Big pre-Christmas release at Moldejazz

Bill Frisell has an indisputable legendary status and is well known to the Moldejazz audience with several concerts since "A Molde Concert" (ECM release) in 1981. Julian Lage is considered by many to be the new "jazz hope" on the guitar side. He had a brilliant concert with his trio during Storyville's Jazzfest In 2018. Gyan Riley, on the other hand, is just as much an "up and coming" name among classically trained guitarists.

The music they will perform is taken from Zorn's 2019 release “Nove Cantici Per Francesco d’Assisi” (Tzadik). On this release, the composer Zorn shows himself from a completely different side than the avant-garde jazz most people associate him with. The music has a sacred feel and goes in the direction of Spanish people and flamenco. According to a review in All About Jazz, Zorn's compositions are picturesque and evoke images of idyllic villages and snow-capped mountain peaks while portraying human destinies in longing and pain. All About jazz concludes that Zorn's "extra-jazz" compositions also maintain a very high level. The combination of the three virtuoso guitarists and the beautiful music makes this a concert that embraces a very wide range. And, as both the theme and the music clearly invite, this must be a church concert! The opening concert in 2022 thus gets an exciting twist and will be held in Molde Cathedral on Monday 18 July at 18.00! Join us for this event!

Bill Frisell - guitar, Julian Lage - guitar, Gyan Riley - guitar

Zorn's musical version of this world is performed by a spectacular piano trio from New York's creative downtown scene with pianist Brian Marsella, bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Kenny Wollesen. The band interprets Zorn's suite through various expressions, from introspective elegance to terrific excursions. Beautiful, engaging, virtuoso and varied music, where nine compositions each represent their own card in the deck. The critics describe Zorn's theme as brilliant and write that the three musicians contribute to further enhancing the qualities.

Brian Marsella - piano, Trevor Dunn - bass, Kenny Wollesen - drums

Topaz, Broken Arm and Grains of Paradise are three of his own bands and he has played with such different artists as Laurie Anderson, Courtney Love and Alanis Morissette. During Moldejazz 2022 he will do a solo concert and perform the music from the album "Volac" which is part of John Zorn's "Book of Angels" which in turn is part of his "Masada Songbook".

The concert is part of the concept "Frijazz at Krona".

Erik Friedlander - cello

The New Masada Quartet is not behind any previous editions. In the new edition of the band, he has included jazz's new super guitarist Julian Lage, a unique that has given chin drops to both musicians and audiences

John Zorn has had several versions of his Masada quartet, including Electric Masada feat Marc Ribot who visited Moldejazz in 2003.

One reviewer characterized John Zorn as "The Godfather of Joyful Jazz." Not happy jazz in the traditional sense, but music that never stands still and that catches an audience with open ears. This edition of the Masada quartet is new, but has, among other things, moved to make an acclaimed guest performance over several days at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York in the autumn of 2019.

John Zorn - alto saxophone, Julian Lage - guitar, Jorge Roeder - bass and Kenny Wollesen - drums

On Wednesday 20 July, the stage is set for what many will probably see as the main concerts during John Zorn's residency; “The Bagatelles Marathon part I and part II”

It's an event in Moldejazz history when John Zorn and 29 other of the world's leading improvising musicians do the Bagatelles Marathon part I and part II.

The music is based on compositions Zorn wrote in the spring of 2015, collected under the title Bagatelles. Through two concerts on Wednesday during the festival week, twelve ensembles perform more than fifty of the compositions. The ensembles include core members of Zorn's inner circle, as well as adventurously gifted younger musicians from jazz, rock, and classical music.

Bagatelles Marathon is a fascinating microcosm of Zorn's musical universe. Several hours of music divided into two performances, played by some of the most exciting musicians in New York's live music environment, constitute a monumental Moldejazz event. Among the participating musicians we find key innovators such as Craig Taborn and Kris Davis, guitarists Julian Lage, Marc Ribot and Mary Halvorson, plus many, many more. For those who have not had time to follow so closely, this will be an opportunity to discover personalities that characterize the music scene in several genres, both today and this year ahead.

