Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen

Hedvig Mollestad
Background information
Birth name Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen
Born (1982-02-04) 4 February 1982
Ålesund, Møre og Romsdal
Origin Norway
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Musician and composer
Instruments Guitar
Labels Rune Grammofon
Associated acts "El Doom & The Born Electric"
Hedvig Mollestad Trio
Website Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen on Myspace

Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen (born 4 February 1982 in Ålesund, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (guitar, vocals and composing), known for a series of album releases and collaborations with musicians like Jon Eberson, Jarle Bernhoft and Hilde Marie Kjersem.[1]

Career

Thomassen is a graduate from the Norwegian Academy of Music, and collaborates in a variety of rock and jazz bands, including her own Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Thomassen Trio, Bronco Busters, Songs and Sweet Potatoes, and VOM (as "Mester Pøggs"). She also has a central role in the bands of Jarle Bernhoft and Hilde Marie Kjersem, and has performed within Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. Thomassen was awarded "The young jazz talent of the year" at Moldejazz in 2009, and showed up on a gig within Jarle Bernhoft Band at the 2011 Kongsberg Jazzfestival. When she released her debut solo album Shoot! (2011) leading her own trio, the music bears little resemblance to what she plays within Jon Eberson Group and the bands of Hilde Marie Kjersem and Jarle Bernhoft.[1][2][3]

Hedvig Mollestad Trio

Hedvig Mollestad Trio (also referred to as HM3) consists of Hedvig Mollestad (guitar, vocals), Ellen Brekken (bass) and Ivar Loe Bjørnstad (drums). The trio has received numerous appraising reviews internationally, for both their studio albums and live performances.[4][2][5] Their music is inspired by 70s heavyrock, but creates a peculiar musical mixture of ingredients like free jazz, prog and psychedelia.[6] On its website the band describes their own music as "Outgoing & progressive instrumental rock". Since the trio's formation in 2009, HM3 has played many concerts and jazz festivals in both Norway and abroad and they have toured in Europe, Malaysia, Japan and the USA.[7] In reviews of the band's two most recent albums, All About Jazz critique John Kelman states:

... With its diversity of feel and breadth of aural landscapes, it's a record that may well engender some internal fist-pumping, but Hedvig Mollestad Trio's compelling writing and take-no-prisoners approach to playing show it clearly has plenty more to offer than much of the musical space it occupies... (Album: "All Of Them Witches")[2]
Many bands use the studio as something different than live performance—and there's no doubt that there's better control over sound—but Hedvig Mollestad Trio makes clear, on all its recordings, that it is recorded live in the studio. It's a challenge to make records that capture the sheer energy, monumental power and flat-out attitude of live performance, but as much as Hedvig Mollestad Trio kicks serious butt onstage, it manages to do the same thing in the studio... (Album: "Enfant Terrible")[4]

Prizes and honors

Discography

Hedvig Mollestad Trio

Collaborations

Within The Cumshots
Within Jarle Bernhoft
Within Jon Eberson Group
Within Trondheim Jazz Orchestra
With Hilde Marie Kjersem
Within "El Doom & The Born Electric»

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mosnes, Terje (15 September 2011). "Skuddklar med debutplate: Hedvig Mollestad Thomassens powertrioalbum «Shoot!» vil overraske mange". Music Reviews (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kelman, John (18 May 2013). "Hedvig Mollestad Trio: All Of Them Witches (2013) Review". Music Reviews. All About Jazz. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  3. 1 2 Furu, Svein Magnus (14 March 2013). "Enveisbillett til Bloksberg". Music Reviews (in Norwegian). Morgenbladet. Retrieved 2013-11-18.
  4. 1 2 John Kelman (20 July 2014). "Hedvig Mollestad Trio: Enfant Terrible (2014)". All About Jazz. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  5. ↑ Matthew Wright (21 November 2014). "John McLaughlin / Hedvig Mollestad, Royal Festival Hall". theartsdesk.com. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "Hedvig Mollestad Trio" (in Norwegian). Kongsberg Jazzfestival. 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Hedvig Mollestad Trio". TD Ottawa Jazz Festival (National Arts Centre). 24 June 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
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