Solveig Slettahjell Arven

A blues guitar introduces the melody, restrained, elegiac and yet full of energy. A clear, female voice takes over, its power potentiated by its uncanny serenity. A piano gathers together the theme one more time before all of them, joined by an additional trio, take it through a mightily dynamic loop until it tapers out almost to nothing in the end. 'Ingen Vinner Frem Til Den Evige Ro' is the name of the old Norwegian church song that Knut Reiersrud, Solveig Slettahjell, Bugge Wesseltoft and In The Country transform so fascinatingly into a modern Nordic hymn in the sold-out Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie.

Nordic folk-jazz chanteuse Rebekka Bakken was the most successful exponent of a new generation of Scandinavian jazz singers that also included Silje Nergaard, Sidsel Endresen, and Solveig Slettahjell. Born in Oslo in 1970, Bakken studied violin and piano as a child, and in 1995 relocated to New York City to pursue a professional music career. There she paired with Austrian-born guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, and together they toured the local nightclub circuit as a duo. In time Bakken also befriended German pianist Julia Hülsmann, with whom she recorded the 2003 album Scattering Poems, a collection of jazz performances inspired by the poems of e.e. cummings. Upon completing the project Bakken returned to Europe, settling in Vienna and signing a solo deal with the Universum label. Her debut LP, The Art of How to Fall, followed by year's end, and in 2005 she resurfaced with her commercial breakthrough, Is That You? I Keep My Cool followed a year later.

Rebekka Bakken (born April 4, 1970 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz singer, songwriter and music producer who is often associated with the jazz music, although she herself refuses to characterise herself as a jazz musician. Her voice reaches over three octaves. Bakken began singing in various school bands, before beginning to sing with professional soul, funk and rock bands in 1988. She is known for her particularly expressive and varied voice, performing music that is a combination of folk, jazz and pop.

Jazz artists over the decades have often relied on pop songs. It should come as no surprise, then, that the rich and varied songbook of the Beatles, rail if ever there were one, should serve the next generation of jazz artists in the same way. This set features several artists reimagining classic Beatles tunes in a jazz.

Blues, Rock‘n’Roll and all that Jazz: a musical autobiography that represents a fascinating cross-section from the glittering career and from the passionate life of producer Siggi Loch - for his 75th birthday. Right at the start of his career, he had the dream of running his own jazz label, and he has now fulfilled that dream. ACT has been voted label of the year four times in a row at the German ECHO awards, and in 2015 alone, its artists and releases garnered eight ECHOs: the label has achieved international renown. However this CD collection is a snapshot of where things are, a provisional taking of stock to mark and to celebrate Siggi Loch's 75th birthday.

Wagram Music Presents Cool Jazz 03 (By Jazz Radio). Must have for all Jazz, Easy Listening lovers, when Diana Krall, Stefano Di Battista Quintet, Robin McKelle, Samy Thiebault Quartet, Ida Sand, Florian Pellissier Quintet, Julien Lallier, Charlotte Wassy, Esbjorn Svensson Trio, Louis Sclavis, Aldo Romano, Henri Texier filled with the contrast of this selection.

On a per-capita basis, no other country in the world spawns more top-class jazz musicians than Norway. Jan Garbarek is the guiding star, but it was also the second generation born in the 60s that helped 'Nordic Jazz' to global notoriety: Nils Petter Molvær, Bugge Wesseltoft, Geir Lysne, Eivind Aarset and saxophonist Tore Brunborg. Although highly respected in the Norwegian jazz scene, Brunborg has until now been known internationally as a sideman, however this year, the 54 year-old brings out his own international release, his ACT debut 'Slow Snow'.

Per Oddvar Johansen has played a huge part in Norwegian music over many years and has worked extensively with such ground-breaking figures as Helge Lien, Christian Wallumrød and Petter Wettre. He brings his own imaginative drive to everything he does and his debut album as a leader Let‘s Dance on Edition Records shines a spotlight on a musician who has deserved the attention for a long time. Let s Dance is in-demand Norwegian drummer Per Oddvar Johansen s most mature musical statement yet.

Music is feminine. And it always has been, whether in Italian, Germanand French. Viva la musica. Die Musik. Lamusique. And in jazz? During the 20th century female musicians lives were lived in the shadows. Lil Hardin, for example, wrote compositions like “Struttin‘ With Some Barbecue”, and yet while her husband Louis Armstrong was becoming famous, she was hardly noticed at all. She was, as she described it later, “standing at the bottom of the ladder holding it and watching him climb.” Since then, however, things have moved on. Progress may be slow, but things are definitely changing. In jazz, today the female element has gone way beyond just the “girl singer with a band”. It is not only quite normal for a woman to be playing electric guitar, bass, drums or trumpet, we now have musicians such as Terri Lyne Carrington serving as important role models.