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 Mattis & The Grand Trunk Road Ensemble
live at Punkt Festival 2009:
Concert review by John Kelman
Myrland,
a singer/songwriter with a distinctive predilection for late-1960s and
earl-1970s American singer/songwriters including Leonard Cohen and
Crosby, Stills & Nash, opened the evening with a set of appealing
original music, focusing on the his own unaffected but clearly affecting
voice, and those of banjoist/vocalist Hans Martin Austestad and
harmonium player/vocalist Wenche Losnegård. With a sextet also
including drummer/sampler Freddy Wike, bassist/baritone guitarist Jo
Berger Myhre and guitarist Jan Martin Smørdal, there was plenty of
available instrumentation to deliver music ranging from acoustic and
sweet to electric and hard-edged.
Curious samples of even richer vocal harmonies,
in addition to more jagged textures, sometimes underscored a group
sound that was, at times, spare and ethereal, but elsewhere became
dense and propulsive. Myrland's direct yet poetic bent was well
supported, most notably by Smørdal, who added a touch of Bill
Frisell-like idiosyncrasy to the music, with distinctive voicings and
resonant, sustaining chords that oscillated in and around the music.
Avoiding the prerequisite rhytm section sound, Myhre's baritone guitar
work often took center stage instrumentally, even as Myrland's grungy,
distorted acoustic guitar sounded more garage band than folk
troubadour; still, in a strange way the group's confluence of seemingly
disparate and incongrous textures came together in an attractive
fashion and worked.
Read the whole article here (including a great review of Navyelectre)
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Live at Oslo World Music Festival & NRK P2 |
Brand new tune Sleeping Dogs - and the response from a lot of radio
listeners - brought me and The Grand Trunk Road Ensemble to the
debut award concert at Oslo World Music Festival. Several bands and
artists were presented on the NRK radio show Jungeltelegrafen, and four
of these were chosen to perform at Blå, Oslo on November 5th. The
concert will be broadcasted live on NRK P2.
I want to thank all those who tuned in and responded to the radio show - thank you so much for your support!
To help me out with the live performance at Blå, I have with me my friends in The Grand Trunk Road Ensemble:
Jan
Martin Smørdal, Wenche Losnegård, Hans Martin Austestad, Jo Berger
Myhre and Freddy Wike. - A group of people whose ears and minds I am
very grateful to bring along.
The Grand Trunk Road is the main road crossing northern India. These tunes were created during my stay in Delhi and my journeys in northern India.
Listen to Sleeping Dogs and other new tunes here
Mattis - 22.10.08
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My Indian Guru visits Norway |
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My Indian Guru Madhumita Ray is coming to Norway in October, to give lessons at the Norwegian Academy of Music.
It's possible to hear her perform while she is here. In Oslo she'll sing at the IKM Concerthall, Grønland (Tøyenbekken 5) on Thursday October 11., 19.00. Shri Lal Sahajpal will join her on the tablas.
She will also perform in Hov kirke, on Sunday October 21., 19.00. Prior to her performance I will say a few words about my experiences from India.
We will also do a short tour to music highschools in my county Oppland. I'll share a few thoughts with the students on my experiences from living and studying with one of Delhi's best Classical singers. Madhumita Ray will then teach the Classical and Semi-classical style to the vocalists, and all the students will get the chance to see her perform in concert.
It's pretty exciting getting the chance to tell people bout the issues I faced, and the differences between being a jazz student in Oslo and learning ancient classical traditions in Delhi. It's also a great opportunity for the students to get this first-hand knowledge from someone who performs all over the world, and has received this gift of knowledge from the great masters of Classical music in India.
Mattis - 29.09.07
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Exhibition and concert at Fårebygget Gallery, Borkenes |
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My sister Ingrunn is a textile artist who mixes old traditional handcraft-techniques into a more modern, contemporary expression. Recently she had an exhibition at Anne Semb's "Fårebygget Gallery", near Harstad in the north of Norway. The gallery is an old barn situated between the fjords and the mountains, a beautiful spot with such a wonderful atmosphere.
