Jazz from the woods

New album out on Itunes, Tidal and Spotify 13th of November!

CDs in store 20th of November!

You can also order CDs directly from me, with personal greetings if you like.

Order at heidi @ heidiskjerve.com

Coverart by Oda Valle - www.odavalle.com


This album presents traditional folk songs from Mid-Norway
combined with some compositions of our own, set to poems by
Astrid Krog Halse and Kristofer Uppdal. Though the lyrics are in Norwegian,
I trust the universal language of music that somehow the songs can still make sense to any listener. I find that these old songs are still relevant in a modern world. Human feelings and concerns are the same, the sensuous awakening of spring and youth, heartbreak, anxiety and despair, yearning for death, yearning for freedom, yearning for a home, and longing for the peaceful silence of the moorlands and the woods.

The project Jazz from the woods started in 2011 with a desire to convey the old folk songs from my home district, simple and straightforward, combined with the playful attitude of jazz. I found top notch musicians from three generations of the Norwegian and international jazz scene to help me complete the task: John Pål Inderberg, Vigleik Storaas and Trygve Waldemar Fiske. My teachers from the music conservatory in Trondheim, NTNU, Inderberg and Storaas, has toured and recorded with a great number of European and American musicians, such as Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, Chet Baker, Bob Brookmeyer, Gil Evans, Palle Danielsson, Karin Krog and more. The up and coming bass player Trygve Fiske has recently released an album with his own quartet, and has already been awarded several Norwegian scholarships and the title "Young Nordic Jazz Comets".

This album is the successor of our first album “Vegen åt deg” (“The road to you”), released by Øra Music in 2012.

 

Heidi Skjerve: vocal
John Pål Inderberg: baryton saxophone , vocal
Vigleik Storaas: piano, harmonius,  backing vocals
Trygve Waldemar Fiske: bass, backing vocals

Håkon Mjåseth Johansen appears on drums on one track.

Recorded and mixed at Øra Studio by Jo Ranheim 2015.
Produced by Heidi Skjerve.
Supported by Fond for utøvende kunstnere and Trondehim Kommune.


Øra Studio April 2015

 

Reviews  "Vegen åt deg" (The road to you) 2012:

"Heartfelt! The combination of Norwegian folk music and jazz has rarely been as successful as this." - Tor Hammerø in the Web Magazine Side 2

"A magnificent album" - Roar Helgheim, Dagsavisen

"Good management of the heritage. Beautiful folk tunes, easily and effectively performed by musicians from the top shelf." - Trygve Lundemo, Adresseavisen

"She challenges herself and her masters by merging folk tunes and cool jazz into a higher unity, and creates a highly personal expression. Yes indeed, Heidi Skjerve sets the course for a new and distinctively Norwegian improvisational music." - Erling Wicklund, NRK

"The songs are very beautiful, and Heidi Skjerves performance is brilliant. Her voice is clear and natural." - Swedish jazz magazine, OJ

"This is Norwegian folk-jazz at it's finest" - Swedish music magazine Lira

"Heidi Skjerve has been given a beautiful voice, which she convey with solid communication skills. (...) The album is a well-composed whole, which offers a charming variation between playful beats and more quiet, melancholic parts." - Norwegian newspaper Vårt Land

"Together, they are a stylistically conistent quartet, with musical confidence and playfulness from deep of the cerebral cortex to the outermost fingertip. (...) It is simply a delight listening to these musicians." - Newspaper Opdalingen

 

VEGEN ÅT DEG – THE ROAD TO YOU

- New CD out 28th of November 2012

Label: Øra Fonogram

Distribution: Musikkoperatørene

Press: pdf /docx / photo

Heidi Skjerve: Vocal
John Pål Inderberg: Baryton Saxophone
Vigleik Storaas: Piano
Trygve Waldemar Fiske: Double Bass

 

The new critically acclaimed CD "Vegen åt deg"(The road to you) has been described as "beautiful", "magnificent", "heartfelt" and"impressing".

Traditional folk songs, hymns and dance music from Mid-Norway is presented with a playful attitude and a great respect for the old traditions by a reputable jazz quartet.


The album was recorded and mixed at Øra Studio during October 2012 and released 28th of November 2012 at Øra Fonogram.


This recording was supported by: Government Grants for Artists, The Norwegian Musicians Union (MFO), Rennebu municipality, Trondheim municipality and Meldal Sparebank.

 

Live:

DOKKHUSET, Trondheim 28th of November at 8 PM

Meldal Church 29th of November at 7 PM

Swing'n'Sweet Jazz Club, Bergen 1.st of December at 2 PM

Sakshaug Church, Inderøy 2nd of Decembe at 8 PM

Kampenjazz, Oslo 2013 01.20.

Oppdal Kulturhus 2013 02.10.

 

The project "Jazz from the woods" was presented for the first time during Trondheim Jazzfestival 2011, live recorded and broadcasted by NRK radio.

 

Foto: Ronny Danielsen/ Danielsen Photography

 

 

 

Morning News of the Woods“Morning News of the Woods”

"From beginning to end a beautiful album, with a band of brilliant soloists" - Dagsavisen

Buy the record online here:
www.musikkonline.nowww.platekompaniet.no

Label: Curling Legs – Released 2008

 

Heidi Skjerve Quintet: Espen Reinertsen - Tenor Saxophone, Erlend Slettevold – Piano, Rune Nergaard – Bass, Gard Nilssen – Drums

Featuring Thom Hell and Nidaros String Quartet

 

Coming Home"Coming Home"

"It takes only seconds for the listener to realize that here comes something extra , something doubtless and expressive. (...) Great singer, great musicians ,and each time you listen, you hear something new. Demanding and rewarding acquaintances." -Bertil Sundin, Om Jazz (Orkester Journalen)


”With her CD debut, she instantly takes place among the Norwegian elite of jazz vocalists. That means at the same time we are talking high class, even by international standards. (…) “Coming Home” is a wonderful musical manifestation.” – Puls, March 1 st 2006.

Buy online here: iTunes eller musikkonline.no

Label: Curling Legs – Released 2006

Heidi Skjerve Quintet: Espen Reinertsen - Tenor Saxophone, Erlend Slettevold – Piano, Roger Arntzen – Bass, Truls Rønning – Drums

 

TRONDHEIM VOICES: Improvoicing

www.trondheimvoices.com

Live at Technoport 2010 – Foto: Carl-Erik Eirkson