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Jazzmandu 2005 Artists
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The Norwegian Jazz Trio SOLID!
SOLID! is one of Norway’s premiere organ trios, comprising three of the country’s finest young jazz musicians. SOLID! was voted “Young Jazzmusicians of the year 2002” by the Norwegian Jazz Forum and the Norwegian Concert Institute. They also won the grand prize in the Getxo International Jazz Contest in Spain in 2003, and they won both the soloist prize and the ”audience’ favorite-prize”. The trio has released one album with a brand new follow-up that came out in August. The trio’s repertoire consist mainly of guitarist Bjørn Vidar Solli’s original compositions with an obscure standard here and there. The music of SOLID! varies between hard swinging jazz to more open and subtle soundscapes. Organist Daniel Formo’s fresh and original sound combined with the elegant touch and incomparable drive of Håkon Mjåset Johansen, makes SOLID! one of Norway’s most exciting jazz outfits.
BIOs:
Bjorn Vidar Solli -
Guitarist/Vocalist/Composer
Born in Norway in 1979, the young Mr. Solli has quickly made a name for himself as one of the most exciting and promising guitarists on the Norwegian jazz scene. He was voted "young Norwegian jazz musician of the year" in 2002 and has since won numerous awards throughout Europe, including soloist prizes in Belgium and Spain, audience prizes in
Switzerland and Spain, and a composition prize in France. Bjorn Vidar Solli is a busy professional musician working out of Oslo, Norway. He is touring and recording extensively, having appeared on 4 cd`s, with a new SOLID! album coming out in November on Jazzaway Records. This past summer he performed at the Nelson Mandela concert in Tromso, Norway in front of 18.000 spectators. He has opened for artists such as Manhattan Transfer, Alicia Keys, Jeab Luc Ponty, Peter Gabriel, Annie Lenox etc. He has also appeared on national television to an audience of one million viewers.
Håkon Mjåset Johansen -
Drummer
Mr. Johansen is an extraordinary talent, above all in traditional swing styles. With the trio "Urban Connection", he won the title Jazz Talent of the Year 1998 (Norway). He also won the 1st prize at the Avignon Jazz Contest 2000 (France) and a Norwegian Grammy Award (Spelemannsprisen) for Urban Connection’s first CD in 2001. In addition to COME SHINE and "Urban Connection", Mr. Johansen plays in numerous bands, such as the quintet "Motif" and in several settings with super-talented violinist Ola Kvernberg. Mr. Johansen has toured with Chick Corea (Norway 2000-2001), and this year he played quartet with Michael Brecker for two nights at the Molde International Jazz Festival. Still a young musician, Håkon Mjåset Johansen has a certain ease and elegance in his playing that surpasses many of his older, more experienced colleagues in and outside of Norway.
Daniel Formo -
Hammond Organ
Daniel Formo is one of the few Norwegian dedicated jazz organ players. He originally started out on the piano, but converted to the Hammond organ in lack of bass players when studying. Currently completing his last year of music studies, he now plays the organ in a number of bands, two of which have now recorded their first cd. Formo has also been acknowledged as a composer, earning a prize for best composition in the 2004 Norwegian competition for "young jazz musicians of the year".
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