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Susanna and The Magical Orchestra

Susanna And The Magical Orchestra is in fact a duo with keyboardplayer Morten Qvenild and singer Susanna Karolina Wallumrød. (Morten is a former member of Jaga Jazzist and Shining, he quitted to concentrate on this duo and his own trio called In The Country. Their debut-album was released in Norway in February 2004, and some time later in Europe and in Japan, and received very good critics around the world. List of lights and buoys contains highly personal interpretations of Dolly Parton�'s Jolene and Leonard Bernstein�'s Who Am I as well as nine originals that show a suprising degree of maturity, especially considering the writers young age and the fact that they operate in a landscape that requires a good deal of songwriting skills to hold your attention. Susanna And The Magical Orchestra combines the availability of the traditional popmusic, the strictness of the electronica and the improvisation in the jazzmusic.

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Album Review

Susanna and the Magical Orchestra: 3

Read "3" reviewed by John Kelman


The ability of musicians on the Norwegian scene to live in a multitude of musical spaces was made clear at Molde Jazz 2009, where trumpeter Arve Henriksen performed in a variety of settings, ranging from the sublime beauty of his Cartography group to more aggressive noise improv with Supersilent. The two members of Susanna and the Magical Orchestra are equally spread out, in particular keyboardist Morten Qvenild, who has worked with groups ranging from indie instrumentalists Jaga Jazzist to more ...

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Album review “Lists of light and buoys”:

Albums don’t come much more beautiful than ”List of Lights and Buoys”. Despite a certain variety in the instrumentation and an undisputable audacity in the textural dress-up, ”List of Lights and Buoys” relies solely on the strong songwriting team of Wallumrød and Qvenild, and on Susanna’s irresistibly moving, seductive torch singer of a voice. With a desire to nail the listener to his or her chair right from the start, the album opens with two highly personal interpretations. Leonard Bernstein’s “Who Am I” is born out of and sent back to an electronic fog through which Susanna’s voice appears like a divine lighthouse. ”Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” provides the album’s highlight, a showcase for Susanna’s genuine torch singing and Qvenild’s sensitive, minimal arrangements. The duo’s songwriting is then allowed to shine, especially in “Friend”, “Distance Blues and Theory” and the gripping “Believer”. These songs are strong examples of timeless songwriting, the electronic vestments give them a certain edge, but don’t distract from their true qualities. A must-have and one of the most promising debut albums of the year. AMG (US)

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

3

Rune Grammofon
2009

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Palpatine's Dream

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2009

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Melody Mountain

Rune Grammofon
2006

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Jolene

Rune Grammofon
2004

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List Of Lights And...

Rune Grammofon
2004

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