Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen is a groundbreaking and influential Norwegian guitarist, working in a wide range of scenes and genres, being an artist with a take-no-prisoners-attitude no matter the task given.
She was born in Ålesund February 4th 1982, her mother played guitar and piano. Her father played trumpet and flügelhorn, appearing at several recordings from the 70-ies and 80-ies, among them Østerdalsmusikk with Jan Garbarek.
Her work with Hedvig Mollestad Trio, including 7 albums in 10 years, has led to broad international attention and interest. She received the award for This Year's Jazz Talent during Moldejazz in 2009, and on that occasion she founded Hedvig Mollestad Trio. Since 2010, the trio has played hundreds of concerts all over the world. in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, US and Canada. In 2020 she released her first...
Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen is a groundbreaking and influential Norwegian guitarist, working in a wide range of scenes and genres, being an artist with a take-no-prisoners-attitude no matter the task given.
She was born in Ålesund February 4th 1982, her mother played guitar and piano. Her father played trumpet and flügelhorn, appearing at several recordings from the 70-ies and 80-ies, among them Østerdalsmusikk with Jan Garbarek.
Her work with Hedvig Mollestad Trio, including 7 albums in 10 years, has led to broad international attention and interest. She received the award for This Year's Jazz Talent during Moldejazz in 2009, and on that occasion she founded Hedvig Mollestad Trio. Since 2010, the trio has played hundreds of concerts all over the world. in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, US and Canada. In 2020 she released her first solo record Ekhidna, and received a Norwegian Grammy. Her 2nd solo release, Tempest Revisited, achieved the same award, and her 2021 release with her trio was nominated in the Rock category.
HM3’s Smells Funny made Rolling Stone’s “11 Great Albums You Probably Didn’t Hear in 2018,” with senior editor David Fricke also praising “the quality and ferocity of [Mollestad’s] guitar playing and improvisation, and the rhythmic bond of the group.” Their vibrant live sets shun any somberness associated with virtuosic musicality, instead focusing on sparkling spontaneity (and often stagewear), visceral audience connection, and sheer, dynamic joie de vivre. In short, they’re a band devoted to having a serious and musically challenging good time.
After an outpouring of seven acclaimed albums over a decade, accompanied by rapturously received touring all over Europe and North America, it’s been nearly four years since the Hedvig Mollestad Trio released triumphal seventh album Ding Dong. You’re Dead. Mollestad’s pent-up delight in reconnecting with cofounders Ellen Brekken (bass) and Ivar Loe Bjørnstad (drums) pervades Bees in the Bonnet’s thirty-seven invigorating, beautifully baffling yet accessible minutes. Always self producing and releasing records solely through Rune Grammofon, HM3 has created its own fascinating sonic universe, offering fans a singular aural experience that’s earned a global cult following....
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