MASADA: Julian Lage - guitar, Dave Douglas - trumpet, Greg Cohen - bass, Joey Baron - drums
BRIAN MARSELLA SOLO (Piano)
MARY HALVORSON QUARTET: Mary Halvorson - guitar, Miles Okazaki - guitar, Drew Gress - bass, Tomas Fujiwara - drums
BEN GOLDBERG QUARTET: Ben Goldberg - clarinet, Craig Taborn - piano, Jorge Roeder - bass, Thomas Morgan - bass
TRIGGER: Will Greene - guitar, Simon Hanes - bass, Aaron Edgcomb - drums

This is part two of the exclusive project "Bagatelles Marathon"

NOVA QUARTET: Brian Marsella - piano, Kenny Wollesen - vibes, Trevor Dunn - bass, Joey Baron - drums
GYAN RILEY (Guitar) AND JULIAN LAGE (Guitar)
PETER EVANS Solo Trumpet
BRIAN MARSELLA TRIO: Brian Marsella - piano, Trevor Dunn - bass, Kenny Wollesen - drums
ASMODEUS: Marc Ribot - guitar, Trevor Dunn - bass, Kenny Grohowski - drums

Although Zorn's music can often be intense and extravagant, this work is described as breathtakingly beautiful, and it is characterized by the spiritual mood, colors and contrasts that a church organ provides opportunities for. It is time for a powerful and different concert when John Zorn sits down at the organ in Molde Cathedral.

John Zorn - organ

Julian Lage - gitar, Matt Hollenberg - guitar, Brian Marsella - fender rhodes, piano og orgel, Trevor Dunn - bass, Joey Baron - trommer, Kenny Grohowski - trommer.

A master meeting between Charles Lloyd and Bill Frisell

Characteristic of some of the greatest jazz musicians is that they are storytellers. Charles Lloyd is one of jazz's foremost communicators. He has a unique presence, with a warm and passionate musicality that reaches the souls of the listeners. Especially in his older days, he has found his way back to the source of music, and to a sensitivity that is difficult to capture in words.

Guitarist Bill Frisell is his own genre. Jazz from the traditional to the avant-garde, blues, americana, country, rock m.m. form parts of an unusually wide palette. No matter what musical landscape he is in, his unique tonal and instrumental expression emerges. No wonder Arild Andersen took him with him when he got to put together his dream band for Moldejazz in 1981, a concert that became a bit legendary also through the live album "A Molde Concert" on ECM.

Frisell was still in school when Charles Loyd in the 1960s started a quartet with young foals Keith Jarrett and Jack de Johnette in the crew. The quartet played at Moldejazz in 1966 and received a huge response from the audience in a packed Molde cinema. The live album "Forest Flower" from the Monterey Jazz Festival became an instant classic with millions of sales. This, as well as collaboration with blues legend Muddy Waters. Beach Boys and others, Lloyd provided an audience far beyond the jazz people. After a few years of success, he retired and lived an anonymous life in Big Sur, until pianist Michel Petrucciani got him back to active music practice again.

Since then, Lloyd has gone from strength to strength, touring the world with changing crews. As his old friend from his hometown of Memphis, Booker T (Jones) once said: Charles Lloyd is a gift to the world. Now he and Bill Frisell have put together a quartet you will hardly get to experience again.

Charles Lloyd, saxophone, flute, Bill Frisell, guitar, Reuben Rogers, bass, Eric Harland, drums

She represents a development and continuation of the tradition after Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and other greats.

Moldejazz has been trying to get her and the band to town for years, but deviant tour plans and pandemics have gotten in the way.

