Yun Kan 10 at Nattjazz

What a bunch of great Swedes! And what a concert! The stage at Bergen´s Nattjazz festival was packed when Fredrik Ljungkvist´s Yun Kan 10 played Thursday evening.
Ljungkvist guided the band through his compositions, seeming both strict and smiling, but the concert was also spiced with free form music, and then suddenly they were swinging like hell!!

Now check out this gang, and tell me you wouldn´t have loved to be there: Fredrik Ljungkvist (saxophones,clarinet), Sofia Jernberg (voc), Mats Äleklint (trombone), Per-Åke Holmlander (tuba), Klas Nevrin (p), Mattias Risberg (moog, synth), Katt Hernandez (violin), Mattias Weli (bass), Jon Fält (drums) and Raymond Strid (drums).

Yun Kan 10´s album "Ten" is out on Hoob Records (2013). Read a review over at All About Jazz.

B/B/S/

Wednesday evening I enjoyed a concert by B/B/S/ in the Bergen International Festival´s series "Between the Sound" (go a few posts back for Deathprod in the same series).

B/B/S/ a Berlin based trio with Aidan Baker (g), Andrea Belfi (dr, perc, electronics) and Erik K. Skodvin (g), and according to local Bergen newspaper Bergens Tidende (28 May), Skodvin claims that they mostly do drones, psychedelia, shoegaze, noise, ambient, doom-metal, free jazz and electronic music, and I guess that is describing the concert too!
Superfine, dark music in the summer heat.

Regular readers of the blog will of course recognize Skodvin as Svarte Greiner, a project leaning more towards dark ambient, than B/B/S/.
Please check out the B/B/S/ album "Brick Mask" (Miasmah 2013).

Friends

I met these three guys on my way from work today. Really cute street art by RC.

Ivor Cutler: Get Away From The Wall

You may find Ivor Cutler´s "Get away from the wall" on "An Elpee and Two Epees" (2005).

Here you have a new, short version by a men´s choir (watch YouTube), and (once again) the original, illustrated in the most charming way!

Deathprod: Treetop Drive

The Bergen International Festival is happening these days, and they have a concert series called "Between Sound" in cooperation with the Borealis and Ekko festivals of Bergen.

Monday evening we got to hear a live version of Helge "Deathprod" Sten´s classic noise album "Treetop Drive" from 1994, with Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan (Motorpsycho) playing the violin (he also did that on the album)! Minimalistic, noisy and in fact quite beautiful, in a room full of smoke and lights by Pekka Stokke.

I hereby confess that I have never heard the album "Treetop Drive", so for me it was a new experience.

"Treetop Drive" is available from Rune Grammofon ( CD released in 2011).

Nattjazz Bergen - Sunday 26 May

Oh my, what a varied program at Nattjazz on Sunday!
I was a bit in a hurry, and a bit tired this fifth day out on the festival, so I managed only two whole concerts.

- The first one out was Arve Henriksen whith the three drummers Ingar Zach, Audun Kleive and Helge Nordbakken, and live remixer Jan Bang! Powerful and tough, but with solid doses of the trumpet playing and singing we expect from Arve Henriksen. Add visuals from Tord Knutsen and you will guess that the show was close to perfect.

- In the small USF Studio upstairs, Helge Sten and John Paul Jones of Minibus Pimps delivered a concert that might end up being mythical (if we brag abut having been there). Heavy electronics, dark ambient and rumbling noise, that almost brought the house down. It was fantastic, and I am not kidding you!
I believe they still work with the KYMA software, that they presented at PUNKT in 2011?

Later that same night John Paul Jones played mandolin with Bonnie Prince Billy and Dawn McCarthy, and not to forget Susanna Wallumrød, but at that time of night, I was on my bus.

Nattjazz (Bergen) Saturday 25 May. A short summary.

Saturday evening was all Norwegian at Nattjazz.

- Beginning with the end, as I was on my way to leave the venue, I met Dr. Kay and The Interstellar Tone Scientists coming back in after an outdoor walk with the audience.

