Marthe Lea Band +

Trondheim Jazz

Orchestra &

Ole Morten Vågan

We have been eager to get these musicians on our stage for quite some time. The Marthe Lea Band balances as inventively as gracefully on the tightrope between jazz, pop, folk and other genres and styles. Saxophonist Lea has impressed in numerous contexts, from chamber music-like jazz to gnarly free improvisation, and, with her own band, shows herself to be a leader who playfully moulds music, tapping into personal expression with a message of joy and authenticity. Away from the affable, sometimes somewhat detached ideas about Norwegian music (and Norwegians!), she plays music that embraces warmth and vitality, with graceful explorations, popping bursts and swaying grooves that can exist side by side, a bit like a sampling of Norwegian jazz anno 2024.

The Trondheim Jazz Orchestra (see BRAND! 2021) is a mighty jazz bomb from Norway. Over the past decades, the ensemble has undertaken projects with Norwegian and international jazz artists, from Chick Corea and Pat Metheny to the rockers of Motorpsycho. TJO acts as a pool of musicians, changing size and instrumentation according to each project. The participating musicians - the XL list is nothing short of stunning - are invariably among Norway's top creative minds.

This includes composer and bassist Ole Morten Vågan. In 2014, he first wrote new material for the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, of which he became artistic director in 2017. Since then, generous rags of jazz full of irresistible 'apocalyptic slapstick humour' have followed. After more than 20 albums, TJO still pops like no other. By the way, Ole Morten Vågan also signed for one of the absolute highlights of BRAND! 2023 with the Mirror Image Octet. Explosion danger, splendid!