CURRENT & RECENT PROJECTS
WIBUTEE 🪐
Trip jazz quintet Wibutee was created in 1997, released the album Newborn Thing on Jazzland Records in 1999, and dissolved in 2000. Now, more than 25 years later we have revived the quintet, to revisit these songs and revoke our version of trip jazz, filtered through years of building experience as improvising musicians, each on our side.
With Håkon Kornstad on saxophone, Erlend Skomsvoll on keys, Per Zanussi on bass and Wetle Holte on drums.
RAASH 🌓
(Roggen/Slåen/Haavelsrud)
RAASH is a playful bass-less trio, with brilliant guitarists Torstein Slåen and Benjamin Rø Haavelsrud.
The trio was formed in 2025, when I was invited to program a little concert series. Eager to try something new, I invited these two of my favorite guitarists from the younger generations.
The three of us share a love for rhythmically layered, frictional, harmonious and sonorous music. We have put together a repertoire with a core of alt-pop, prog rock, guitar-based music which we juggle with joyful respect - covers of King Crimson, Radiohead, Allan Holdsworth, Kate Bush, Toninho Horta, David Crosby and more, interspersed with some of my own compositions.
JULIA HÜLSMANN OCTET 🌈
In 2015, German pianist and ECM recording artist Julia Hülsmann formed this international octet - or, as she calls it, "double trio and 3 voices" with: Julia Hülsmann on piano, Aline Frazão, Michael Schiefel and Live Maria on vocals, Héloïse Lefebvre on violin, Susanne Paul on cello, Eva Kruse on bass and Eva Klesse on drums. 🇦🇴🇳🇴🇩🇪🇸🇪🇫🇷
The album While I Was Away (ECM 2026) includes versions of two of my songs - beautifully arranged by Julia - plus one of Julia's compositions with my lyrics.
LIVE & LIEN 🍃
This duo with pianist Helge Lien has existed since 2011. We released the album Låvesalg in 2011, in Norwegian language, then the album YOU in 2016. Our material is a mix of covers, jazz standards and original compositions/lyrics. Live&Lien is a gem which we both cherish. We always look forward to the next opportunity to play together.
In 2025 Live&Lien entered a new context, as the backbone of Helge's environment-themed commissioned work My Dear Forest - written and composed for our vocal/piano duo, string orchestra, and a band consisting of Terje Johannesen (g/trp), Mats Eilertsen (b) and Helge Norbakken (perc). This work will be performed again in 2027, in a version with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.
ROGGEN/NYHUS 🚀
This experimental duo with pianist Ingfrid Breie Nyhus first started playing in 2016, exploring interpretation as such. By 2020 the search had developed into improvisation and re-composition. During 2021-24 we conducted an extensive artistic research project together, which you can read about in much more detail here, including video material: (un)Romantic - Improvising Interpretation
Our duo explorations have resulted in musical expressions ranging from sweet, pensive renditions in the EP Demanten (2022), via the minimalistic and bone dry album Skymt (2023), to the lushious and noisy album Symfoni (2024) in trio with Morten Qvenild on live electronics. The latter two also come in a joint vinyl edition, including a booklet with artistic responses.
TU'BA 🎈
The duo Tu'ba - with tuba player Lars Andreas Haug - was my very first band, and my ground schooling in improvisation. From the beginning in 1994 this was a creative and limitless playground where we would compose, arrange and improvise over all sorts of ideas.
After releasing the album Tu'ba in 1998, we toured extensively for a few years. Then followed a pause of almost 18 years, before we met up again during the pandemic and discovered that playing felt just as intuitive and fun as it used to.
In 2024 we went on tour, renewed the old material, made some new songs, and fine-tuned our musical connection. What we play today is rooted in the playfulness on which this duo was founded 30+ years ago, but also reflects the experienced musicians we have become.
PAST COLLABORATIONS & EXPERIENCES
COME SHINE
1998-2004, 2011-2019
Jazz quartet Come Shine started as a student band in 1998 and quickly became popular for our loving, yet unruly, interpretations of jazz standards.
With: Erlend Skomsvoll/Sondre Meisfjord/Håkon Mjåset Johansen
During our active years (1998-2004 and 2012-19) Come Shine released five albums: Come Shine, Do Do That Voodoo, In Concert, Red and Gold and Norwegian Caravan. On tour we would meet packed venues and dedicated listeners, of all ages. We performed with most of Norway's symphony- wind- and string ensembles, and we staged productions with legends like journalist Knut Borge, poet Jan Erik Vold, artists Jan Eggum, Tuva Syvertsen, Knut Reiersrud and more.
The long term development, the efforts and the artistic achievements of Come Shine were some of the most important steps on my road to becoming the musician and performer I am today.
In 2022 Come Shine released a concluding double/triple album, with 25 unique tracks, recorded live in small venues: Coming Home.
TRONDHEIM VOICES 2004-2023
Trondheim Voices consists of a pool of singers, with the lineup and roles varying from one project to another. I was one of the founders of this improvising vocal ensemble 20+ years ago, and was part of the pool up until 2023. In addition to being one of the singers, I would occasionally have artistic leadership, or produce concerts and recordings. I've composed and arranged music, and I've developed improvisational toolkits and frameworks for collective music making.
