Christian Wallumrød has, together with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, created a new and exciting album that confirms his abilities as a unique composer and the flexibility of the never-static jazz orchestra.
Untitled Arpeggios and Pulses – for Trondheim Jazz Orchestra
The clearly pulse-driven work consists of four parts that are connected and range from the unassertively acoustic to the intensely forceful.
On this occasion the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra consisted of Wallumrød himself along with a selection of his favourite musicians. Some he had already worked with for a long time in other bands, while others were more recent acquaintances: guitarists Ivar Grydeland (Huntsville, Dans les Arbres) and Lars Ove Fossheim (Broen, Skadedyr), pianist Anja Lauvdal (Moskus, Broen, Skadedyr), saxophonist Espen Reinertsen and trumpet player Eivind Lønning (Streifenjunko and Christian Wallumrød Ensemble), tubist Heida Karine Jóhannesdóttir Mobeck (Broen, Skadedyr), drummers Fredrik Wallumrød (Brutter) and Siv Øyunn Kjenstad (Chili Vanilla, Thomas Strønen), and finally double bassist Michael Francis Duch (Lemur).
Trondheim Jazz Orchestra is one of the most important and creative jazz ensembles in Norway. The orchestra is operated as a musicians’ pool, so that the orchestra changes as to instrumentation and size from project to project. During the course of the last thirteen years, the orchestra has had a great number of exciting projects with norwegian and international jazz profiles such as Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Joshua Redman, Erlend Skomsvoll, Eirik Hegdal, Vigleik Storaas, Geir Lysne, Bendik Hofset, Maria Kannegaard, Kim Myhr, Jenny Hval, Stian Westerhus, Ståle Storløkken, Albatrosh and Marius Neset.
The album was recorded in connection with the successful concert at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival where the work was given its world premiere, and we know that this recording has been eagerly awaited by many people. The critic from the newspaper Aftenposten gave the concert the highest accolades in his review: “Wallumrød presents here his remarkably well-developed ability to gather inspiration from a variety of stylistic genres and place his own unmistakable stamp on the result.”
Christian Wallumrød
Christian Wallumrød (b. 1971) has for many years been regarded as one of the most prominent and original creative talents in the Norwegian music world. He is instantly identifiable both as a composer and as a pianist, but at the same time any attempt to categorise his music is doomed to fail. His background is in jazz and church music, and in his five records with changing ensemble members on ECM he has erased the borders between jazz, hymns, gospel, folk music, baroque music and contemporary music, and has carved out his own niche in the hearts and minds of listeners and reviewers alike. Parallel with this he has worked with the quartet Dans les Arbres, who continue to make their mark on the international improv and contemporary music scene. Wallumrød has also had noteworthy collaborations with artists such as Sidsel Endresen, Audun Kleive, Susanne Sundfør, Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer, Karl Seglem, Oslo Sinfonietta and Kim Myhr.
Wallumrød won a Spellemannspris, the Norwegian Grammy, for the album “Outstairs” (ECM, 2013), and was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize for the album “Fabula Suite Lugano” (ECM, 2010). Dans les Arbres has been nominated for the same prize in 2015.
“Untitled Arpeggios and Pulses” is Wallumrød’s third release on the HUBRO label this year. We released his first solo album, “Pianokammer”, to glowing reviews in January, and a limited edition LP with the duo Brutter this past summer.
The album is available as a CD and a DL.
Upcoming concerts:
4 November: Dokkhuset, Trondheim
5 November: Nasjonal Jazzscene, Victoria, Oslo
6 November: Bergen Jazzforum, Bergen
