Music Norway is back at BIG EARS in 2018 with a handful of performances that highlight the country’s diverse taste in music. Below is a sample of what to expect.
The Guide • Bela Fleck Interview • Ashley Capps Interview • BIG EARS: Appalachia • Music Norway • BIG EARS App (i) • BIG EARS App (Droid) • Tickets
Jaga Jazzist
Brothers Lars and Martin Horntveth became phenoms of the jazz world while they were still in their teens. Their surprise debut of upbeat, quirky nu jazz—plus a spunky live show—landed them a contract with Warner. 2002’s ‘A Livingroom Hush,’ their first for the major label, netted them the coveted Norwegian music Alarm Award, and was named the best jazz album of the year by the BBC. Nearly a decade later, the outlet now describes the ensemble, which has flourished into an instrumentally ambidextrous 8-piece, as “what all modern forward-thinking bands should aspire to.”
That’s because, over the last two dozen years, Jaga Jazzist has evolved their kaleidoscopic take on the genre through instrumental diversity and a mind-bendingly broad range of styles and influences, from Dungen to Miles Davis to Squarepusher. One constant is the group’s tendency toward strong melodies and rhythms, which serve as a lifeline throughout their more chaotic, improvisational jaunts. 2015’s ‘Starfire,’ the group’s sixth full-length album, finds new inspiration in place, after Jaga’s primary songwriter, Lars Horntveth, relocated from Norway to Los Angeles. Like Daft Punk sitting in with an adventurous string quartet, ‘Starfire”s vast fusion of classical, jazz, and layered electronics eventually twist their way to crescendo. It’s at once classic and futuristic, a perfect snapshot of a group that insists on pressing ever ahead.
SHOWTIMES:
Thursday 22 • 10:15 PM – 11:15 PM • Bijou Theatre
Friday Mar 23 • 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM • The Mill & Mine
Jenny Hval
Norwegian artist and writer Jenny Hval has developed her distinct take on intimate sound since the release of her debut eponymous album in 2006. For her last two solo albums, 2013’s Innocence Is Kinky and 2015’s Apocalypse, girl, she has received thoughtful and widespread international acclaim for her fascinating voice, singular delivery and markedly non-traditional arrangements which incorporate elements of poetry, prose writing, performance art, and film. The New York Times defines her writing as “taking a scalpel to the subjects of gender politics and sexuality.” Hval has eloquently brought to light issues of both male and female gaze, which for years had been swept under the rug and/or denied altogether.
Friday Mar 23 • 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM • Bijou Theatre
Susanna
Norwegian artist Susanna (1979) is the woman behind Susanna and the Magical Orchestra // Susanna // Susanna Wallumrød, releasing music since 2004 through independent labels like Norwegian Rune Grammofon and German ECM Records, and through her own label SusannaSonata since 2011. She is known for her transforming of songs by AC/DC, Dolly Parton, Thin Lizzy and Leonard Cohen among others, but also for her strong originals and her collaboration with artists like Jenny Hval, Ensemble neoN and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy.
11 albums so far (by 2017) – all highly acclaimed, the most recent one ‘Triangle’ is a massive 22 songs long song cycle which has received praise in Norway and abroad, and won the Norwegian Grammy Award Spellemannprisen in Open Category.
Susanna, Giovanna Pessi, Frode Haltli, Cheyenne Mize & Susan Alcorn
Thursday, Mar 22 • Venue Visit Knoxville • 12:00PM – 1:00PM
Susanna • Thursday, Mar 22 • Bijou Theatre • 8:45 PM – 9:45 PM
Susanna ft. Giovanna Pessi, Frode Haltli & Cheyenne Mize with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
Friday, Mar 23 • Bijou Theatre • 10:00 PM – 11:30 PM
The Thing
The Thing are a Norwegian/Swedish jazz trio, consisting of Mats Gustafsson (saxophones), Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (double bass), and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums).
The trio was a long wanted constellation where several musical styles meet in a very high energetic outlet. All members are influenced by different traditions of free music derived from Germany, England and the US, and these influences are to be felt not necessarily heard.
Friday, Mar 23 • The Standard • 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Paal Nilssen-Love & Arto Lindsay
Infamous drummer from Norway touring the world constantly. During Big Ears he is playing in the band The Thing and together with Arto Lindsay.
Today his portfolio also includes his own trio with Ken Vandermark and Ab Baars, the bands Large Unit, School Days, The Thing, Scorch Trio, Territory Band, FME, and various duo projects such as with reedmen Peter Brötzmann & Ken Vandermark, guitarist Terrie Hessels (The Ex), saxophonist John Butcher, organist Nils Henrik Asheim and noise experimentalist Lasse Marhaug.
Saturday, Mar 24 • The Standard • 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
The Guide • Bela Fleck Interview • Ashley Capps Interview • BIG EARS: Appalachia • Music Norway • BIG EARS App (i) • BIG EARS App (Droid) • Tickets
