Marthe Lea Band

The German premiere of the Marthe Lea Band, one of Norway's most exciting new groups, incorporates influences from African and Scandinavian music into a rousing fireworks display. Lea's highly energetic compositions are bursting with joie de vivre and leave behind any stylistic purism in improvisations.

German premiere

Marthe Lea Band

(NO, SE)

Marthe Lea's nuanced playing in a trio that drummer Thomas Strønen put together for his album "Bayou" in 2021 gave little hint of the wide-ranging stylistic interests that lay dormant in her and that she has pursued ever since - for example, recently with Paal Nilssen-Loves Large Unit or in an improv trio with Berlin trumpeter Axel Dörner and Danish singer Brigitte Lyregaard. But no project makes her skills shine like this extraordinary quintet, which subverts any dichotomy between free jazz and transcultural curiosity. Lea's high-energy compositions are bursting with joie de vivre and are marked by a broad spectrum of African influences: Ethiopian soul or Moroccan gwana grooves are absorbed and transformed by her multi-layered arrangements. She counts on the active support of her fellow musicians - all of them multi-instrumentalists who can change the timbre of any musical situation in the blink of an eye. Lea herself plays piano, guitar and flute in addition to her tenor saxophone. Hans P. Kjorstad adds percussion and flute to his violin playing between free jazz and Norwegian folk, and bassist Egil Kalman occasionally adds synthesizer sounds to the mix. Only clarinetist Andreas Røysum and drummer Hans Hulbækmo - both featured at Jazzfest Berlin 2022 as part of Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra - more or less stick to their instruments. With her album "Asura" from 2021, Lea made the world sit up and take notice. Unconcerned, she seems to ignore any thought of stylistic purism. Instead, her tracks are as much a testament to the joy of making music together as the band's performances themselves: the musicians* literally dance across the stage while improvising at the highest level. Lea's new album features a stirring track called "Ayumi" - a tribute to Norwegian pianist and occasional collaborator Ayumi Tanaka, expressing Lea's deep connection with her fellow musicians.

Line-up

Marthe Lea - tenor saxophone, flute, piano, guitar, vocals, adungu, percussion

Andreas Røysum - clarinet, bass clarinet, vocals, percussion

Hans P. Kjorstad - violin, flute, vocals, percussion

Egil Kalman - double bass, modular synthesizer, vocals

Hans Hulbækmo - drums, percussion, vocals