Haitian-born Cécile McLorin Salvant is a brilliant storyteller and interpreter of music and lyrics from various traditions and eras, through jazz, blues, vaudeville, chansons and some more. She is blessed with a vocal splendour that takes us from the great depths to ditto heights, with an intonation, dynamics and tonal variation that is unique. An exceptionally charismatic stage personality takes the audience on an exciting journey - as Eurwe wrote after a concert in the Hollywood Bowl: "Cécile McLorin Salvant walked out, took the stage, and sang her heart out… whatever she sings, she tends to make her own »

Some people probably remember her as a member of the septet "Woman to Woman" at Moldejazz 2017 (link to festival newspaper Fire Flates review), when many came out of the concert with stars in their eyes after experiencing a singer they had never heard of. Five years later, she has consolidated her position as one of jazz's big stars and comes with her own band where great instrumentalists dress and complement her music in a brilliant way.

Cecile McLorin Salvant - Vocals, Sullivan Fortner - Piano, Marvin Sewell – Guitar, Alexa Tarantino – Flutes, Paul Sikivie - Bass, Keita Ogawa – Percussion

The English stage for jazz and related delights has really flourished in the last decade. Perhaps the brightest shining star now is the multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, and composer Emma-Jean Thackray from Leeds.

This year she had an international breakthrough with the highly profitable debut album "Yellow", released on a subtitle by Warp.

Through 47 free-flowing minutes, the album offers groovy, spiritual jazz that draws glowing red threads between seventies jazz fusion, p-funk, the cosmic excursions of Alice Coltrane and Sun Ra, and the Beach Boys' innovative soundscapes. Although her music has a clear British touch, it is also natural to mention her in the same words as American contemporary heroes such as Thundercat, Kendrick Lamar, Kamasi Washington. The whole thing is doomed suggestive and catchy and has all the explosive power needed to reach a large audience across genre boundaries.

We look forward to being taken on a life-affirming trip into the cosmos with one of Europe's most exciting young jazz artists

The recent album "After The Great Storm" and "How Beauty Holds the Hand of Sorrow" (2020) fit nicely into the gold row. "Directions Tour" 2015/16 clearly demonstrated that Ane Brun is among our very best live artists. Since then, Ane has had a long series of concerts in various constellations - solo, duo, with a full band and with various symphony orchestras.

In the lead of their new live band - still with Martin Hederos on piano / keys and Johan Lindström on guitar / steel - pure concert magic is expected at Romsdalsmuseet on Thursday 21 July!

We look forward to new music and more unforgettable musical moments.

Since the big breakthrough with the album "Solidarity Breaks" in 2011, Bernhoft has become a regular at the international Nobel concerts, won several Spellemann awards and been headliner at all the major Norwegian festivals several times. When the album "Islander" from 2015 was nominated for a Grammy in the genre R&B - it was the first time a non-American had received a nomination in this category.

About the recent album "Dancing On My Knees", Bernhoft himself says that it is the most personal he has made. During both writing and recording, he has been a little more devilishly open-minded than before. The collaborators have pushed him out of his comfort zone and the result he calls an exercise in standing exposed, not only naked, but skinned. He chose the title because he feels he is always on his way, down or up, with the disco ball at the top. If you ask us, it is likely that Bernhoft will continue his journey upwards!

"Surpasses himself on his fifth album" (Dagbladet)

Metteson's music invites both insight and dreamy escape from reality. This is the ultimate soundtrack for both those who take off on the dance floor and those who sit at home and never got out on the town. We are talking genuine pathos, melancholy and great emotions delivered without embarrassment and with great credibility. Metteson enchants and convinces!

Sigrid is a self-proclaimed fan, and during by: Larm Metteson received the award for Star Shot of the Year and NOK 500 000 NOK. The concert in the same place was also one of the festival's most talked about.

In other words, the pandemic has not managed to put an end to this artist's breakthrough, and there are high expectations for what he can achieve in the coming year! The recent single "Under Your Shirt" got off to a flying start when Metteson was a guest at Lindmo in prime time.