THUMBSCREW / INGEBRIGT HÅKER FLATEN (EXIT) KNARR
THUMBSCREW
Mary Halvorson - guitar
Michael Formanek - double bass
Tomas Fujiwara - drums
www.thumbscrew.net
Royalty of Brooklyn’s avant-garde jazz scene, Thumbscrew is an all-star collective trio consisting of longtime collaborators: guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, with all three members contributing at an equal rate both in terms of composition and improvisation. This American band was created by a coincidence, but then found that their musical chemistry was so unique that they continued the collaboration. Over time, they have gained a great deal of respect from a grateful audience for their ability to engage in an almost telepathic interplay. With this trio, which is celebrating 10 years together, we are in the part of jazz that requires a little more attention than usual. The music is open, lively, humorous, and not least challenging. Even their most difficult clashes, however, offer enough information to let you know that they know precisely what they’re doing - even avant-garde bands don’t last a decade without some serious synergy. On the occasion of 41. Skopje Jazz Festival, the audience will have a chance to taste the sound of their new exciting work “Multicolored Midnight” (Cuneiform Records), the group's seventh album. So, take a seat, fasten your seat belt, hold on tight with your thumbs and let Thumbscrew show the way into their unique musical universe.
INGEBRIGT HÅKER FLATEN (EXIT) KNARR
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten – acoustic and electrical bass, composer
Mette Rasmussen – alt saxophone
Atle Nymo – tenor saxophone, Bb clarinet, bass clarinet
Erik Kimestad Pedersen – trumpet
Jonathan F. Horne – electrical guitar
Joakim Rainer Petersen – piano, keyboards
Olaf Olsen – drums, percussion
www.ingebrigtflaten.com
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten has established himself as one of the strongest voices on bass in jazz and improvised music on the international circuit today. His work with his own projects, as well as with The Thing, Atomic, Free Fall, Scorch, and in duo formats with Joe McPhee, Evan Parker and Håkon Kornstad have put him at the center of a large pool of improvisers with strikingly different modes of operation. A Knarr is the type of ship built in Scandinavia around the year 1000 that was used to sail the world – just as Ingebrigt Håker Flaten traveled the world driven by his musical adventures. (Exit) Knarr is a homage to the different places he visited, each song capturing the spirit of cities like Austin, Chicago, Trondheim and Amsterdam. The music draws from the bassist's extensive background across various genres and traditions built up over a long career, and one finds as many traces of jazz and avant-garde as from world music and psychedelic rock. (Exit) Knarr came together after the pandemic forced Håker Flaten to move back to his home country. An assignment from Vossa Jazzfestival created an opportunity to bring together a group of fantastic Scandinavian musicians he had long wanted to work with. The music was finally performed for the first time at Vossa Jazz in September 2021 in connection with the release of the album on ODIN Records, and now we can finally present this work at the 41. Skopje Jazz Festival.