At the opening I played "I Won't Go" and a new song that I wrote in India: "The Judge". I also played the Irish folk-tune "Moorlough Shore" (Foggy Dew), that seemed to fit naturally into those pictoresque surroundings.
View more pictures of my sister's work in the gallery.
Mattis - 29.09.07
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Delhi Times and a little bit of inaccuracy |
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Here's a report from The Delhi Times, February 12., 2007.
My Guru Mrs. Madhumita Ray performed at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, and I was in her backing band, playing the tanboura (four-stringed instrument that accompanies vocal music).
The next day my face was on Page 3 in The Delhi Times, with the comment "Foreigners enjoyed the sitar". I don't doubt that a great number of foreigners in fact do enjoy the sitar, but I have to admit on my side that I have never touched one. According to the authors I went to Delhi to study sitar with Madhumita Ray, who is - a very well known singer. For a minute there I was tempted to sue the paper for misleading their readers, but after analyzing the outcome I found that the damage done was not of monumental magnitude. I chose to let the authors go, with a warning, in Hindi.
Mattis - 28.09.07
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Oppland County's Art Scholarship 2006 |
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I was very grateful to receive Oppland County's Artist Scholarship 2006 for my Indian music studies. I got the message while I had been studying in Delhi for a month. Oppland Arbeiderblad wrote an article about the grant: read it here (in norwegian).
And by the way, Oppland Arbeiderblad also printed an interview prior to this. Available here (also in norwegian).
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On Tuesday 7.11, I'll take my first steps through the streets of New Delhi.
The next 12 months will be filled with - daily training in Classical Indian Singing,
- getting to know the city and some of the 15 million people who live there,
- and a whole lot of other activities that I don't know much about yet.
I want to thank Marie Grimes legat and MFOs vederlagsfond for their financial support. Thank you for your help!
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Yesterday I bought "The Eraser", and drove back home late at night on the roads of the Norwegian countryside with Thom and Nigel's fantastic work beating heavily and extremely loud in the car. I love listening to music in the car, especially music that I've never
heard before. It opens ears to be driving while listening, or listening
while driving. Probably because my mind is occupied keeping the wheels
on the road, which makes my ears relax and therefore discovering sounds
that I might not have discovered in the same way if I hadn't been
driving.
My greatest driving and listening- experience so far is Beck's "Sea
Change", another knockout-production by Nigel. I still put it on from
time to time. The last month however, Joe Henry's "Tiny Voices" has
been my road companion nr.1. A great album, so full of dirt and beauty
in a perfect blend. And the production is so good, you can hear every
little pedal-touch of the piano, and every breath of the saxophone- and
clarinet-players.
But for the next few weeks, Thom and Nigel will be my faithful partners in the dark September nights on Norwegian roads.
Mattis - 08.09.06
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My India-plans have become more than just an idea, now it is actually going to happen.
During the last couple of weeks I have been communicating with classical Indian singer and teacher Madhumita Ray,
and we've managed to find the best time for me to travel to her institute in New Delhi.
If we stick to our plan, I'll stay there from November this autumn, untill May next year.
I'll probably live with a family nearby the institute, and that way get in touch with their culture in a quite unique way.
I will take lessons and train under Madhumita for four or five months, and then travel around the last month I'm in the country.
I am very, very excited about the project..
More information will come.
Mattis - 04.06.06
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Mattis Myrland quartet live |
 Fri. 9.6. 21.00 - Randsfjorden Gjestegaard, Hov
Sat. 10.6. 13.00 - Grette Gallery, Hov (opening of Ingrunn Myrland's art exhibition)
Tue. 13.6. 22.00 - Blå, Oslo (featuring Mathias Eick on trumpet)
My sister Ingrunn Myrland has recently presented her works at an exhibition in Lithuania, and she has several on-going projects throughout the summer and autumn. She works in the field of contemporary art, such as installations with embroidery and quilting techniques, combined with details of metal and wood.
