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Håvard Wiik
Although he is still quite young in years, Havard Wiik ranks among the uppermost and most widely acclaimed jazz pianists in Norway, with talents that have brought him all around the world. He made his first major appearance on the scene in 1995, with Element, but for the last 10 years he has been a key player in many groups, such as Atomic, Free Fall, Atomic Schooldays, a duo with Hakon Kornstad, a new project with Axel Dorner and Fredrik Ljungqvist, among others. He has been an obvious choice as collaborator with giants in jazz, Kenny Wheeler, Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano representing the old school, and Ken Vandermark being a soul mate from the here and now.
Havard Wiik originally made his mark alongside colleagues and buddies Paal Nilssen-Love and Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, still being the power and the glory in Atomic. But he definitely has his own way too, and displays a keen sensibility of his craft, both in avant-garde and more traditional approaches. This all-round ability, among other deep qualities, made him "artist in residence" at the 2004-edition of Molde International Jazz Festival. And in 2006, at Kongsberg Jazz Festival, he received the Vital prize, bringing him money and fame, but more importantly the opportunity to perform solo again, as he will do this year, and as the listener can inspect more closely on the recent release Palinode
But, lest we forget, he also has a group of his own, in that most glorious of jazz formats: the trio. He released Postures on Jazzland records in 2003, chock full of his intricate yet instantly pleasurable compositions. He closed down the trio, but now, in 2007, Havard Wiik Trio is back with The Arcades Project. The album was recorded at Bugges Room, January of 2007. In this new installment of the trio we find the fierce stickmanship of Hakon Mjaset Johansen on drums, and the contact-high youngster Ole Morten Vagan on bass. They originally met when Havard Wiik did a stint as super stand-in in their group Motif. The two have also individually been involved with groups such as Urban Connection, Come Shine, Bugge Wesseltoft's New Conception of Jazz, and are exponents of a new generation of Norwegian jazz players. And they bring to Havard Wiik's trio, in his own words:" "After I disbanded my last trio in 2004, I have used the last couple of years to try to develop a fresh view on the classic piano trio format, both in regards of interplay and composition.
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Håvard Wiik: This Is Not a Waltz
by Glenn Astarita
Leading-edge Norwegian pianist Håvard Wiik is a widely acclaimed artist via his work in the eminent Scandinavian free bop band, Atomic and collaborations with saxophonists Joe Lovano, Ken Vandermark and many other jazz VIPs. Yet he's equally at home settling into modern jazz frameworks or when venturing into the outside peripheries of jazz. But this release, recorded with his piano trio, delivers a smaller scale and comprehensive synthesis of his advanced technical skills, approach and style. Wiik injects ...
read moreHåvard Wiik Trio: This Is Not a Waltz
by Enrico Bettinello
Tra i tanti talenti pianistici che vengono dal nord dell'Europa, quello di Håvard Wiik è tra i più luminosi e imprevedibili. Ben conosciuto con gli Atomic, come pure nel raffinatissimo progetto Free Fall di Ken Vandermark, Wiik è leader di grande intelligenza, come dimostra in questo nuovo lavoro in trio con i collaudati (già costituiscono la ritmica dei Motif) Ole Morten Vågan al contrabbasso e Håkon Mjåset Johansen alla batteria. Otto composizioni che raccontano bene il desiderio ...
read moreAtomic: Retrograde
by Lloyd N. Peterson Jr.
Every time I have the opportunity to attend a performance by Atomic, I find myself asking, how does a band this dynamic and creative miss the radar on so many different media and industry levels? If the Miles Davis Quintet with Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Herbie Hancock could have rocked, they would have been the brilliant and ass-kicking Atomic. If they were from New York, my peers would be drooling at the opportunity to discover the arrival ...
read moreHavard Wiik: Reinventing the Piano Jazz Trio in Ukraine
by Alex Martynov
Havard Wiik Trio Concert Hall of Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music Kyiv, Ukraine April 18, 2009
Havard Wiik, a pianist known for his own groups as well as for his work in Atomic, Free-Fall, and Motif, is the present and the future of the Norwegian jazz scene. A gifted player and composer, he has already recorded a piano solo album, highly-acclaimed duos with young talented saxophonist Hakon Kornstad, and two albums with his ...
read moreAtomic: Retrograde
by John Kelman
Plenty has been written about the intersection--past and present--between members of the Swedish/Norwegian collective Atomic, and Chicago's Ken Vandermark's countless projects. Most telling, perhaps, is this simple fact: were Atomic American-based, there's little doubt it would garner similar accolades from a considerably larger audience unafraid of the kind of fearless experimentation that's been the quintet's signature since convening around the turn of the millennium. Retrograde is the group's fifth release and second three-CD set, following its all-live The Bikini Tapes ...
read moreHavard Wiik Trio: The Arcades Project
by John Kelman
Freedom comes in many forms, and while still a relative youngster, Oslo-based pianist Håvard Wiik's already built a career across the broadest possible spectrum of improvisational possibilities, whether it's with Atomic, the Swedish/Norwegian collective where Wiik's name first came to attention on albums including the expansive three-CD The Bikini Tapes (Jazzland, 2005), his ongoing “covers" duo with Jazzland label mate/saxophonist Håkon Kornstad on the inventive The Bad and the Beautiful (Moserobie, 2007), or his sparer solo album Palinode (Moserobie, 2007). ...
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