Pianist and singer John Legend is one of the big stars of soul and R&B. He wrote songs for artists such as Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and Kanye West before he himself became famous. His debut album "Get Lifted" from 2004 included hits "Used to love you" and "Ordinary People"; songs that received a lot of air time on Norwegian radio. Later came hits such as "Save room", "Green light", "Wake up everybody" and last years "Tonight (best you ever had)". A truly socially engaged artist with over 1.9 million followers on Facebook...
Star bass-player Marcus Miller combines jazz, funk and R&B in a unique way. He has performed at Moldejazz twice before, with his own band in 1996 and with "Legends"; Eric Clapton, David Sanborn, Joe Sample and Steve Gadd in 1997. His latest album "Renaissanse" is packed with funky grooves combined with jazz in a "typical Miller way". His concert at Bjørnsonhuset on July 16th is set to be a instrumental evening in the name of funk.
Take 6 have won more awards and received more acclaim than any other vocal-ensemble. In addition to a host of recordings and tours across the world, artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, K.D. Lang and Branford Marsalis have featured Take 6 on their own records and concerts. Many people will have their wish to hear Take 6 perform live granted when they are set to appear in Molde Cathedral on Thursday 18th of July. When they last visited Molde, back in 2006, they sold out the Cathedral twice!
When Arild Andersen was composing his dream band for his concert at Moldejazz 1981 he chose Bill Frisell as lead guitarist. The year after Frisell visited Moldejazz with Jan Garbarek's group, and since he has become a frequent visitor of Molde; among other times on the famous concert with John Zorns Naked City in 1991. With his alternation between virile wildness and subtle contemplation Frisell is a guitar-player whom you can always count on to deliver quality-music. For this years Moldejazz he'll bring the group Big Sur Sextet to their Norwegian premiere; a group where his own guitars are supplemented by drummer Rudy Royston and two of the most striking personalities in topical jazz with a flair of contemporary; viola-player Eyvind Kang and cello-player Hank Roberts. Violinist Jenny Scheinman is on the verge of creating her own career after many years of working closely with Frisell, and in Big Sur she's joined by colleague Carrie Rordriguez. We're promised genre-defying music with character and a sprawling expression at Plassen on July 16th!
The uncrowned kings of Norwegian hip-hop, Karpe Diem, delivered a brilliant concert when attending Moldejazz 2010. Since then they have further strengthened their position, something both the critically acclaimed fourth album "Kors på halsen, ti kniver i hjertet, mor og far i døden" and last years spectacular closing concert at Øyafestivalen have contributed to. Chirag Patel and Magdi Yrreeide Abdelmaguid have, with their lyrics and their conscious relationship to building rhymes and "flow", shown a unique ability to captivate. Multi-national backgrounds also contribute to the band standing apart from others. It attracted much attention, stricly in a positive sense, when they, as hindu and muslim, performed the songs "Byduer i dur" and "Tusen tegninger" in Oslo Cathedral.
On the opening day of July 15th at Plassen we'll get to experience a JazZtipendiat premiere in Molde for the sixth time when a newly composed version of Trondheim Jazzorkester are challenged by the duo Albatrosh consisting of Eyolf Dale on piano and André Roligheten on saxophone. Two outstanding instrumentalists, improvisers and composers who have managed to make their mark nationally and internationally at concerts and on CD releases; Eyolf og Andre appear with newly written music. The origin of the idea is a link between Albatrosh-music with what they experience as the Trondheim Jazzorkester sound; colorful, engaging with a wide range of instrumentation and dynamics. This combination promises a huge potential for musical imagery. This is further enhanced throughout the concert as artist Andreas Paleologos will be producing live images!
The musical multi-talent LidoLido - aka. Peder Losnegård - makes his Moldejazz debut at Romsdalsmuseet on Thursday July 18th. His breakthrough in 2011 with the hit singles "Different" and "Turn Up The Life" was followed up the year after with the self-produced debut-album "Pretty Girls & Grey Sweaters". The album received stunning critics and quickly sold to Platinum. LidoLidos highly energic stage-performance is guaranteed to warm up the crowd at the museum; as Dagbladets Sigrid Hvidsten wrote in heir review of his album: "If you don't fall in love with LidoLido you must have lost faith in music-Norway"!
PICTURES OF ARTISTS CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM www.moldejazz.no
Tickets are made available for sale through Posten, Billettservice tel 815 33 133, www.billettservice.no and www.moldejazz.no starting Thursday 31st of January.
For more information please contact:
Marketting- and sponsor-manager Hans-Olav Solli - tel 948 26 305 or
Festivalmanager Jan Ole Otnæs - tel 91 88 53 93
