Dusted reviews "Wach Auf!", the new collaboration album featuring jazz/folk trio Poing (aka bassist Håkon Thelin, saxophonist Rolf-Erik Nystrøm, and accordionist Frode Haltli) and experimental artist/vocalist Maja S.K. Ratkje: http://dustedmagazine.com/reviews/6862
There will be a special Norwegian music series at this year's Portland (Oregon) Jazz Fest: http://pdxjazz.com/blog/?p=2827
Artists featured include ECM acts Frode Haltli and The Christian Wallumrod Ensemble plus the fantastic trio In The Country.
Free Jazz on Norwegian artists Trygve Seim (sax) and Frode Haltli (accordion) and their new collaboration album "Yeraz" on ECM: http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2008/10/trygve-seim-frode-haltli-yeraz-ecm-2008.html
Frode HaltliIt is not often that you hear the accordion taking front and centre on an avant-garde, or any record for that matter, except if you are into traditional European folk music of some kind. Frode Haltli, a classically trained accordionist, takes the instrument out of its usual, to me at least, usage and brings the instrument to a place I can appreciate. The disc borders on New Age in several instances, which is bothersome, but also has a definite spacial quality that is very difficult to knock. While the accordion takes a lot of sonic space, the viola is the star, bringing melody and most of the high points of the album. The accordion definitely provides the glue, with its ability to play single notes and chords at the same time, that makes this record go forward and because the record is so musically sparse, it provides most of the substance too. This is a record that wouldn't be so out of place on Tzadik's composer series. Only if it could lose some of the New Age sonorities...
- Simon Thibaudeau
The nominees for this year's Spellemanprisen (the Norwegian Grammy) have been announced:
Female artist:
Ane Brun - Live In Scandinavia (Det Er Mine/V2)
Christel Alsos - Closing The Distance (Sony BMG)
Sissy Wish - Beauties Never Die (Sony BMG)
Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør (MBN)
Male artist:
Kenneth Ishak - Silver Lightning From A Black Sky (Division Records As)
Magnet - The Simple Life (Sony BMG)
Sivert Høyem & The Volunteers - Exiles (Hektor Grammofon)
William Hut - Nightfall (Universal Music AS)
Pop group:
Blind Archery Club - The Union (Sony BMG)
Superfamily - Warszawa (Propeller Rec.)
The Royalties - The Royalties (Blister Music)
Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord Og Ögonblick (Sony BMG)
Electronica:
Alog - Amateur (Rune Grammofon)
Diskjokke - Staying In (Smalltown Supersound)
Salvatore - Days Of Rage (Racing Junior)
Rock:
BigBang - Too Much Yang (Warner Music/Grandsport Records)
Moving Oos - Peace And Love (Kong Tiki Records)
My Midnight Creeps - Histamin (MMC Records)
Raga Rockers - Übermensch (EMI/Pilot/Virgin)
The Lionheart Brothers - Dizzy Kiss (Racing Junior)
Country:
Hellbillies - Spissrotgang (EMI Music Norway)
Hemisfair - Blue Blue Grass Of Home (Wilma Records/Playground Music)
Shit City - God Bless Our Home (Voices of Wonder)
Steinar Albrigtsen - Moment Of Peace (Sony BMG)
Metal:
Audrey Horne - Le Fol (Indie Recordings)
Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli (Nuclear Blast)
Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao (Season Of Mist)
Red Harvest - A Greater Darkness (Season Of Mist)
Hip-hop:
El Axel - It Is Wha It Is (Pass It Records)
Madcon - So Dark The Con Of Man (Bonner Amigo)
Tommy Tee - No Studio No Time-The Wait (Tee Productions)
Folk:
Berit Opheim - Den Blide Sol (NorCD AS)
Ragnhild Furebotten - Endelig Vals (Talik Da)
Sigrid Moldestad - Taus (Heilo)
Trio Mediaeval - Folk Songs (ECM/Grappa)
Jazz:
Fossum-Aarum Quartet - F.A.Q. (Schmell)
Jon Balke - Book Of Velocities (ECM/Grappa)
Petter Wettre - Fountain Of Youth (Household Records)
Sharp Nine - Sudoku (The Real Thing Da/Staffan)