- I started the evening with Mathias Eick and his commissioned work for the Vossajazz festival: "Voss". Much more powerful and intense than what I (for some reason) expected. Really good, to tell you the truth.
The band: Mathias Eick, Torstein Lofthus, Gard Nilsen, Nikolai Hængsle Eilertsen, Even Helte Hermansen, Andreas Ulvo, Erlend Slettevoll and Anders Aasebø (sound), and only one of the guys on stage without a beard! What´s happening?

- The jolly drummers Øyvind Skarbø and Øyvind Hegg-Lunde of Crab is Crap was joined by Ståle Storløkken for a fun and partly funky happening. The guys had been visiting a studio earlier in the day, so we might expect a recording soon?

- And finally Møster!, now without the already mentioned Ståle Storløkken, who played on Møster!´s fine album "Edvard Lygre Møster" (Hubro 2013). The band these days: Kjetil Møster, Kenneth Kapstad, Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan and Nikolai Hængsle Eilertsen. The sound wasn´t too good in the beginning of the concert (damn, I couldn´t hear the saxophone!) but improved very much, and it turned into a tight, noisy, rocking and rolling show. With half of Motorpsycho present, no wonder!

Follow up: Mary Halvorson Trio at Nattjazz

And then we have got a close-up-video of Mary Halvorson Trio, playing at the Nattjazz festival in Bergen 23 May. The Trio: Mary Halvorson (g), Ches Smith (dr) and John Hébert (b).

More Nattjazz videos, and videos from several of Bergen´s venues, over at Egil Andersen´s channel on YouTube.

Unni Løvlid at Nattjazz

The highligt of the third day of Bergen´s Nattjazz 2013: Unni Løvlid - Lux in the small Studio USF venue!

Unni Løvlid sang folk tunes, psalms and lullabies, with Håkon Thelin on bass and Amund Sjølie Sveen on glasses.
Absolute touching and intense, and what a combo voice, bass and glasses seemed to be.

The lyrics (many from the 1600s, and in Norwegian) are something else of course, but it´s also OK to just let the vocals and the instruments be beautiful sound (and music!) surrounding you.

Get yourselves the new "Lux" album (Heilo/Grappa 2013), where Randi-Merete Roset and Liv-Jorun Bergset play the glasses.

Later you may check out these fine Unni Løvlid albums too:

- "Vita" (Heilo/Grappa 2005), recorded at Tomba Emanuelle in Oslo, in cooperation with Helge Sten.
- "Rite" (Grappa 2008) with (a. o.) Håkon Kornstad, Hild Sofie Tafjord, Frode Haltli, Helge Sten and Lene Grenager.

Susanna: Death Hanging

Susanna Wallumrød with Siri Nilsen and Susanne Sundfør, do "Death Hanging", recorded for the Norwegian NRK P3 (radio) during the Øya festival in 2012.

Available from iTunes and Amazon, and you streamers will probably find it elsewhere too.
Sad and beautiful indeed.

Julian Glover

As you might have noticed, here in Wyatt & Stuff we are always desperately seeking news about Robert Wyatt!

Today we have a link to an interview with Robert Wyatt´s half-brother, Julian Glover! In Mail Online ("My haven" 25 May 2013) he talks about his love for a portrait Alfreda Benge made of his wife.

"Robert Wyatt, my half-brother and founder of the rock band Soft Machine, is married to painter Alfreda ‘Alfie’ Benge. She did this picture of Isla which completely captures her spirit."

Stein Urheim & Mari Kvien Brunvoll at Nattjazz

Since I went to see Mary Halvorson Trio, i missed the wonderful Stein Urheim and Mari Kvien Brunvoll at Bergen´s Nattjazz festival.

Here is a short video from the concert.

Mary Halvorson Trio

As I have told you already it´s Nattjazz time in Bergen, and I´m busy listening!

For me the highlight of the first two days was Mary Halvorson Trio. Mary Halvorson (guitar), John Hébert (bass) and Ches Smith (drums) played a fantastic concert yesterday evening, that will be hard to beat!

I´m not quite sure how much of it was composed, and how much of it was improvised, but even the drummer was reading music (we don´t often see that on jazz concerts?).

Impressive and good fun, and thanks a lot!

Sorry, have to run!

Phil Minton and John Russell at the Vortex

Phil Minton (voice) & John Russell (guitar) at Mopomoso free improvisation night.
Filmed by Kostas Chondros at the Vortex, London, on 19 May 2013 (YouTube).

