Norstebo, Henrik Munkeby

Solo

Label: Creative Sources Country: Portugal

"It's quite difficult (and somewhat reckless) to propose a solo record on trombone, especially as nowadays this exceptional member of the big family of wind instruments is prominently thought as part of a combo or an orchestra and not so really suitable for a solo performance, but this release by the young Norwegian improvisational trombonist Henrik Munkeby Norstebo, an up-and-coming star of the scene in my opinion, goes beyond any dictates coming from musical trends, marketing pithy sayings or even social prejudices as some listeners joke on trombone considering it a musical instrument for beggars (it seems incredible but I've heard similar oddities even by orchestral directors...). His "Solo" is not a conceptual release at all, but it's quite belittling regarding it as a mere set of exercises as you can attest by listening to the bizarre performative paths explored by this guy: if the first piece could feed that above-sketched stereotyped vision so that his phrases and those nice glissatos could evoke some kind of discharged soldier who embraced Dixieland jazz while reminding the feeling of loneliness while on frontline even if this opener together with the final track is maybe the warmest and most melodious moment of the whole recording, the second track is the first sample where tradional performative techniques of trombone are intertwined with funny and somewhat bizarre vocal experiments and incredible embouchure so that Henrik looks translating into trombone tones the gruff muttering of some angry man after he's been awaken by some irritating noise. There are many moments when Henrik intertwines vocal sketches with the vice of trombone such in the ninth track where his vocalizations looks like a mixture of puffing, mumbling and strangling and in the fourth one where he reminds some cartoons such as Pingu or The Line's choleric reactions against its drawer when meeting a broken line! And there are moments when Henrik plays with glissando, trills and vibrational effects on trombone in a skillful way. Highly enjoyable and nostalgia-tinged music, born from a somewhat dermic relation between musician and instrument."-Vito Camarretta, Chain L.K.D.

Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø (born in Trondheim 29.07.86) is a Norwegian trombonist involved with free jazz, contemporary/new- and improvised music. Since 2005 he has worked mainly with improvisation, and currently organises and plays in groups like Nørstebø/Myhr/Järmyr, As deafness increases, Teknokrat, and Raymond Strid/Nina de Heney/Henrik Nørstebø. Nørstebø also performs as a solo improviser. The cd "SOLO" was released on the Portuguese label Creative sources summer 2011. Henrik currently have duo projects with a.o. Daniel Lercher (laptop), Rasmus Borg (piano) and Nina de Heney (double bass). He is a member of the Oslo based new music ensemble "Aksiom" and the 32 piece "Önczkekvist improvising orchestra", with members from the Czech republic, Austria and Norway.