The Core - Office Essentials (Jazzland)
Open class:
Frode Haltli - Passing Images (ECM/Grappa)
Live Maria Roggen - Circuit Songs (Jazzland)
Pust - Femkant (Pust Records)
Shining - Grindstone (Rune Grammofon)
The Source - The Source Of Christmas - Live (Grappa Musikkforlag AS)
Best music video:
Dimmu Borgir - The Serpentine Offering (Nuclear Blast)
Heroes & Zeros - A Strange Constellation (Nightliner/Universal)
My Midnight Creeps - Don`t Let’Em Bring You Down (MMC Records)
Turbonegro - Do You Do You Dig Destruction (Scandinavian Leather Recordings)
WE - Hurdy Gurdy (Nun Music)
Best Newcomer:
Christel Alsos - Closing The Distance (Sony BMG)
Heroes & Zeros - Strange Constellations (Nightliner/Universal)
Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør (MBN)
Tine Thing Helseth - Haydn/Hummel/Albinoni/Neruda (Simax Classics)
Valkyrien Allstars - Valkyrien Allstars (Heilo)
Best song:
Kurt Nilsen - "Push Push" (Sony BMG)
Madcon - "Beggin'" (Bonnier Music)
Postgirobygget - "Tidløs" (EMI Music Norway)
Sichelle - "Fuck Deg" (Eccentric Music)
Venke Knutson - "Holiday" (Universal)
Read more: http://www.spellemann.no/
PopMatters reviews Norwegian ECM artist Frode Haltli: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/51204/frode-haltli-passing-images/
MIC Norway profiles accordian player Frode Haltli: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2007103114464935739986
Don't let his choice of instrument mislead you - his music is anything but boring folk.
Here's the playlist for this week's special spooky/scary Halloween edition radio show:
01. TALK 1
02. Entombed - Hollywood Babylon
03. ARM - Humming bug
04. Camouflage - Oktober
05. TALK 2
06. Notre Dame - Red Cross
07. Sanctum - Lie low
08. Bay Laurel - Pale colours
09. TALK 3
10. At the Gates - Blinded by fear
11. Frode Haltli - Lude
12. Brighter Death Now - Little baby
13. Death Breath - Lycanthropy
14. TALK 4
15. Breach - Mr. Marshall
16. The Skull Defekts - Carved in bones
17. The Cardigans - Mr. Crowley
18. TALK 5
19. Diabolique - Catholic
20. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Masks, walls and other ways to keep things out, to keep things in
21. The Bear Quartet - Broken heart
22. Mercyful Fate - Come to the Sabbath
23. TALK 6
24. Beyond Dawn - Cigarette
25. Pimentola - Heart's dementia (Phase I)
26. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
27. TALK 7
28. MZ412 - Infernal affairs II
29. Satyricon - Nemesis divina
30. Switchblade - Selfdestruct schematics / Open aftermath
31. TALK 8
32. Rasion D'etre - Metamorphyses Phase IV
33. Cortex - We are the dead
34. TALK 9
35. Emperor - I am the Black Wizards
The playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Boys of Scandinavia - Beautiful as a person
02. TALK 1
03. Don't Be A Stranger - Perfect problem
04. Timo Räisänen - Sixteen
05. Promise and the Monster - Sheets
06. TALK 2
07. Deathbed - When hope leaves a body
08. Closer - Sensing the wake
09. TALK 3
10. The Tarantula Waltz - Two arrows
11. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
12. Anna Järvinen - Götgatan
13. TALK 4
14. Eric Malmberg - Slutet på en epok
15. Mustasch - Bring me everyone
16. September - Until I die
17. TALK 5
18. Leütenhaven - Still life (trompe l'oeil)
19. Frode Haltli - The latter
20. Lykke Li - Little bit
21. TALK 6
22. Downstairs - Peephole city
23. The Cardigans - Don't blame your daughter (Diamonds)
24. Paris - When I laid my eyes on you
25. TST - We are the kids
26. TALK 7
27. Ghost Brigade - Based on you
28. Mikko Singh - Palmun juurella
29. Audionom - Dc2
30. TALK 8
31. Ulver - Solitude
32. The Psyke Project - I get paralyzed
33. Silverbullit - Winter coat
34. TALK 9
35. Bodies Without Organs (BWO) - Let it rain
36. Icos - On my own
37. Torpedo - Hang me high
38. TALK 10
39. Graveyard - Satan's finest
FYI, in case you missed my announcement: next week will be a spooky Halloween-themed program.