Play loud!

Nattjazz 2013

Oh yes, it´s that time again in Bergen, named Nattjazz (22/5 - 1/6), (and also Bergen International Festival, that we might return to later).

If you are near by, get going, if not please study the program and tell us what we have to see and hear!

I have put these artists on my list so far: Espen Eriksen Trio with Bergen poet Erlend Nødtvedt, Electric Eye, Mary Halvorson Trio, Elephant9 with Reine Fiske, Unni Løvlid, Crab is Crap with Ståle Storløkken, Cortex, Møster!, Dr Kay and His Interstellar Tone Scientists, Arve Henriksen, Poing with Lars Lillo Stenberg and Stian Westerhus, Atlanter, Svenska Kaputt and Reggie Watts.

We will have to see about that list as time goes by!

Fire Room: Second Breath (2013)

Fire Room, that is Ken Vandermark, Paal Nilssen-Love and Lasse Marhaug, have a new album out soon (?), called "Second Breath" (CD and vinyl, on PNL perhaps ?), and a tour coming up.

I stole the cover from Lasse Marhaug, and the tour list below from Paal Nilssen-Love.

Previous releases by Fire Room: "Broken Music" (Atavistic 2008, CD + mp3) and "Wels 2008/11/08" (Pica/PNL 2011, 157 copies - vinyl).

27/05/2013
DOM/Moscow/Russia

29/05/2013
Kulturforum/Villach/Austria/

31/05/2013
21.00@Chelsea/Vienna/Austria

01/06/2013
Magasin 4/Brussels/Belgium

02/06/2013
Stadtgarten/Cologne/Germany

04/06/2013
MIR/Oslo/NO

05/06/2013
Stajazz/Stavanger/NO

06/06/2013
Bergen Kjøtt/Bergen/NO


Added 11 June:

"Second Breath" is on Bocian Records.

Moldejazz History

Recently some old videos from the Molde International Jazz Festival were uploaded on YouTube.
The recordings are all from the old Molde Cinema, and probably made by the Norwegian Broadcasting Co. (NRK).

360 Degrees Music Experience from 1970:

Grachan Moncour III, trombone
Roland Alexander, saxophone
Dave Burell, piano
Jymie Merrit, bass
Beaver Harris, drums

Charlie Mariano from 1971:

Charlie Mariano, alto
Keiiki Sarmanto, piano
Arild Andersen, bass
Jon Christensen, drums

Buddy Tate and His Celebrity Club Band from 1971:

Buddy Tate, tenor
Ben Richarson, clarinet/alto
Dud Bascomb, trumpet
Eli Robinson, trombone
Nat Pierce, piano
Eddie Jones, bass
Gerorge Reed, drums

This year´s Moldejazz program right here, and historical info right here.

Michael Mantler: Many Have No Speech

Robert Wyatt has got a super pop voice, but don´t forget he´s a great vocalist in the more contemporary classical landscapes too.

Yes, of course, I have mentioned this before (see here), but it´s about time again, and today´s album is Michael Mantler: "Many have no speech" (WATT 1988).

On this one, Mantler hired three distinct voices, Robert Wyatt, Jack Bruce and Marianne Faithfull, to sing lyrics by Samuel Beckett, Ernst Meister and Philippe Soupault.
Robert Wyatt sings Soupault´s "Tant de Temps", "A l´abbatoir" and "Prisonniers", while Faithfull sings Beckett and Soupault and Bruce sings Beckett and Meister lyrics.

Michael Mantler is playing the trumpet and Rick Fenn sharp guitar, together with The Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, conducted by Peder Kragerup.

This is strong stuff, meant for concentrated listening and reading. The French and German texts are translated to English in the booklet.

Alexander Hawkins og Louis Moholo-Moholo

Oh my! Please watch this concert! 68 minutes of improvised music by Alexander Hawkins (p) and Louis Moholo-Moholo (dr)!

From Gateshead International Jazz Festival, The Sage, Gateshead, 7th April 2013.

Hawkins and Moholo-Moholo released the album "Keep your heart straight" on Ogun in 2012. It´s on my wish list!