The concert at Blå Tuesday 13.6. marks the finish of my studies at The Norwegian Academy of Music. I'm very happy that the brilliant trumpeter Mathias Eick (Jaga Jazzist, Motif etc.) will be joining us at Blå. I'm quite sure it'll be a fine evening, for the band and for the audience.
The concert is absolutely free of charge, and you're all welcome!
Mattis - 04.06.06
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String quartet and songwriting |
I spend most of my time nowadays writing a piece of music for a string quartet,
as a part of my composition studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music.
I've never written for strings before, but it is something that I will recommend to all my friends, because it is very enjoyable once you get started. I have a feeling it will turn out quite a folkish tune (also slightly Grieg-ish perhaps, but hardly in his league). Working title is "Brunstig Elg Over Våt Myr". Loosely translated: "Randy Moose Across Wet Marsh".
I'm also writing more songs for the folkband, and we've had a couple of really good reherseals lately.
The recording of Mattis Myrland Quartet is about to be finished. Just a couple of adjustments to be made, before we can start presenting it to people.
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Singing in Oslo Concert Hall |
I had the great pleasure of spending an evening on the stage of Oslo Concert Hall last Wednesday, singing Chet Baker-classics with the brilliant jazz musicians Jon Eberson on guitar, Rob Waring on vibraphone and Carl Morten Iversen on double-bass. The occasion was an arrangement by “The Jazz-Academy”, and I was a step-in vocalist for Norwegian trombonist, singer and Chet Baker-interpreter Torbjørn Sunde.
Between the songs author and journalist Stein Kagge told the audience about his friendship with Chet, and shared some fine memories from their meetings. Rob and Carl Morten have actually played with the man, during one of his visits to Norway in the eighties. They both had some hilarious stories from back then.
Me myself had the most enjoyable time sitting on stage listening to stories and singing those wonderful Chet-tunes with such an excellent band.
Mattis - 13.02.06
Paul Teixeira
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 I've just spent four days in studio with my new quartet: Me on vocals, Jari Bakken on guitar, Sigurd Hole on bass, and Jonas Sjøvaag on drums. Friend and trumpetman Eivind Lønning also joined us on a couple of songs. 12 fine pieces of jazz standards were taped and we are very happy with the result. Guitar-player and jazz-mentor Jon Eberson took excellent care of the producing, and the sound engineering was handled very well by Henning Bortne and Tage Gerhardsen. Time will show what comes out of the session. We sure hope it'll be a record available for as many as possible.
Mattis - 25.01.06
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Indian singer Madhumita Ray has accepted to give me lessons in classical Indian vocal music. I'll stay at her institute Vageschwari Foundation in New Delhi for six months and get a brief, but intense deep-dive into a vocal tradition that has developed over a long, long time.
What caught my attention is that the principles of Indian music have very old roots, and the "teacher to student"- tradition is quite similar to traditional Norwegian folkmusic.
Madhumita Ray is a well-known performer and teacher who has played concerts and given classes all over the world. She has visited Norway several times, and cooperated with Norwegian musicians too. A few years ago she toured the country with bassplayer Ingebrigt Håker Flaten.
Madhumita visited the Norwegian Academy of Music this autumn, and the master class inspired me to check out the possibility of studying with her in India. During my six months stay in New Delhi I believe I'll have to face some challenges that most probably wouldn't have crossed my mind if I were to go on with my studies home in Norway.
I don't know yet when I'll be heading for New Delhi. More information will appear on the news-page as soon as I know.
Mattis - 12.01.06
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2006 just arrived and I've started building this site with good help from my friend Jonas Sjøvaag: www.supremeconnection.no
The idea is to present a selection of the projects that occupy my mind. Check out the red "Radio"- button:
It will open an audioplayer with sketches, live-recordings, and songs recorded in studio.
Do not hesitate to contact me if you need information about my music, or anything else that you might wanna know.
Mattis - 03.01.06
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