Lillebjorn

Lillebjørn Nilsen and Andy Irvine had known each other for about 17 years when they met at the Telemark Festival back in 1994, what they both had dreamt about became a reality. Their collaboration resulted in an exhilarating concert. The live recording is finally released as an album in June 2021.

The string swing orchestra Hot Club de Norvège is one of Norway’s most well-travelled live bands. They are famous worldwide for their enormous joy of playing and virtuoso string play, and are rated among the very best in their style internationally. Their music is based on and inspired by the music of the legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. Hot Club de Norvège has collaborated with several of the musical style’s big characters, such as Stéphane Grappelli and Jimmy Rosenberg. They have released a long list of albums and collaborated with other artists on a variety of projects, including "Tanta til Beate" with Lillebjørn Nilsen in 1982, which resulted in the prestigious Spellemann Award.

When he was in his early teens, he learned rock and soul songs on an acoustic steel-string guitar. Through friends, he learned about blues, jazz, flamenco, and classical guitar. After he heard "Tears" by Django Reinhardt on the radio, he decided that this is how he wanted his guitar to sound. At seventeen he formed a string trio and had his first professional job.