Rune Grammofon
Did you know that here in Norway, you are blessed with an incredibly imaginative guitarist, composer and master of riffs, in Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen? Her latest album with her trio (Ellen Brekken – bass, Ivar Loe Bjørnstad – drums) “Bees in the Bonnet” kicks off with a heavy 70s hard rock groove in “See See Bop” that Black Sabbath or Led Zepplin would be proud of. Although well known in jazz circles, there is plenty for rock and metal fans to appreciate.
“Golden Griffin” channels Jeff Beck and some of his work with keyboardist Jan Hammer. Even though the keyboard is entirely absent, it is clear that Mollestad Thomassen has as tight a musical and improvisational relationship with her trio as Beck did with Hammer. You can also detect traces of John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra), Rush and Terje Rypdal. “Itta” has daring, spacious staccato rhythm at the beginning before slowly building a guitar solo that displays Mollestad Thomassen’s exquisite tone sensitivity. The explorative, psychedelic “Bob’s Your Giddy Aunt” will please free jazz lovers. The serene, gentle ballad “Lamament”, dedicated to Mollestad Thomassen’s father, is well placed on the record, and the delicate brush work of Bjørnstad soothes the listener before the manic yet controlled energy of the final track, “Apocalyse Slow” kicks in. Although the song title is ominous, the joyful, positive power of the music shines through, particularly during the immaculate transitions. This music will be a force of nature live.
37 minutes of infectious, heavy, progressive jazz rock fusion and blissful space. 37 minutes of brilliance. For this writer, it’s the album of the year so far, and for the first time since 2023, I gladly roll a 6 on the dice.
6/6 | Anne-Marie Forker
Release date: 9 May 2025
(You can see the trio in action on tour now, including Parkteatret in Oslo tonight!)
