Friday, May 27, 2011

Nattjazz (Bergen), Thursday 26 May





The Nattjazz festival is happening in Bergen right now, and what a Thursday evening it was yesterday!
My first concert this evening was with Sidsel Endresen (voc) and Stian Westerhus (guitar and pedals), who built fantastic (and a bit scary) soundscapes, and told wordless stories too. I have heard this duo several times now (and mentioned them in the blog of course) (Moldejazz, Punkt in Kristiansand), and a concert with these people will always be fascinating.
We got some improv, noise and rock, in a stuffed and very hot venue too, even if some of the festival audience disappeared after a while (Al  Di Meola was playing downstairs).

Endresen and Westerhus were among the artists who were to perform short commissioned works at the festival. The festival director has obviously heard the improvising duo play, because during his introduction he kindly asked Sidsel Endresen to please tell when the commisioned work was played! To no use!



Then I finally got to hear The Source. For some reason I don't think  have heard this band live?!  The musicians areTrygve Seim (sax), Øyvind Brekke (tb), Mats Eilertsen (b) and Per Oddvar Johanssen (dr). They started out in pretty free form, causing a bit of stir among some of the audience, who also left to see if Al Di Meola was still playing, but ended up playing hot swinging stuff too! Great band, great solos, three of them wearing suits, lots of hair and beards and a lot of fun! Now you beat that!

More unfocused photos from this year's Nattjazz, and previous festivals on Flickr.

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