Kongsberg Jazz Festival 2005

likewise · June-21st-2005, 06:17 PM

http://www.kongsberg-jazzfestival.no...id=173&CID=172

July 6-9. The Schlippenbach Trio & Rudi Mahall top my list, many other class acts too. Anybody else going?

gnhrtg · June-22nd-2005, 03:44 AM

I had a pretty good time at this festival last year, though it was more for meeting our very own Sand than anything else - still The John Scofield Trio, Solveig Slettahjell, The Thing, Avanthagen (a set by Zach, Gustafsson, Dorner, X. Charles, McPhee, and a Norwegian whose name I can't recall), and McPhee's solo set were all good enough or better (perhaps there was more but this is all I remember).

Yes, some classy acts there: Apart from the two you've already noted, I would recommend that you try to see Arve Henriksen, Brad Mehldau, and the Henry Grimes trio with Drake and Murray if only to be able to provide your own take on how Grimes in particular and the music of this trio sounds. I will do my best to see Acoustic Masada at the North Sea Jazz festival, since I've never seen the band live, but I think you don't enjoy them much. Based on the one time I've seen him live with his quartet, I would advise skipping Kulhammar also.

The tickets are pretty expensive for this festival and with all the travelling and accomodation costs, it turned out to be beyond our reach this time around but we will try to make it next year, hopefully. I am really pissed off for having to miss the Schlippenbach Trio, envious already.

If no one else, I'm pretty sure Sand would be there this time as well.

likewise · June-22nd-2005, 04:30 AM

Thanks for the recommendations! I'll most certainly attend the Acoustic Masada concert too - though I'm no big fan of Zorn's sound, I'm always looking forward to being proved wrong & seduced by the real, live thing. And Avanthagen looks enticing, w/ the likes of Vandermark and young Norwegian guitarist Anders Hana, whose playing has impressed me before. Lots of - to me - unknown names too, which is nice.

The concerts seem to be scattered all over town though. What's your experience of this, as I'm not too keen on venue hopping.

And yeah, the prices are steep - but, thanks to connections

, this is no issue for me this time. So, very much looking forward to this, too bad you can't come.

gnhrtg · June-23rd-2005, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by likewise

The concerts seem to be scattered all over town though. What's your experience of this, as I'm not too keen on venue hopping.

Sorry to say, likewise, that you'll have to do quite a bit of precisely that. The venues are all over the place and the directions are most certainly not clear/good enough in themselves so you'll have to ask around for the hall/venue names - and beware, last year we were given wrong venue information at the information desk (though it was probably because the gent I asked was too busy at the moment). So, again, make good use of the program and ask around for the venues and I'd also double check with people in the line when you get to the venue.

Also, if last year is anything to go by, like most festivals they have a tight scheduling of concerts - so if you decide so stay for the encore on one and you anticipate the next concert (in a different venue) to be somewhat popular, and most of them turn out to be, you're almost guaranteed to get poor seating. Now for some, concert halls, this is not an issue but for the concerts in that club (forgot the name but there's only one, I think), especially for those with seating - as some are standing audience, try to get there early or else you'll be left standing crammed in a corner or sit in a place with just about zero visibility.

The small town the festival is held in is nice too. Yes, I will try my best to be there next year.

Sand · June-23rd-2005, 06:37 AM

I'll try to catch Schlippenbach, Henriksen/Ducret/Pettersen and Jon Balke Magnetic North Orhestra.
Actually, Vandermark/Hana and Fe-mail looks tempting, as do several other concerts.
Looks like I'll be there on Friday - and possibly on Thursday.

likewise · June-26th-2005, 07:38 AM

Gökhan, thanks for the info! I'll have to home in on my favourites (yes, fe-mail meets Wolf Eyes, too) and try to get there in time.

