On eighth album Bees in the Bonnet, the Hedvig Mollestad Trio continues to blur boundaries between free jazz, proggy rock and blithe psychedelia with their signature telepathic chemistry, nuanced sonority, and uplifting spirit. Released on April 25, the album’s six adventurous tracks veer from celebratory riffage to cerebral balladry with an infectious, inclusive joy.
“A bee in your bonnet is something that you can’t stop thinking about,” explained celebrated guitarist/composer Mollestad from her coastal home near Oslo. “I wanted something that would describe the musical idea of the trio, which is what we’ve been doing for eight records.”
As a child, Mollestad would be moved literally to tears by the ostensibly dissimilar sounds of, say, Sonny Rollins and Pearl Jam – often on the same day. This genre juxtaposition, once dubbed “jazz Sabbath,” has become her trademark as a revered composer, award-winning solo artist and, since 2009, with her beloved trio (also known as HM3), formed after she received the This Year’s Jazz Talent award at Moldejazz that year. Fourteen years later, Mollestad returned to that storied fest as Artist in Residence, following the likes of Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, and John Zorn in receiving that honor. In 2019, she was also awarded the prestigious Musicians Prize at Kongsberg Jazz Festival.
While her father was formerly a professional flügelhorn and trumpet player whose recordings include seminal folk-jazz opus Østerdalsmusikk with Jan Garbarek, Mollestad didn’t start nurturing her own talents seriously until her early twenties. She graduated from the Norwegian Academy of Music but found her own voice almost in spite of her formal education while playing clubs with a diverse array of rock and jazz acts.
“All genres were exploded a long time ago,” she mulled. “The biggest reason we play music is because it’s extremely fun, makes us happy, and spreads joy, even if it gives you strong feelings.”
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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