Everyone talks about when Led Zeppelin will come together again. Jimmy Page wants to do it, John Paul Jones is maybe willing, but Robert Plants has been quoted as dragging his feet. I think he should continue to do that, after seeing him at Bergen Fest last night, I don’t think we need a reunion of Led Zeppelin.
Anita Skorgan started her career as a child prodigy on piano, and won a talent show in Swedish television already as a 13 year old. When she was 19 she sang the Norwegian winning song in the European Song Contest (ESC). The last years she has gone back to a more personal style, with meaningful lyrics and low key melodies. Last night she visited Olsen at Bryn in Oslo, and I feel lucky to be there.
Dance With A Stranger were one of Norway’s biggest acts in the mid 80’s until they disbanded in 1994. They released several CDs, and had top hits in Norway, Sweden and also other European countries. Since 1994 they have had reunions, but now they have started what they say is definitely their last concert tour. Some 25 concerts in 3 months. and then it is over I saw them yesterday at Åsgårdstrand.
Nattjazz (Night Jazz) in Bergen is one of Norway’s longest living jazz festivals. The first festival was arranged in 1972, and since then it has been arranged every May in Bergen, parallel with the Bergen International Festival. This year I saw the opening night, and got three concerts with some of Norway’s finest jazz artists – Nils Petter Molvaer, Come Shine and Haakon Kornstad. (Picture above: Nils Petter Molvaer)
Samba, bossa nova and latin music in general has been popular in some of the Nordic countries for many years. Finland has a strong tango tradition in their popular music, while many Swedish artists like Lill lindfors, Cornelis Vreeswijk and Monica Zetterlund have had several bossa nova songs on their repertoire. We haven’t had a tradition for this music in Norway until Trio de Janeiro started out some 25 years ago. They are still active, and today they played a lunch concert at the AnJazz festival at Hamar.
D’Sound were one of the refreshing new Norwegian band in the mid 90s. They started playing together in 1993, and their debut CD, Spice Of Life came in 1996. From then they have released six more studio albums, one greatest hits and on live CD. Yesterday night they played at Hamar at the AnJazz festival, after a long break.
Henning Kvitnes has been around the Norwegian music scene since the 80s. First with his band Little Eden, then as a solo artist, going from English lyrics to Norwegian and gradually building a big and steady audience. He has played live at literally every nook and cranny in Norway, and yesterday night he played at Rockefeller to celebrate his 19th and last(!) CD, “Jada, vi esker …”. (Henning Kvitnes and Poul Krebs posing for the photographer)
There are many problems in concert photography today. One is the ubiquitous photo contracts, specially the right grabbers. Another problem is all the editors, web sites and bands who expect photographers to just give away their photos for free. Why is photos supposed to be free, while the same people expect us to pay for music and magazines? (Above: Rafael Saadiq at the SXSW – are there too many concert photographers?)
The word intimate and TNT in the same sentence might be considered a contradiction in terms. Last night TNT held a full concert for 100-150 people in a small restaurant/club at the outskirts of Oslo. The setting was both grand and intimate, and the lucky ones got a one hour concert with one of the big rock bands from the 80’s.
The fourth and last day of Inferno had Watain as the headliner, but we got many other musical highlights. To me, Rotting Christ from Greece was a positive surprise, the same with the Norwegian veterans Gehenna. I also saw and heard the FInnish band Oranssi Pazuzu, Black Witchery and Tulus. (Picture above: Blodstrup from Tulus)
Artist Pictures Blog 