Composers cabin

Just finished one nice week up in a small mountain cabin, composing music for Vossajazz.

VOSSAJAZZ 9 April 2017

Terje Isungset composing new music to be performed at Vossajazz!

Check out this line up!

Arve Henriksen – trumpet, vocal, electronics

Sissel Vera Pettersen – vocal, electronics, saxophone

Morten Qvenild – piano

Nils Økland – viola d`amore

Mats Eden – viola d àmore

Mats Eilertsen – bass

Terje Isungset: drums, percussion, mouth harp

Asle Karstad – surround - sound design

New music.

World premiere at Vossajazz April 9 - 2017.

What is the sound of water? How can we hear what fish hear? Terje Isungset explores water in his new commisioned work «Sildrande» (Drizzling), together with some of Norway’s finest contemporary jazz musicians. Isungset is well known in Norway for his will to experiment as a composer and drummer/percussionist. He often uses nature as both inspiration and instrument – he has made music based on ice, wood and stones in earlier works.

Terje Isungset skriv ny musikk til Vossa Jazz 2017, og tek med seg nokre av dei beste jazz- og samtidsmusikarane i landet på scena!

Korleis er lyden av sildrande vatn? Kanskje det finst tonar inni ein liten, klukkande bekk? Kan desse tonane danna ei ramme for ein komposisjon, melodi eller ei lydverd? Kva om ein speglar lydane av instrumenta ned i vatnet, med hjelp frå ein «hydrofon»? Får me høyra det same som fisken då?

Terje Isungset har jobba med desse spørsmåla det siste året og svara får me kanskje i urframføringa på Vossa Jazz. Isungset er kjend for sin kontinuerlege musikalske eksperimentering som komponist, perkusjonist og lydkunstnar. Han har fleire titals innspelingar bak seg, og nyttar ofte naturen som inspirasjon og instrument i verka sine. Han har jobba med ulike og ofte uvante kombinasjonar av lydkjelder som bukkehorn, munnharpe, tre, stein, glas og is.

Det sildrande eller rennande – det utømmelege. Ei livskjelde eller ei oppkome. Dette kan vera konkret i form av vatn – verdas viktigaste ressurs – eller i overført tyding i form av kreativitet, idéar og musikk. Den som kjem får sjå!

Arve Henriksen – trompet, vokal, elektronikk

Sissel Vera Pettersen – vokal, elektronikk, saksofon

Morten Qvenild – piano

Nils Økland – feler

Mats Eden – feler

Mats Eilertsen – kontrabass

Terje Isungset: trommer, perkusjon, munnharpe

Asle Karstad – surround-lyddusj

Vossajazz

Photo: Knut Bry

Swedish Grammy nominee for Groupa!

Groupa is nominated for Album of the year - Folk,Singer/Songwriter 2016.

LINK to web site

Photo by Knut Bry/Cover by Lasse Berntzen

Icemusicfestival documentary broadcast on Australian TV

UK made documentary about Icemusicfestival on Foxtel - Dec 10 & 12.

"Norwegian percussionist Terje Isungset with his team of dedicated musicians and sculptures called the 'Ice Team', builds and play instruments made entirely of ice at the Ice Music Festival in Norway, the only festival of its kind".

(photo by Emile Holba)

Terje Isungset solo drums - tour in Japan 2017 confirmed.

Mid February 2017 Terje Isungset will perform 5 concerts in Tokyo.

More details to come.

Great review of Oase album

Så vidt jeg vet er det første gang de to går i studio sammen for å lage noe som duo. Mesteparten er gjort i Lærdal Lydstudio den 14. desember i 2014, mens Pettersen har lagt på noe man følte manglet, senere i The Village Studio i København, hos Thomas Vang, den 11. mai i år.

Vi får ti låter eller strekk, hvor det er lett å ty til flosklene om den norske jazzen, om at den minner om fjell og fjord, snø og vidde, og alt som har med norsk naturen å gjøre.

