Maridalen (NO) på Kvarteret & Co.

Norska jazztrion Maridalen på Kvarteret & Co.

The jazz trio Maridalen takes its name from the valley just north of central Oslo. The trio's two released albums have garnered rave reviews both nationally and internationally. The debut album "Maridalen", which came out in 2021, was placed by Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten on the list of "The year's best Norwegian", while English MOJO Magazine placed the record on "Jazz albums of the Year". The follow-up album "Bortenfor", which came the following year, was proclaimed "The best jazz records in 2022" by Dagsavisen an “Album of the month” by german radio WDR.

The valley that has given the trio its name also leaves its physical mark on the music itself, as both albums were actually recorded in the old wooden church in Maridalen. And with concerts at Ora Jazz Festival in Romania, the Nordic Jazz Festival in the Netherlands and last year's London Jazz Festival among others, they have also invited the international jazz scene into the beautiful valley.

In April last year, the three musicians set course for the island of Gressholmen in the Oslo Fjord, where they recorded their third album at one of the Norwegian Tourist Association's cabins. The album was just announced “Best Jazz Albums of 2024” in MOJO Music Magazine. We will hear music from this album and from their other two records this evening.

The music is experienced as intimate, and the trio creates different musical spaces that are filled with small different stories. The acoustic sound from double bass, trumpet and woodwind invites the listener on new adventures. We´ll be taken on a journey among forgotten places, night-lit streets, old apartment buildings and an island community with its own bird catcher. The soundscape of the trio is transparent and gives each of the three musicians a lot of space and responsibility. We can expect to join a journey of discovery among melodies and moods when they come to Örebro this evening!

Anders Hefre – saxophone Jonas Kilmork Vemøy – trumpet Andreas Rødland Haga – double bass