Some essential Trondheim Voices-works on my part:
Bingo (2008) by Siri Gjære, Elin Rosseland, Ståle Storløkken, Live Maria and Cirka Teater; On Anodyne (2011-16) by Jon Balke and Yusef Komunyakaa, produced by Jon Balke and Live Maria; Rooms&Rituals (2017-) by Trondheim Voices and Asle Karstad/Maccatrol, through 2019-21 produced by Live Maria; Valen Remixed (2022 for Fartein Valen Festivalen) by Live Maria, five singers of the ensemble and Asle Karstad/Maccatrol; Sirkler (2023 for Orgelnatt in Stavanger) by Live Maria, four singers of the ensemble, organist Nils Henrik Asheim and Asle Karstad/Maccatrol.
And finally, the ambitious, complex, holistic stage production BEDROCK (2023): The music was composed by eight singers of the ensemble, in close collaboration with Asle Karstad/Maccatrol, and produced by Tone Åse. The visual stage elements were designed by Oscar Udbye (video), Ingrid Skanke Høsøien (lights) and Tone Myskja (costumes), and produced by Sissel Vera Pettersen/Ida Eilertsen. The entire conglomerate composition was assembled on the basis of an overall textual/contextual framework beautifully created by Siri Gjære, based on dialogues with the singer-composers.
In the process of leaving the ensemble, I formulated this postscript - as a kind of reminder to myself, in the possible event of me getting involved in vocal ensemble work some other time:
with WILD AT ART 2013-2022
I find Wild at Art's strategies and attempts of intertwining life and art, immensely inspiring. My experience from these projects has deeply influenced my creative work, such as my shaping of The Vortex Space/Virvelrommet at the Norwegian Academy of Music, and my 2027 commissioned work "We" for Scheen Jazzorkester.
Wild at Art - a Trondheim-based arts collective and production unit - have created a number of long-durational, site- and situation-specific, inclusive, unstable, exploratory 'situations'. Music and movement are among the many elements used in these collective improvisations which explore freedom, choice, presence, attention, rest, action, mutual responsibility and togetherness.
These are the six Wild at Art-situations I've had the chance to take part in: Popludium (2013, four full days in Trondheim's abandoned main post office), Love Letters (2013, break-of-dawn in an amphitheatre in the woods - for Molde Jazz Festival), Gaven (2013, a four hours long Christmas gift in Vår Frue open shelter church), Gjestehus (2015, five days&nights in Lademoen church - for the Olavsfest), Saturns Hage (2020, three full days in Rosendal Theatre during the pandemic), and Saturns Platz (2022, five full days in K•U•K exhibition space).
APOKALUPTEIN 2015-16
Apokaluptein means to reveal, to uncover. This was the main commission work for the Vossajazz festival in 2015. I wrote it during autumn of 2014, with the emerging climate and refugee crises in mind. I wrote and composed, from my perspective, about the unbearable human tendency to deny and adapt no matter how bad things turn out. I wrote about acceptance of death, and the fear of not being able to protect your loved ones.
The album recorded in Kulturkirken Jakob in 2016 was a developed version of the original work; more spoken words and poetry had been added.
With: Hilmar Jensson/Eivind Lønning/Lene Grenager/Sondre Meisfjord/Audun Kleive.
Read in Norwegian: interview about Apokaluptein
OTHER BANDS AND PEOPLE I'VE TOURED WITH
LIVE MARIA BAND
2003-08 with Maria Kannegaard/Mattis Kleppen/Thomas Strønen/Øyvind Brandtsegg/Tone Åse. My solo album Circuit Songs (Jazzland 2007) also included Gulleiv Wee/Bjørn Charles Dreyer/Lars Andreas Haug/Arve Henriksen.
DINGOBATS+
with Eirik Hegdal/Njål Ølnes/Fredrik Ljungqvist/Fredrik Lundin/Øyvind Brække/Thomas T Dahl/Mats Eilertsen/Sverre Gjørvad. Album Pöck, Bergland 2002.
DENNE LILLE PYTTEN ER ET HAV
Commissioned work by Sverre Gjørvad, with lyrics by Jan Kjærstad and Peter Handke. With Eirik Hegdal/Øyvind Brække/Ståle Storløkken/Nils-Olav Johansen/Mats Eilertsen/Sverre Gjørvad.
Album of the same name, Curling Legs 2001.
STABAT MATER
Commissioned work by Kjetil Bjerkestrand for Arve Tellefsen/Øystein Moen/Bjerkestrand himself/me/strings - such as Sara Övinge/Atle Sponberg/TrondheimSolistene.
Album of the same name, KKV 2019.
AND, TO MENTION A FEW MORE:
Trondheim Jazzorkester/Pat Metheny 🧡 Scheen Jazzorkester/Ambrose Akinmusire 🧡 "Atle Live" Atle Sponberg/Frode Haltli/Sveinung Bjelland/Mats Eilertsen 🧡 "Til Radka" Jon Eberson/Arild Andersen/Jon Christensen/Alex Riel/Per Jørgensen/Kirsten Bråten Berg/Solveig Slettahjell 🧡 "Trio de Janeiro" Tom Steinar Lund/Sveinung Hovensjø/Celio de Carvalho 🧡 "Saturns Hage/Saturns Platz" Ann-Cathrin Hertling/Siri Gjære/Maria Kannegaard/Alf Hulbækmo/Mattis Kleppen/Tor Haugerud/Tor Ivar Hagen/Andrea Sampalmieri/Sunniva Skjøstad Hovde/Marianna Sangita Røe/Viktor Wilhelmsen/Marte Huke 🧡 "Skybak Ensemble" Brita Skybak/Tone Myskja/Sidiki Camara 🧡 "Jazzland Community" Eivind Aarset/Oddrun Lilja/Håkon Kornstad/Sanskriti Shresta/Bugge Wesseltoft.