Lakes of Grass and Gold/Svarte Greiner

Svarte Greiner (Erik Skodvin) recently released a split 7" together with Swedish Lakes of Grass and Gold (Erik Enocksson) on Immune (2013).

700 copies made, that may be ordered over at Immune, where you also may listen to the record.

Immune describes Svarte Greiner´s piece as "an experiment with stuttering cello and guitar soundscapes", while Lakes of Grass and Gold does "a two part lamentation over love and nature".

Nice!

Alfreda Benge, Robert Wyatt, Bertrand Burgalat

Let´s turn spring into summer with a couple of replays!

Bertrand Burgalat´s "Spring isn´t fair", with lyrics by Alfreda Benge, and Robert Wyatt and Bertrand Burgalat´s "This summer time", should do it!

Håkon Kornstad: Snutt

Sax player and opera singer Håkon Kornstad has uploaded several recordnings on SoundCloud lately. You get a lot of his old band qWibutee, but also a short "Snutt", that didn't make it to the solo album "Symphonies in My Head" (2011).
"Snutt" was recorded in the Sofienberg Church in Oslo.

Now do your own research in the "Kornstad Archives".

Stian Westerhus/Jan Bang/Erik Honoré

Here is an excerpt from Stian Westerhus (g), Jan Bang (live sampling, electronics) and Erik Honoré´s (live sampling, electronics) concert at Tape To Zero in Oslo (April 2013). Sounds (and looks) like a great show!

Tord Knudsen: Visuals. Johnny Skalleberg: Live sound. Ingo Biermann: Video.

Please watch more videos from the festival at Kjetil Husebø´s YouTube channel.

Jenny Hval: Innocence is Kinky

Jenny Hval: "Innocence Is Kinky" (Jazzhouse (Copenhagen) Sessions), with Håvard Reite Volden (g) and Kyrre Geithus Laastad (dr).

About time to shop the Rune Grammofon album i think!

Moon Relay (Hubro 2013)

I have already mentioned Moon Relay´s eponymous album, but if some of you are extremely interested in Norwegian music, you might stand another post?

150 copies were released for Record Store Day, but I could not find it, and had to order from Hubro. They still seem to have some copies left!

Moon Relay is Daniel Meyer Grønvold (g), Håvard Volden (g), Ola Høyer (bass) and Martin Larsen (dr, perc), and to cite Hubro: "Moon Relay combines influences from surf, Kosmische, no-wave and electronic music in a quite irresistible way".

Have a listen on SoundCloud.

Wyatt and Stuff Spring Festival 2013

It´s festival season, and here is our spring festival of 2013:

- First out two videos with Evan Parker, John Edwards and John Russell from (the already mentioned) MOPOMOSO tour. More info, and lots of videos on MOPOMOSO´s YouTube.
- John Surman Trio 1975 (full concert). John Surman (bcl,ss,bs), Dieter Feichtner (synthesizer) and Barre Phillips (b).
- Phil Minton and Mick Beck (Sheffield), January 2013.
- Hanne Hukkelberg "My Devils" at Mono (Oslo). Hanne Hukkelberg, Mai Elise Solberg and Ivar Grydeland.
- Hanne Hukkelberg "No Mascara" at Mono (Oslo). Hanne Hukkelberg, Mai Elise Solberg and Ivar Grydeland.
- Michael Francis Duch "Hugh Shrapnel Medley" at Avant Garden (Trondheim), April 2013.

Foucault and Derrida

The street artist heroes of Bergen! Argus has been out again, constructing two red gentlemen that has to be Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida?

Read his blog post “my job is making windows where there were once walls”.

And I must say, this is what these gentlemen are staring at; a mermaid (or perhaps it´s just a girl washing her hair, but still)!

Nucleus (1972)

Some good old stuff today! Ian Carr´s Nucleus at Jazz Middelheim (Belgium) in 1972. Band as named on site: Alan Jackson (drums), Roy Babbington (bass), Dave MacRae (keyboard), Ian Carr (trumpet, flute) and Brian Smith (soprano saxophone), but isn´t "Brian Smith" looking a lot like Karl Jenkins? Or?

Let´s not forget that Dave Macrae played in Matching Mole (video with masked Robert Wyatt here) and Roy Babbington approached Soft Machine on "IV" (1971).

