Norway has a rich, too often overlooked tradition of turning out strikingly original, emotionally powerful jazz and experimental music. That tradition, going back to pioneers like Jan Garbarek, has never been more vibrant – thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of guitarist-composer Hedvig Mollestad.
On her latest album, Tempest Revisited — out November 19 via Rune Grammofon — Mollestad takes some cues from the past but remains steadfastly committed to forging a clear path of her own, bridging the riff-packed progressive jazz she creates with the trio she’s steered for the better part of a decade and a more nuanced, ethereal sound that’s steeped in nature.
“Working with material for Tempest Revisited, in the middle of all that pathos and passion, I really wanted to bring out a big fat riff that could merge broad smiles and head-banging, and where the band could really smash away,” says Hedvig of the track. “I wanted a title with a sense of humor, still attached to the topic of tempest, and I also wanted to have fun with the reeds, hence the really long coda where the saxes and guitar are up against each other with two different patterns, in the end finding together in the final massive thunders of the storm.”
What inspired “High Hair”?
I just wanted to make an ominous riff, that could be a platform for a keyboard solo and an ending to the show, making the saxes and guitar voices a fugue, moving around each other like mating snakes, also providing a good space for a solo stretch for Marte Eberson, that is really playing fantastic on this track!
What are some sources of inspiration for your storytelling?
Great literature, peoples life and mother earth.
Any funny anecdotes from the time you were recording or writing the album?
I remember when we rehearsed it for the very first performance, the bass player (not the one on the record) had lost something, he couldn’t find his belongings. Everybody had to look all around the building for a plastic bag containing 1 liter of skinny milk and his bank card.
Tell us about the music video and the idea behind it ?
We wanted to make a video that was a little creepy, a little freaky and
What’s a record that shaped your creativity?
Visions of the Emerald Beyond by Mahavishnu Orchestra
Who is an artist or band you look up to today?
I think my fellow norseman Stian Westerhus is an continuously evolving artist, as is Motorpsycho. I also admire a Norwegian performance trio called Små Grå, really demolishing the space between the performer, the audience and our inner self.
Any future projects?
Yes, just finished recording a major piece of music, Maternity Beat, with Trondheim Jazzorchester, which will be released next year, truly excited about that!
Top 3 dream collaborations?
I already feel incredible lucky to play with the fantastic musicians I have around me! But I really admire and would love to play with Craig Taborn, Tomeka Reid, Tyshawn Sorey, Jenny Curtis, Isaiah Mitchell, Jim Black.
What does music mean to you?
work, passion and joy!
