Homage to every musician’s most important organ: the ear
“Playing by ear” is a concept that most people are familiar with. There are many musicians who have learned everything they know by ear. The ear can perceive things that can never be notated on paper, and a lot of music can only be learned by ear because it is impossible to write down.
This album consists of a combination of solistic material, "trick"-recordings where Hans Fredrik Jacobsen plays all the instruments, as well as different ensembles. Hans Fredrik explains the process behind the album like this:
"Playing solo is another way of listening. You listen in a more inward way, into yourself. After having worked alone in the studio for a while, it was good to be joined by the others who are included here. Solo playing is exciting, but the most fantastic things happen when you are playing in an ensemble.
Music is a language. Improvising is like conducting a conversation you have never had before. The ear takes you on unfamiliar journeys, and sometimes you can find that you are doing something intuitively without really being able to explain afterwards what actually happened. This is a source of endless fascination."
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ØRE is an homage to every musician’s most important organ: the ear ("øre" in Norwegian translates to "ear" in English). This homage and genre bending album is delivered by a true multi-instrumentalist, presenting his 4th solo album.
Earlier projects
ØRE is the 4th solo album from Hans Fredrik Jacobsen. The first three were JóL (Via music 1998), Vind (Heilo 2004) og Trå dansen (Heilo 2013). He’s also contributed on Langt nord i skogen (KKV 1987) with Tone Hulbækmo, Himalaya Blues (Heilo 2004 together with Knut Reiersrud and the nepalese group Varja), Seljefløyta (Heilo 1997) with Steinar Ofsdal and Hallgrim Berg, and 3 albums with the medival music group Kalenda Maya: Renaissance and medieval music (Simax 1985), Norse ballads (KKV 1989) and Pilegrimsreiser (KKV 1997). Hans Fredrik has contributed on about 100 albums as a studio musician and alongside his long collaboration with Tone Hulbækmo, he has collaborated with among others Erik Bye, Sondre Bratland, Secret Garden, Sissel Kyrkjebø, Annbjørg Lien and poets like Halldis Moren Vesaas, Ove Røsbak and Ola Jonsmoen.
