SpaceMonkey med Storløkken og Westerhus

Two very busy and famous faces on the Norwegian jazz scene has created a platform for their common interest for improvised jazz music. Morten Qvenild, known from In The Country, The National Bank, Solveig Slettahjell Slow Motion Orchestra and Susanna and The Magical Orchestra, together with Gard Nilssen – the drummer everyone wants to play with. In addition to numerous creative projects of his own, Nilssen is also this year's Artist in Residence at Moldejazz, which illustrates his role in the jazz community.

This time sPacemonKey challenges themselves by pulling in two of the most exciting improvisational musicians of our time. Guitarist, Stian Westerhus, is setting new standards for how this instrument should sound, while Ståle Storløkken expresses himself just as riveting on an organ as he does on a finger piano. Nilssen tells us his co-musicians for this project are three of his favourite musicians, who each in their own way are reasons to be doing music today.

Moldejazz is proud to host the world premiere for the expanded version of sPacemonKey.

– I have always been fascinated by different directions in jazz, and I have done many things within improvisation. Some bands have stricter limits than others, as to how much is written and composed in preparation, while some bands I have worked with, like Puma and sPacemoNkey almost always have done concerts with no safety net. When Morten and I talked about who to invite, it was natural to ask two of the most original, ground-breaking and perceptive musicians we know. Supersilent, with Ståle Storløkken, has always been my favourite band, while Stian and I have been touring the world for years with the trio Puma. I think this combination of musicians can be deadly and very interesting. This is a dream come true for me, says Nilssen about the project's backstory.

Nilssen continues to explain that this will be a concert with few limits and no safety net. There might be written segments, but absolutely no longer scores. It will be an exploration of a world where the reckless, and sometimes beautifully improvised music of sPacemoNkey, meets a disjointed and sometimes clumpy, while other times luscious and danceable rhythmic world. There will be sci-fi electronics, el-pianos from the 70s, arpeggio-synths, wild dynamics, drum-machines and drum-kits, friction, flow, dirty bass, energy, darkness, joy and decay; it will be as if Bladerunner or Stranger Things is part of the orchestra.

With Storløkken and Westerhus, musicians we know from bands like Supersilent, Humcrush, Puma, Westerhus/Endresen and Elephant 9, will expand sPacemoNkey's improvisational and compositional world.

Gard Nilssen – drums / Morten Qvenild – keys / Ståle Storløkken – keys / Stian Westerhus - guitar.