2012 Artists!

BIG NAMES READY FOR MOLDEJAZZ 16-21 July 2012

Last updated: 03.11.2012

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE JON BALKE.
WAYNE SHORTER QUARTET, THE JOHN SCOFIELD HOLLOWBODY BAND,
SUSANNA WALLUMRØD/GIOVANNA PESSI and SWEEET HONEY IN THE ROCK.

Pianist and composer JON BALKE will be this year's ARTIST IN RESIDENCE at Moldejazz. Other artists include WAYNE SHORTER QUARTET, THE JOHN SCOFIELD HOLLOWBODY BAND, SUSANNA WALLUMRØD/GIOVANNA PESSI and SWEEET HONEY IN THE ROCK.

JON BALKE - ARTIST IN RESIDENCE MOLDEJAZZ 2012
Ever since his 'breakthrough' in the mid-70s in the bands of Arild Andersen and Radka Toneff, Jon Balke has been one of our most original and influential musicians and composers in jazz and other contemporary music. In Molde, Balke can be experienced in five or six very different musical constellations that highlight his versatility and his ability to immerse himself in the musical material. Jon Balke's work has always taken him in two separate directions. On the one hand he has been searching for maximum spontaneity in music by creating bands focusing on increasing levels of pure improvisation, such as the trio Jøkleba; and on the other hand he has been working with thoroughly prepared and composed chamber musical expressions, such as the Siwan project.

Jon Balke has also received a lot of acclaim as a solo pianist, for instance through the release of Book of Velocities at ECM. He has also been a prominent member of smaller bands such as E'Olen, Masqualero, Sidsel Endresen Kvartett, Jøkleba and Batagraf. However, he is probably best known as an important member or leader of larger bands and projects such as Oslo 13, Jazzpunkensemblet, Magnetic North Orchestra, Magnetic Book and Siwan.
We will release the entire programme for Jon Balke's Moldejazz projects at a later date.

Click here to visit Jon Balke's homepage

WAYNE SHORTER QUARTET
Wayne Shorter is one of the greatest saxophonists and composers of modern jazz. His 2007 concert in Molde was unforgettable. Wayne Shorter returns to Molde with his quartet, which is considered one of the best in contemporary jazz. His breakthrough came with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and he was a prominent
member of Miles Davis Quintet and also started Weather Report with Joe Zawinul. At 78, Wayne Shorter is a vital musician who continuously develops his musical expression in cooperation with a close-knit group consisting of Danilo Perez (piano), John Patitucci (bass) and Jorge Rossey (drums).

Click here to visit Wayne Shorter's homepage

THE JOHN SCOFIELD HOLLOWBODY BAND
For nearly forty years, John 'Sco' Scofield has been one of the world's most prominent jazz guitarists. His new band, The Hollowbody, also challenges another great jazz guitarist, Kurt Rosenwinkel. John Scofield played with Charles Mingus and Gary Burton in the 1970s, before starting his own trio with Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum. It was through this band that Miles Davis became aware of his talent, and 'Sco' participated in a number of recordings and concerts with Miles, including in Molde in 1984 and 1985. John Scofield has a strong identity as a guitarist that influences the projects he participates in, be it Bugge Wesseltoft's New Conception of Jazz, gospel with Mavis Staples or New Orleans-inspired R&B with Piety Street Band. Scofield's palette of musical expressions is developed further with The Hollowbody Band. John Scofield and Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitars), Ben Street (bass), Bill Stewart (trommer).

Click here to visit John Scofield's homepage

SUSANNA WALLUMRØD/ GIOVANNA PESSI – Timeless music through the centuries
One of last year's most exciting musical collaborations took place between Swiss harpist Giovanna Pessi and Norwegian vocalist Susanna Wallumrød. The resulting CD, If Grief Could Wait, has been described as "nothing less than sensational" and "one of the best records of the year". Most of the songs are composed by British medieval composer Henry Purcell, but there are also some Wallumrød originals on the record. The late folk rock singer Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen are also among the contributors to the repertoire. Susanna Wallumrød is best known for her solo albums, but also for being one half of the duo Susanna & The Magical Orchestra together with Morten Qvenild. Last year, she released a more rock-inspired record with texts by Gunvor Hofmo. Through her collaboration with Giovanna Pessi, Wallumrød reveals new sides to herself as a vocalist by adjusting her voice to the various songs. Pessi's exceptional baroque harp play has previously featured on many different ECM recordings. Pessi was a long-term member of Christian Wallumrød Ensemble, which was led by Susanna's brother. We can expect a wonderful final concert at this year's Moldejazz.

Susanna K. Wallumrød (vocals), Giovanna Pessi (baroque harp), Marco Ambrosini (nyckelharpa), Jane Achtman (viola da gamba).

SWEEET HONEY IN THE ROCK – Cult band with star status
When the Grammy-nominated band visited Moldejazz in 1991, they were still relatively unknown. Since then, the band has become very successful, performing sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center – and in July, they will once more play Molde Domkirke during Moldejazz. The band Sweet Honey in the Rock was established in 1973 and is an a capella gospel/spirituals group with a little something extra – actually with a lot extra! Not just musically, in the way songs from the black church tradition are complemented by reggae, African chants and blues – but also textually, through the band's spiritual message of world justice. The band's leitmotif is: We salute the women of the world and their fight for freedom and equality. More than 20 years have passed since the band last inspired the Moldejazz audience, so this is a band you have to see now, as the sought-after Sweet Honey in the Rock will be a rare occurrence on European stages even in the future.

Click here to visit Sweet Honey In The Rock's homepage

Downloadable images can be found on Moldejazz's homepage under the 'artists' tab. CLICK HERE

Tickets are sold by Moldejazz.no, Posten and Billettservice on tel. (+47) 815 33 133 or at www.billettservice.no

For further information, please contact Festival Manager Jan Ole Otnæs on tel. (+47) 918 85 393 (mobile) or (+47) 71 20 31 50 (landline).

Generalsponsor

Hovedsponsorer

Andre sponsorer

Samarbeidspartnere