Sunday, May 30, 2010

Jazz Night @ Robinwood Concert House - 2 Norwegian duos

Saxophone player Klaus Ellerhusen Holm and bass player Roger Arntzen have joined forces and created the duo Ballrogg. The duo started out exploring the music of Eric Dolphy in a small format, stripped down to only bass and reeds in 2006. Songs from greats such as Paul Bley, Ornette Coleman and Jimmy Giuffre was soon also brought into the concept, aside with compositions by the group itself. The results was some free jazz-classics combined with spacy and energetic originals placed into an acoustic chamber setting.

The focus is now exclusively on original compositions. Trying to melt the two instruments into one sound Ballrogg is emphasizing sustained sounds, intervals and textures, and integrates it into clear and simple
compositions.

Klaus Ellerhusen Holm – alto saxophone/ clarinet/ feedback
Roger Arntzen – double bass

Ballrogg, released their second album Insomnia in January 2010 on Bolage. Since their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album the duo has moved into significantly deeper water, drawing influences from
European contemporary music as well as American avantgarde. On Insomnia, their influences are mixed with a cinematic sensitivity, creating soundscapes that are deeply disturbing and stunningly beautiful.

Ballrogg has since the debut been touring in Scandinavia, Europe and North-America.

Klaus Ellerhusen Holm (sax, clar) leads his own group Klaus Holm Kollektif, who was awarded "Yong Nordic Jazzcomets 2003". He plays free-improvised music with the Norwegian trio Murmur and has
worked with international artists such as Raymond Strid, Axel Dörner, Jim Denley, Mattias Ståhl, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Ingar Zach, Sture Ericson and Frode Gjerstad, and has done tours on festivals and
jazzclubs in several countries in both Europe, America and Asia. The last years he has also composed music for various chamber music settings and also music for film.

Roger Arntzen (double bass) is known from the piano trio In The Country, who was awarded "Young Jazz Musicians Of The Year 2004" in Norway. The trio has released three albums on the Norwegian cult-label Rune Grammofon to much acclaim. He is a regular together with Shining-leader Jørgen Munkeby with the noise-rock-jazz-quartet Chrome Hill and has teamed up with Chrome Hill-drummer Torstein Lofthus as two thirds of Håvard Stubø Trio. He has also worked with downtown NYC icon Marc Ribot and pedal-steel guitarist Bob Hoffnar, and other international artists such as Neil Metcalfe, Terry Day, John Russell, Sidsel Endresen, Susanna Wallumrød and Stian Carstensen.




Petter Vågan – lapsteel/acoustic guitar/electronics
Tor Haugerud – percussion/ signalgenerator/field-recordings

Vertex spontaneously compose electro-acoustic music that is both immediate and enticing to listen to. From lowercase drones through acoustic melodic passages to assaulting industrial walls of sound, vertex creates a plausible yet otherwordly soundscape with its own set of natural laws. A universe that focuses in on form and interaction.

Vertex has been active since 2006. The duo has already done many festival- and club-conserts, and has also done a tour with the extremely talented Christian Wallumrød as a musical guest. As musical references one could list Huntsville, Jim O´Rourke, Fred Frith, Spunk, Keith Rowe, Fennesz, Deathprod, Perlonex and Lasse Marhaug.

Petter Vågan (b. 1982) is a hard-working up and coming impro-musician who´s becoming a household name in Norway these days, he´s released several albums and toured all over Norway, Sweden, Russia, USA, Canada,Germany and the Netherlands. He´s playing on guitars, lapsteels and prepared guitars, and utilizes an array of effects in a delicate manner, to mangle and distort reality in his own way. He has a performing masters degree from the world-renowned jazz course the Conservatory of Music in Trondheim. He´s has played with musicians like Christian Wallumrød, Ståle Storløkken, Mathias Eick, Håvard Wiik, Håkon Kornstad, Thomas Strønen, Jonas Kullhammar, Mats Eilertsen, Lene Grenager and Kjetil Møster etc

Tor Haugerud (b. 1962) has been an active musician, composer and performanceartist for the last 24 years. He´s developed a unique playingstyle with his unorthodox drum set and use of electronics and unconventional instruments like fans, drills, singing bowls, bows, stones. Has in recent years operated in the more free musical landscapes, with musicians like Kim Myhr, Christian Wallumrød, Stian Westerhus, Martin Taxt, Jon Balke, Sidsel Endresen, Ingar Zach, Eirik Hegdal, Michael Duch, Kjetil Møster etc, and with the groups Alpaca Ensemble, Én Én Én, Murmur, and TIE (Trondheim Improvisasjons Ensemble).
Tuesday June 1st 9pm
2564 Robinwood
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Kim Myhr - guitar/artistic director
Sidsel Endresen - voice
Kari Rønnekleiv - violin
Christian Wallumrød - piano/harpsichord
Clare Cooper - guzheng
Michael Duch - bass
Jim Denley - saxophone
Espen Reinertsen - saxophone
Eivind Lønning - trumpet
Klaus Holm - clarinet
Martin Taxt - tuba
Tor Haugerud - percussion
Ingar Zach - percussion

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