The fiddle player Hans P. Kjorstad from Oppland and the cellist Ernst Reijseger from the Netherlands met each other in the winter of 2022 after the concert series Blow Out! in Oslo invited Kjorstad to come and play with whoever he wanted. The choice was simple, Reijseger's background as a pioneering improviser since the 70s (ICP, Amsterdam String Trio, Clusone 3+++) plus the later years' explorations of the interplay between sound and image in collaboration with master director Werner Herzog was almost too good to be true. Kjorstad & Reijseger quickly found a common repertoire consisting of patient melodious improvisations with airy and playful interplay.

After two concerts, in Lillehammer and in Oslo, this album was recorded in one short day in Høyjord stave church in Vestfold. The reverb in the medieval church blended with the melodies from the fiddles, cello and drone instruments, and was picked up by several old and valuable microphones. It all happened pretty straight forward, the track list on the album is arranged in the same order as the music was played. All tracks are improvised on the spot, apart from no. 3 and no. 8, which were composed by Reijseger and recorded without significant rehearsing. Spontaneously, a 5-string Harding fiddle was also pulled out of the sleeve. It was a day where the joy of playing music together was in focus.

You can clearly hear that the musicians have a well-worked repertoire on their own, but without being too self-absorbed - they play with at least one ear on what the other is doing. There is a common sensibility in the music that arises between them. And the music flows forward at a leisurely pace, only replaced by the occasional ornamental outburst.

For followers of Motvind Records, it may sometimes be a bit too much Hans P. Kjorstad in the monitors, but that's how it is when one combines the roles of being musician, composer, and record company director. Briefly summarized, we can present his artistic work as follows: from growing up in the folk music society at Fron in Gudbrandsdalen, he took the road via improvisation, jazz, baroque music, and contemporary music, to an increasing focus on intonation and then, naturally enough, just intonation. Relevant projects related to this include the compositions "Vendingo utta'om råket" and "Avkjølingshistorie", as well as various folk music arrangements with his brother Rasmus Kjorstad. He is a regular member of the bands of Frode Haltli, Marthe Lea and Andreas Røysum, the collective trio Miman with the same Røysum and Egil Kalman, and recently did a collaboration with Sam Gendel and Benny Bock called Dream Trio with four concerts in Japan in 2023. He has also played with Alasdair Roberts, Sudeshna Bhattacharya, Torgeir Vassvik, and many others.

Ernst Reijseger is a living legend with a track record much longer than this press release. Formed by the European improvisation elite since the 70s, he has worked tirelessly and redefined his playing several times. He has played jazz, free jazz, baroque music, classical music, folk music, and contemporary music, but for a long time he himself has stopped defining his music within specific genres. He has participated in over 200 albums. And he is a skilled film composer who has composed the music for both feature films and documentaries by Werner Herzog. He has also composed new music for orchestra, choir, theatre, dance, installations, poets, and horses. Naming some of his collaborators is difficult as it will exclude many, but for those who want to listen further we can list Mola Sylla, Sean Bergin, Misha Mengelberg, Steve Lacy, Yo Yo Ma, Trilok Gurtu, Tenore e Concordu de Orosei and Nana Vasconselos.

Transferring ideas, knowledge, and experiences from generation to generation is an essential part of our dear society, and this also largely applies to music. This duo is also an example of how different voices can converse if the starting point is open and built on mutual respect. The music has been, is, and will be, it's just a matter of picking it down when the opportunity presents itself.

DETAILS
All music by Kjorstad/Reijseger except track 3 and 8, by Reijseger.

Recorded February 16th 2022 at Høyjord Stave Church by Hans Martin Austestad
Mixed and mastered by Frans Wajon
Graphic design by JAHJAH Studio
Produced by Ernst Reijseger and Hans P. Kjorstad

Hans P. Kjorstad plays a violin by Jørn K. Nygaard and a 5-string hardingfele by Helge M. Bergnord. The latter granted by Norsk hardingfelefond AS. He also plays a just tuned indian harmonium.
Ernst Reijseger plays a 5-string cello by Bolink & Steinhauer, granted by the Nationaal Muziekinstrumenten Fonds. He also plays two shruti boxes.

CONTACT
PR: records@motvindkulturlag.no
Sales: jorgen@subversivevibrations.com

Motvind Records 2024, MOT25CD