Tempest Revisited Hedvig Mollestad

• 1 Sun On A Dark Sky 07:29
• 2 Winds Approaching 07:38
• 3 Kittywakes In Gusts 06:39
• 4 418 (Stairs In Storms) 11:16
• 5 High Hair 07:50
• Total Runtime 40:52

Info for Tempest Revisited

Hedvig Mollestad must surely be one of the hardest working musicians on the Norwegian music scene at the moment, with "Tempest Revisited" being her third album in a mere 18 months, all at a consistently high artistic level.

Her first solo album, "Ekhidna" (2020), received a Spellemannpris (Norwegian Grammy), appeared on several jazz and rock best of the year lists and got her into Downbeat's "25 for the future" selection.

"Tempest Revisited" draws lines back to 1998 and the very beginning of Rune Grammofon. This was the year we released "Electric", the collected electronic works of Arne Nordheim, one of Norway's greatest composers.

It was also the year when parts of "The Tempest", possibly his most cherished and well-known work, was chosen to be performed at the opening of Parken, the new cultural house in Ålesund, birthplace of Hedvig Mollestad.

To celebrate 20 years, the culture house was ready for a new storm, and the first name that came to them was Hedvig, a local artist that was already making waves on the international scene with her power-trio.

Hedvig took inspiration from the front of the house, adorned with Nordheim's score for "The Tempest", at the same time making a direct connection to the sometime heavy weather conditions of this coastal area in the northwest part of Norway.

One could say it's a big paradox that over all this might be Hedvig's most lyrical and less aggressive collection of music.

On the other hand it's quite a dynamic record, lots of light and shade and enough sonic parts at work to evoke the elements, the mighty Gran Cassa drum only one of them.

The music included here was adapted from the initial performance in 2018 and produced by Hedvig in the studio the following year for this album release.

The musicians included are old friends Marte Eberson from the Ekhidna band, Ivar Loe Bjornstad from her trio and Trond Frones (Red Kite) on bass as well as three sax players.

Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen, guitar
Trond Frønes, bass
Martin Myhre Olsen, saxophone
Karl Nyberg, saxophone
Peter Erik Vergeni, saxophone
Marte Eberson, keyboards
Ivar Loe Bjørnstad, drums, percussion

Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen
founded Hedvig Mollestad Trio in 2009, and the still consisting members are Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen – guitar, Ellen Brekken – bass, Ivar Loe Bjørnstad – drums. The group was founded by Thomassen after she was awarded the prize «the young jazz talent of the year» at Molde Int. Jazz Festival the same year. The following year they toured Norway, recorded their material, and got a record deal on the highly acclaimed record label Rune Grammofon. The trio have since then released Shoot! (2011), All Of Them Witches (2013) (for which they were nominated for Norwegian Grammy in the Rock Category), Enfant Terrible (2014), Black Stabat Mater (2016), the live album Evil in Oslo (2016) and Smells funny (2018). All releases got stunning reviews in national and international press, to mention a few: The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Mojo, Uncut!, Classic Rock and All About Jazz. Next release is nov 30th in Norway and jan 18th international, titled Smells Funny.

Hedvig Mollestad Trio have played hundreds of concerts, including jazz clubs all over Norway, all the big jazz festivals in Norway (Kongsbergjazz, Moldejazz, Trondheim Jazzfest, Maijazz, Nattjazz, Sildajazz), but also large music festivals like SXSW, Berlin Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Pori Jazz, Tampere Jazz Happening, Coastal Jazz, Ottawa Jazz Fatival. Øyafestival, Varangerfestivalen, Tons of Rock, Utkantfestival and PstereoFestivalen to mention a few. They have toured extendedly in Europe twice (Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, France, Italy) and also Japan and Malaysia. They played at SXSW in 2014 and had new songs premiered in Wall Street Journal and on Guitar Player, and also a great review of both their gig and record by senior editor in Rolling Stone David Fricke.

In 2013 and through 2014 Hedvig Mollestad Trio started touring for Concerts Norway. Concerts Norway is Norway’s largest communicator of live music, and owned by the Ministry of Culture. Their primary target groups are children and young people, and each year they organize some 9000 school concerts in Norway.

Their latest release has again been covered and applauded by medias like Rolling Stone, Classic Rock, Down Beat, The Wire, Mojo, Uncut to mention a few. They have previously also teamed up with the highly acclaimed and long time saxophone rrrrriot boy Mats Gustafsson, known for his extended work as a musicien beyond borders, with no bounderies or limitations, as Mollestad and Bjørnstad also takes part in several versions of Gustafssons NU-ensemble.

They are currently doin extensive touring both in Norway and Europe to promote their latest album.

This album contains no booklet.