Sand, hope to see you there!

kyrre_laastad · June-26th-2005, 10:58 AM

It looks like I will be there as well. I'm up for a hang, if anyone else is interested. There's really nothing that I want to see on wednesday, so I doubt I'll be there. On thursday I think I will see Arve Henriksen et al, Paal/Ken Vandermark and Hamid Drake & Petter Wettre, and of course Mista Mehldau.
Friday looks like Fe-Mail/Wolf Eyes (to clear my ears out), Schlippenbach, Balke, Henry Grimes and then Cloroform (the good times are killing me).
Saturday will be Vandermark/Hana, though I fear that Anders will drown out Vandermark, Zorn, Tys Tys (Kresten Osgood on drums, farking unbelievable!), Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten's new quartet and then Andratx!!!!!! + jam (again, Osgood, and also Kullhamar (not too keen on him) and Ole Morten Vågan, which is a very capable bass player. I saw them earlier this year, and it was really good, although Zanussi Five kicked their asses later the same night. That says more about Zanussi Five, though).

Sand · July-2nd-2005, 03:56 AM

East meets West in Kongsberg. I'm in the neighbourhood and I'll just say welcome!

I've made sure that I have tickets for Arve Henriksen's Solo (Marc Ducret and vocalist doing a duo on the same concert), Schlippenbach and Jon Balke MNO. That's Thursday and Friday and 3 concerts. I'm in a less is more mood this week.

I know roughly what Kyrre looks like from a video he referred to. Others may look like that, but Kyrre's assumed Hardanger dialect may help me to identitfy him. Likewise Likewise's assumed Finnish-Swedish dialect - I mean, who might this Hardanger guy and this Finnish-Swedish guy talking to each other possibly be?

likewise · July-4th-2005, 05:22 AM

Sorry, I'd like to hear Henriksen, but I'm gonna do my best to stay away from Ducret after lasting two sets only of his trio earlier this week. Too much ego chops for me. - Still hope we'll all meet, with or without any assumed dialects.

kyrre_laastad · July-4th-2005, 06:37 AM

I'll be there for Henriksen. I'm guessing we'll all see Schlippenbach, so we could probably meet there somehow. I'll pm you my cell phone number, Sand, we can probably work something out via that.

Sand · July-11th-2005, 03:24 PM

I did meet Kyrre at the Festival and did also get a demo of the music he's doing with two of his fellow students. I'm already waiting for whatever they'll be releasing in the future.
My two visits to the festival were rather brief and the high point for me was Jon Balke's Magnetic North Orchestra. They got a standing ovation two times.
The material from the CD "Diverted Travels" was even more powerful in this setting and they were truely magnetic and original - not at least when the strong percussionists Ingar Zach and Helge Nordbakken was joined by Rubem Dantas (of the Corea band) for the encore. The 3 string players really made an rhythmic and poetic impact on that final number. Great stuff, that forces me to go back for more next year. Arve Henriksen, Elin Rosseland, Evan Parker - I'm not complaining.

Kyrre Laastad and Likewise would know better, but this seems to have been a good festival this year.

Sand · July-11th-2005, 03:26 PM

Magnetic North Orchestra with former member as guest:

likewise · July-11th-2005, 04:58 PM

Kjempegreit festival, Sand! - I'll try to summarize my impressions some day soon. (Btw, I totally agree vis a vis Jon Balke, a wonderful new acquaintance for me.) - The hang came pretty much unhung, though: with Kyrre, I finally managed to match name & face after sitting next to him (!) during the Schlippenbach concert, but by then time & place were wrong for more than a few quick words. You I never saw, alas. - Well, maybe next time.

kyrre_laastad · July-12th-2005, 03:51 AM

There's too many thought in my head to jolt down something that acctually makes sense right now, but for me the highlight was the Schlippenbach trio. Likewise, I remember getting slightly spooked while sitting next to you, because your hair looked slightly like Petter Wettre's from my side, and I had just said less-than-favourable things to a friend about his playing with Hamid Drake. I had to look over a few times to make sure it wasn't him. I'm guessing he's not one for riding a bike through town while listening to MIA, though.

kyrre_laastad · July-12th-2005, 03:51 AM

Oh, and Per Jørgensen in duo with Paal Nilssen-Love. Oh my!