Hubro

Pintura is the second album by the original trio 1982. Their eponymous debut LP, released by NORCD in 2008, was one of our absolute favourites that year. On their new album, Pintura, they lift their interaction and experimentation to a new level.

1982 must be designated as a supergroup within the genre of modern, improvised chamber music. The group"s instrumentation is unusual. As far as we know there is no other ensemble playing improvised music using the combination of harmonium, drums and Hardanger fiddle. This gives 1982 a distinctive sound, but in a purely musical sense, too, the group follows its own path. "We aren"t afraid of moving into a sensitive, harmonic and melancholic landscape. That space is not closed to us," drummer Øyvind Skarbø says in an interview with the magazine Natt og Dag. Nils Økland says, "I"ve been playing a lot of Balkan music, while Øyvind and Sigbjørn have been travelling around and working with musicians from all over the world. So maybe we have a sense of curiosity and openness as a backdrop when we play."

About the musicians

Fiddler Nils Økland has a background as a folk musician, and is renowned internationally for his innovative playing style. His solo albums on the ECM and Rune Grammofon labels have received glowing reviews. Økland was a member of the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble for several years.

Sigbjørn Apeland plays church organ and harmonium, and holds Norway"s only doctorate in ethnomusicology. He is known for operating at the point where folk music, church music and improvisational music intersect. In 2010 he released his first solo album with solo harmonium improvisations, Glossolalia (HUBROCD2503). While studying organ he became involved in learning from and playing free jazz with the legendary British drummer John Stevens, and his list of recording credits includes albums with Sigrid Moldestad, folk singers Åsne Valland Nordli, Berit Opheim Versto and Agnes Buen Garnås, electronica innovator Alog, and noise duo Golden Serenades.

Sigbjørn Apeland and Nils Økland have also collaborated as a duo for decades, and this past spring they released a critically acclaimed record on ECM inspired by Norwegian violinist Ole Bull and his home at Lysøen.

Drummer Øyvind Skarbø has studied with Terje Isungset and has undertaken study tours to Nigeria and Cuba. He plays with BMX, Kresten Osgood, Per Jørgensen and the Icelandic guitarist Hilmar Jensson, in addition to working with a solo project under the name of DIE, Allroundhandwerker! Skarbø has operated the concert club Øyvind Jazzforum in Bergen since 2006.

Pintura

Øyvind Skarbø found the inspiration for the name of the album Pintura when he visited the Joan Miró museum in Barcelona. "When you see the picture with the same name, the first thing that grabs your attention is a rough, monochromatic figure, which must have been painted with a broad brush. Then, when you get closer, you notice that the background, in contrast, is very detailed and nuanced. I don"t know if this can function as a description of our music, but I did think it was significant."

The album was recorded at Grieg Hall studio in Bergen with technician Davide Bertolini.