Saturday, August 18, 2018

Norwegian Bassist SIGURD HOLE Makes *NYC DEBUT* at ShapeShifter Lab :: Double Album Record Release Celebrations on 9.24 :: Solo & Trio Albums!


Elvesang is a quiet, introspective album where Hole's instrumental mastery always comes second to the music itself. An album of profound beauty.”
– John Kellman, All About Jazz (Elvesang, solo album)

“Drawing heavily on Norwegian folk traditions, Indian and Middle Eastern modes they forge an authentic, improvisational dialect which is at once both ancient and new. Finely textured, vividly coloured and rooted in no specific place or time, Encounters is a truly epicurean aural banquet.”
– Fred Grand, Jazz Journal (UK) (Encounters, trio album)


ONE NIGHT, TWO ALBUM RELEASE CELEBRATIONS FOR SOLO & TRIO OFFERINGS!

7pm set:
Sigurd Hole - double bass

7:45pm set:
Sigurd Hole - double bass
Håkon Aase - violin
Jarle Vespestad - drums

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
18 Whitwell Place, Brooklyn NY 11215

$15

PURCHASE TIX, HERE

Critically acclaimed Norwegian bassist/composer Sigurd Hole makes his NYC debut with the recent release of his solo double bass album, Elvesang, and his trio album, Encounters (with Jarle Vespestad – drums & Håkon Aase – violin), at Shapeshifter Lab on September 24th. He will present both projects in a double bill with Sigurd Hole solo double bass at 7pm and at 7:45pm with his Trio featuring Sigurd Hole - double bass; Håkon Aase – violin; Jarle Vespestad – drums. ShapeShifter Lab is located at 18 Whitwell Place, Brooklyn, NY 11215.



Sigurd Hole has been one of Norway´s most in demand musicians for the past decade. Being part of Tord Gustavsens trio/quartet, Karl Seglem acoustic quartet, Eple Trio and Jon Eberson Group, as well as a frequent collaborator with amongst others Terje Isungset, Trygve Seim, Bugge Wesseltoft, Helge Lien and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, he has toured extensively worldwide been a vital part of more than 35 album releases as bass player, composer and arranger.

“I believe music can be found almost anywhere, in any sound, if we really listen. And this conscious act of listening might be one of the most vital human faculties to help us overcome the different challenges of today. It is my hope that the practice of listening consciously to music, with an open mind and keen ears, may inspire us to listen more carefully to all our surroundings: to each other, to nature, and to ourselves,” says Sigurd in the liner notes of Elvesang. Inspired by a Rumi poem, Sigurd attests “Maybe, if we listen deeply enough, we will hear the echo of a quiet, bright reedsong.”


All day and night, music, a quiet, bright
reedsong. If it
fades, we fade.

- Rumi
(trans. Coleman Barks)

2018 started out with the release of his solo double bass album Elvesang – his first outing as a solo artist. Recorded in an old wooden church in Rendalen, Norway, Elvesang embraces silence and meditative qualities in music, giving it what has been described like a zen-like tranquility. The album received great reviews in both Norway, Sweden, Germany, USA, Canada and Japan, and was listed under the Recommended new releases section of The New York City Jazz Record in both March and April issues.

As a bassist, Sigurd Hole represents an innovative and creative approach to his instrument, strongly influenced by elements from Norwegian folk music. This influence is evident both on Elvesang and his more recent trio album Encounters. The latter also contains elements of Indian and Middle Eastern traditional music. Throughout all times music has travelled around the world, developing and changing in meeting different cultures and people. Influenced by the trio members own travels and their own encounters with music from different places, Sigurd Hole Trio represents an unique mix of eastern and western musical traditions described by listeners as a "beautiful, magical and otherworldly experience". 

Sigurd Hole Trio includes Tord Gustavsen’s long-term drummer Jarle Vespestad amongst its ranks, the third member being young violinist Håkon Aase. Aase, despite his young age, has already partaken in several album releases on the renowned German label ECM as a member Mathias Eicks band and Thomas Strønen´s “Time is a blind guide”.



In addition to his own album releases in 2018, Sigurd Hole makes his first ECM appearance  as part of Tord Gustavsen´s new trio on their upcoming album “The other side” (due September 1st). They will perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center September 25th.



SOLO PROJECT



TRIO PROJECT