Alle ti strekkene er relativt løse i «snippen». Isungset har lagt ut en del rytmiske og melodiske strekk, som Pettersen har hengt seg på, utfylt og gjort fullverdige.

Og det har unektelig vært en suksess. Pettersens vokal er som ei budeie som lokker på kyrne, særlig i andresporet «Aerial», under Isungsets rytmiske og drivende perkusjon. I tredjesporet, «Oase», får vi Pettersens vokal som en stilleflytende bekk om våren, sammen med enkel og raffinert elektronikk over Isungsets enorme stortrommelyd og smakfulle steinperkusjon.

Og slik fortsetter det. Steinperkusjonen slik Isungset gjør det er det, så vidt jeg vet, bare han som gjør i hele verden. Og det låter originalt og fint hele veien. Og perfekt til nesten hvilken som helst, norsk naturfilm som vil bli laget framover.

Mange trekker gjerne sammenligninger til naturen i Jan Garbareks musikk. Hos Pettersen og Isungset får vi den norske naturen rett inn i stua på en helt annen måte. I femtesporet, «Jorden», synes jeg vi kan merke det spesielt. Med Pettersens ordløse sang, som ligger tett på den norske folkemusikken, og Isungsets løse perkusjonsspill.

I det hele tatt er dette blitt en nesten usigelig vakker plate, hvor Isungsets originale perkusjon koblet opp til Pettersens fine sang, fløytespill og elektronikk, skaper en trolsk og vakker stemning, som på mange måter kan inngå som en del av den nye, norske folkemusikken. Strålende!

Jan Granlie

Salt Peanuts link

New CD release: Terje Isungset & Sissel Vera Pettersen: "Oase"

New album to be released on Dec the first!

You can pre-listen here:iTunes

New album: Terje Isungset & Sissel Vera Pettersen, “OASE”

It might be improvised, it might be melodic or abstract structures - it might be wild and powerful or even very silent and beautiful.

The music of the album “Oase” is something by its own, and it doesn´t fit into any specific style. Sometimes inspired by  nature - wild, strong, fragile, wet, dry, cold or warm - or sometimes inspired by everyday life in general.

This recording beautifully captures the first duo encounter between two kindred musical spirits. An intuitive conversation between two significant improvisers who share a subtle discipline that results in a focused and cohesive whole. Terje Isungset and Sissel Vera Pettersen have previously collaborated in larger constellations, and through those grew a strong wish to explore common sonorities in duo format. They both draw on inspiration from nature and a wide range of musical cultures, and they both move in musical landscapes where resonance, timbre, space and texture are essential points of navigation. Wordless vocals, live electronic processing, and the use of instruments hand crafted from arctic birch, granite, slate and rams horn, results in a genre-defying album, and soundscapes much different than what you would expect from a duo of voice and drums.

Terje Isungset is counted as one of Europe's most acclaimed and innovative percussionist. For over two decades, he has experimented and challenged the limits of jazz and Scandinavian traditional music.

Crafting his own instruments from Norwegian natural elements such as arctic birch, granite, slate, sheep bells and even ice, he is highly recommended to those sensible to the poetry and simplicity of sounds. “Timbres” and “colours” are central in Terje Isungsets music and compositions.

In the press, his work has often been described as innovative, visual, energetic, and different from any previously known concepts. Isungset has also been commissioned to compose music for Jazz Festivals, Dance Performances, Theatre, Film, etc. (40 commissed concerts) His composition efforts have also brought nine critically acclaimed solo CD`s. In the book Percussion Profiles Isungset was given a thorough presentation. “Interviews-articles and discographies of 25 of the worlds most creative percussionists”. He has been given the Norwegian awards Jazz musician of the year and composer of the year.

Sissel Vera Pettersen is widely renowned for her extended and experimental vocal techniques, often paired with a highly creative use of live electronics. She has collaborated with artists such as John Hollenbeck, Chick Corea, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Jon Balke, Theo Bleckmann, Marc Ducret, and Lionel Loueke, and has toured extensively all over Europe, in USA and Africa. Pettersen is the artistic leader of the vocal ensemble Trondheim Voices.