Robert Wyatt at Green Man

Robert Wyatt will visit "Talking Shop" at the Green Man festival, happening 15 - 18 August in Wales!

Stealing info from Green Man:

"Robert Wyatt
A not-to-be–missed conversation with an artist whose incredible music, wisdom and compassion feel more relevant and generous with each passing year. The founding member of Soft Machine has played or collaborated with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett, Fred Frith, Brian Eno, Scritti Politti, Elvis Costello, and Bjork (to name a few) throughout his career, it’s safe to say that Robert Wyatt is one of the world's best-loved singers and songwriters in history.
**please note, Robert Wyatt will be in conversation, this is not a musical performance**"

"Talking Shop" is curated by Richard King, author of "How Soon is Now?: The Madmen and Mavericks who made Independent Music 1975-2005" (2012), and among the other talkers at the festival are James Yorkston, Pete Brown and Julian Cope.

And John Cale is also coming!

Fishy

This post is just here to admit that I sometimes kill my own dinner, and brag about a good catch yesterday!
Since I never learn what these guys are called in English (pollack - pollock?), lets go all Latin and call them Pollachius virens.

Whatever we call them, there are lots of them in the fjords around Bergen these days. Tasty too!

What a blog post! Just be glad I don´t go hunting!

1982 and B.J. Cole live in Copenhagen

Thanks to Jazz Peter) we now have three videos from 1982 and B.J. Cole´s concert at Copenhagen´s Jazzhouse 5 April!
Nils Økland (fiddles, violins), Øyvin Skarbø (drums, perc), Sigbjørn Apeland (harmonium) and BJ Cole (pedal steel). Enjoy!

Please go back to a previous post with Nils Økland solo during the same concert too.

Electric Eye: "Pick-up, Lift-off, Space, Time"

I already had a post on this release, but let´s hear it once more for the Bergen band Electric Eye, and their album "Pick-up, Lift-off, Space, Time" (Klangkollektivet 2013). Solid psychedelia, or is it kraut, or space rock, or does it matter at all?
You may check it out yourselves on SoundCloud (link from album name), and download all of it for at least 49 NOK (cheap!). The album is also released on vinyl. Good stuff, if you ask me!

The fine gentlemen Øystein Braut, Njaal Clementsen , Anders Bjelland and Øyvind Hegg-Lunde are Electric Eye.

Ivor Cutler: If Everybody

Ivor Cutler from Mark Seddon on Vimeo.

Oh come on, you really have time to watch this one! A simple, but elegant video for Ivor Cutler´s "If Everybody", lasting 9 seconds!

"If Everybody" was originally released on "Dandruff" (Virgin 1974).

Poing and Maja Ratkje play Bowie

poing and maja ratkje: rock n roll suicide from ABWrecking on Vimeo.

Maja S. K. Ratkje and POING - Rolf-Erik Nystrøm (sax), Håkon Thelin (bass) and Frode Haltli (accordeon), do David Bowies "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide", at Cafeteatret in Oslo May 1.

The video is filmed from above, but who cares!?

Svarte Greiner: Black Tie (Miasmah 2013)

Svarte Greiner (Erik Skodvin) just released his new album "Black Tie" on Miasmah (2012).

It is still dark, spooky and beautiful ambient, and we get two long tracks called "Black Tie" and "White Noise". The music was originally composed for an installation by the Norwegian artist Marit Følstad.

Great stuff again from Skodvin!

Over at Miasmah they describe the music like this:

'Black Tie' was the piece which ended up being used in the installation itself, and is the closest to Skodvin's established sound as it stops time around its creaking cello, plucked strings and whispering ambience. Subtle and slow, the track blooms into a skeletal cloud of radio static and distortion before sinking back down to earth on those familiar moaning strings.

With 'White Noise' however Skodvin takes us on a different journey, allowing panoramic synthesizer drones to take control while Middle Eastern strings chime in the distance. Transcendent and disarming, Skodvin manages to connect the dots between Biosphere, Thomas Koner and of course Deaf Center and still emerge with something fresh and unexpected. More than simply an accompanying work to aninstallation, 'Black Tie' is a crucial new chapter in the Svarte Greiner evolution, and one that should give a few clues as to what might come next.

