Open minds and high class from new ensemble.
On the album North South East West, which will be celebrated with a release concert at Kafé Hærverk during Oslo World, the Norwegian violinist and composer Inger Hannisdal has put together a quintet which finds new common ground in Arab and Norwegian musical traditions. Hannisdal grew up on the east side of Oslo, where she was exposed to music from all around the world. After studies in Lebanon, she returned to Oslo where she has made her mark on the contemporary scene, where improvisation, jazz and different forms of traditional music merge.
On her album, the maqam based tone language mixes with the just intonation of Norwegian folk music, exploring the microtonality these forms of music have in common. Hannisdal is part of musical circles which has made the Norwegian scene more open, and North South East West is a clear example of this development. Accordeonist Frode Haltli, known from contemporary classical music and folk music, finds common ground with the Moroccan multi instrumentalist Khalid Laaouam and Hannisdals violin. They get sympathetic backing from drummer Michaela Antalová and bass player Adrian Myhr, key figures in the current merging of jazz and folk music. The music finds inspiration in the Middle East, in Norway and in modern improvisation - but it also tells a story of its own.
