte Greiner!
- Go to Ekkofest and you'll miss Trondheim Chamber Music Festival!

Hopper, Manzanera, Wyatt

Hugh Hopper in the backstage tent
Originally uploaded by petebrunelli

- It's one month now since Canterbury veteran Hugh hopper passed away. Yesterday All About Jazz had a piece on him called "Hugh Hopper: Memories". Thanks to Pete Brunelli for the picture of Hugh (taken July 2006), and you'll find more on Flickr by clicking on the picture.

- 10 August Lucho Brieva and Phil Manzanera will release "Corroncho". Robert Wyatt is playing trumpet on it, and Gilad Atzmon, Annie Lennox and Chrissie Hynde are also guesting.
Visit Manzanera, and click on the album cover to get a listen.

The Canterbury Scene

Check out BBC Kent's site on the Canterbury-scene , where you get interviews with Robert Watt, Hugh Hopper, Daevid Allen, Steve Hillage , Geoffrey Richardson and Richard Coughlan.

News on remastered versions of the first two Soft Machine albums over at Your Way To Music.

The Flying Padovanis with Lol Coxhill

The Flying Padovanis are unfortunately unknown to me, but here is their "Va Plus Haut" from Megahertz (French television 1982). On saxophone: Lol Coxhill!

A more recent recording of Lol Coxhill with Enzo Rocco on guitar here.

Some sad news from Robert Wyatt

After Meltdown I heard that things were not all that easy for Alfie (Alfreda Benge, artist and Wyatt's wife for those who do not know) and Robert Wyatt these days, so I sent them a friendly greeting.

I got a couple of mails from Robert, and he does not mind that this information goes out to friends out there who might visit this site:

Alfie has got troubles with her eyes, and Robert says her "eye deterioration being kept to minimum currently possible by (expensive!) monthly injections, so so far so ok about that". Let's just hope Alfie will be fine!

Then the message written yesterday goes: "But her lovely mother Irena died this morning, we're never prepared for these things. Irena was Alfie's only family. Feeling shocked and bewildered, we're never really ready for how it feels".

I am quite sure there are lots of sympathetic people out in the world who'd care to know this, and we all send our warm thoughts to Alfie and Robert.

Soft Machine: "Why am I so short?"

Kevin Ayers, Mike Ratledge and Robert Wyatt in great shape in 1967, with "Why am I so short?" from the first Soft Machine album. Psychedelic heh?

America

You might think that a trumpet-drum duo is boring or tiresome stuff? Wadada Leo Smith and Jack DeJohnette's "America" (Tzadic 2009) will convince you that this does not have to be the case! This is varied and exciting stuff, and even if I'm a total amateur (you might have guessed that already I'm afraid), I doubt if it can be done better than this. I bought my copy from Tzadik, and they deliver real quick!

Don't forget two other trumpet-drum duos we have mentioned here: Magnus Broo and Paal Nilssen-Love's "Game" and Per Jørgensen and Terje Isungset's "Agbalagba Daada".

AAJ on Ornette Coleman

Robert Wyatt
Originally uploaded by Prospettive Musicali

All About Jazz reviews "Ornette Coleman's Reflections on "This Is Our Music"" from this year's Meltdown in London. As I've mentioned several times already, Robert Wyatt performed with Charlie Haden at the same festival, so we have a good excuse to show Prospettive Musicali's fine portrait of Robert Wyatt taken there.

Summer Sale!

In the mailbox today:
Spunk: "Det eneste jeg vet er at det ikke er en støvsuger" (Rune Grammofon 1999).
Spunk: "Filtered Through friends" (Rune Grammofon 2001).
Food: "Last Supper" (Rune Grammofon 2004).

I paid not much more than the full price of one album for this. It is embarrasing of course, but what is a poor man going to do? It's all Rune Grammofon's fault, because they are having a summer sale on some of their releases.
Eh - hold on, I still lack some records from Rune!

So Long Marianne

I don't know if any Leonard Cohen fans visit this blog, but I used to like him a lot 35 years ago (what?!) and still think he is pretty cool. You may know this of course, but Cohen's "So long Marianne" is a song to a Norwegian girl called Marianne Ihlen, and they were friends and lovers for years in the early 60s. They met on the Greek island Hydra, where Marianne had moved in with Norwegian author Axel Jensen. The story is described in Kari Hufthamar's book "So long Marianne.Ei kjærleiks- historie" (meaning: "A love story")(Spartacus 2008), and they have also made a radio documentary together.
The book is in Norwegian (and not translated into any readable language for most of you, as far as I know), but contains previously unpublished letters (some in English), pictures and four poems by Cohen: "For M", "Waiting for Marianne", "The Poetry Place" and "Days of Kindness".
So if you are a big Cohen fan, let's hope you have a great library that can help you. And Cohen, he's on his way to Norway again in a week or two.