1982 - Live at Kaleidophon Ulrichsberg

My favorite folk imrov trio 1982, filmed 3 May during Kaleidophon Ulrichsberg 2013.

Sigbjørn Apeland (harmonium, piano), Nils Økland (Hardanger fiddle, Viola d´amore, fiolin) and Øyvind Skarbø (drums).

Ivor Cutler: Pussy On The Mat

Oops! A horror video to Ivor Cutler´s "Pussy on the mat".
Please don´t try this at home, listen to Mr. Cutler instead!

The song is on "Privilege", originally released by Rough Trade in 1983.

Johnny Hash: "Summer Of Cum (For Robert Wyatt)"

What is this then? Tough garage rock indeed, but is it really dedicated too our Robert Wyatt?

Info from YouTube:
Johnny Hash, Summer Of Cum 7" (In The Red, 1995, ITR 028)
1. Summer Of Cum (For Robert Wyatt)
2. Rat Pedal

Dan Brown: guitar, bass, vocals
Marty Moore: drums

Kim Hiorthøy and Lisa Östberg - YOU

Check out this great video from Kim Hiorthøy and Lisa Östberg on the project "You"!
I kind of like the short description over at Göteborgs Dans & Teater Festival: "You is about projects, and how to make them. It is also about drums and failure, and ghosts, and David Attenborough".

Artist, cover designer and musician Kim Hiorthøy has been guesting the blog several times, and Lisa Östberg joined when I gave thumbs up to their album "Drivan" (Smalltown Supersound 2010).

David S. Ware - A World of Sound

The David Lynch Foundation Television present "David S. Ware - A world of sound", a video by Amine Kouider.

Otomo Yoshihide & Paal Nilssen-Love live in Bergen

I just have to tell you I heard Otomo Yoshihide (guitar) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums) playing a great gig in front of 20 - 30 people in a small café in Bergen last night.

What a duo! During the first part of the concert, they dished out noise, impro, rock(?), soundscapes and you name it, muscular and loud as hell, with tender moments in between the blow outs.
The second (and much shorter) part of the concert was more minimalistic, with Yoshihide hitting the guitar, more than playing the strings to make sounds. Worked fine too.

I feel lucky to be able to watch and listen to artists like these guys, sitting just a few meters away. Arenas? Not for me, thanks!

Frode Haltli and Jon Balke

vandring from ijb on Vimeo.

kyanos from ijb on Vimeo.

IJ Biermann is still working on "Sculpting Sound", the film about Maja Ratkje, but is making portraits of other Norwegian artists too!

Check out the "still videos" with Frode Haltli and Jon Balke!

Let´s cite Biermann on the videos (from Vimeo):
Part of a series of "music video portraits" on musicians, to be put together in the end into a programme of 10-12 similar minimally visualized songs/musicians, like an album. The series will be called "Portraits". All the portraits will feature a personal song by the respective artist, with a still portrait filmed in a personal place, e.g. their appartment, if possible with a view through the window into their living surroundings.

S.O.S.: Looking for the Next One

S.O.S. must have been a supertrio in British jazz in the 70s (not that I noticed), with John Surman (baritone and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet, synthesizer, keyboards), Mike Osborne (alto saxophone, percussion) and Alan Skidmore (soprano and tenor saxophones, drums).

They only released one album, "S.O.S." (Ogun 1975), and it´s on Duncan Heining´s list of 100 essential British jazz albums, as stated in the book "Trad Dads, Dirty Boppers and Free Fusioneers".

21 May Cuneiform will release the trio´s "Looking For The Next One", saying it´s "a compilation of rare and unissued studio sessions and live recordings, will not only rekindle discussions about S.O.S.’s innovative music among connoisseurs, but introduce their exciting, virtuosic music to a new generation of listeners".

Tony Levin is drumming on a couple of tracks too.

Pre-order right away, from over here.

The Red Flag

Are you having a great International Workers´ Day?

Sing along to Robert Wyatt´s version of "The Red Flag" (Jim Connell)! The song is on Wyatt´s album "Nothing Can Stop Us" from 1982, and you may also buy it on iTunes.