Selected press quotes: 

“Her voice a transparent gossamer of silk.” ”Hers is an instrument that can scape sound and syllable, making it the messenger of every articulation whether it is a whisper, an ululation or a prance on the edge of a scream”

-All about Jazz (USA)

"Capable of producing sustained lines of the utmost purity, wild ululations and the occasional melodic line that simply disappears off the treble clef, Pettersen's voice is an instrument of extraordinary flexibility. ...one of those powerful emotional jolts that really stirs the soul." -The Arts Desk (UK)

“In live perfomances one is struck by the flow of Sissels improvisations.

The sounds and tones just seem to pour out of her, each more daring than the next.

She makes screams, squeeks and noises dance over rythmic patterns as pirouettes on ice, while stretching time to it´s very limit.” 

-Lira Music Magazine, (SE)

Terje Isungset`s lifework in Financial Times today

Financial Times

A portrait of my lifework in main UK newspaper today.

Award for film at Madrid International LGBT Film Festival

"Celui qui a deux âmes" de Fabrice Luang-Vija vient d'obtenir le Prix du Meilleur court métrage d'animation au 21ème Madrid International LGBT Film Festival 

Film with Icemusic by Isungset.

Groupa, Kind of Folk album listed as highlight!

Swedish magazine Lira arrived today with a review:

"Groupa is and remains a unique phenomenon, and Kind of Folk meet my very high expectations for this brilliant band. One of the year's best and most wayward albums!" 

"Groupa är och förblir ett unikum, och Kind of Folk uppfyller mina synnerligen höga förväntningar på detta briljanta band. En av årets bästa och mest egensinniga skivor!"

From Pastemagazine.com:

"The result of these three masters coming together is a magical musical geography that uses the natural timbres of wood and stone to amplify a kind of organic sound as rooted in Sweden’s past as in its future. Their last album, Silent Folk, was a masterpiece, and the new album, due out later this month, promises to be an interesting fusion of ancient tradition and modern sensibilities".

MDR Kultur:
"Groupa" - das sind Urgestein der Szene, aus dem starken Revival der alten Musik in Schweden ist dort längst neue Tradition geworden. "Groupa" als Trio ragt heraus, es klingt so minimalistisch, introspektiv wie nie zuvor und und geht innovativ mit dem alten Rohmaterial um. Nicht ohne Selbstironie nannten die Musiker aus Schweden mit einem Gast aus Norwegen ihr neues Album: "Kind of folk" - eine Art Volksmusik. Man sieht vereiste Fjorde und frisch gefallenen Schnee beim Hören.

Salt Peanuts:

".. dette er strålende musikk fra det «höga» nord, som bude være en hit på samtlige jazz- og folkemusikkfestivaler fra Italia og Spania i sør til Svalbard i nord. Strålende!"

Icemusic & glacier science tour.

We are doing two weeks of concerts combining icemusic and ice science.

This seems more important than ever to do. 

Professor Kerim Nisancioglu Hestnes with two of his students Nadine Steiger and Silje Smith-Johnsen are presenting facts concerning the melting of the Greenland Sheet.

Terje Isungset, Maria Skranes, Brynjar Vik, Atle Sekkingstad, Anastasia Isachsen and Aslak Bøygard are presenting the Icemusic concert.

6 Days left only:

Øystese, Sauda, Suldal, Forsand, Rennesøy, Strand and Bergen.

Photos from our concert at de Doelen, Rotterdam Oct 28th 2016

Jan Hordijk: Photos. 

Terje Isungset: Icemusician

Maria Skranes: Voice & electronics.

Anastasia Isachsen: Video design & light.

Tim Hand: Ice crew.

Tor Magne Hallibakken: Sound design

600 people in the audience this evening.