Martin Nodeland - Debut (2019)

Debut resides in the musical landscape of modern jazz and extends the continuum of Nordic and American jazz into the next decade. Influenced by great American improvisors such as Brad Mehldau, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Brian Blade, guitarist Martin Nodeland has developed a sophisticated musical language and displays astounding maturity as a composer, interpreter and performer throughout Debut. Nodeland has worked with various established artists such as Atle Nymo and Roberto Bonati as well as up and coming talents like Simen Kiil Halvorsen and Rastko Obradovic. Displaying his distinctive voice both as a performer and composer, his is a name to take note of with the album Debut in 2019.

Martin writes: “The idea was to present the musicians with strong material and ideas in a simplistic form that allows for freedom and interaction. Alternating between originals and American jazz standards seemed like a great way to establish common ground within the ensemble.”

Debut is a collection of original pieces and standard jazz repertoire that was recorded on April 6th, 2019 at Propeller Studios in Oslo. The plan to record this album was initiated when the opportunity of inviting the great saxophone player Will Vinson presented itself in November 2018.

After having mostly worked with complex and densely composed music leading up to this project, Martin Nodeland writes: “It felt both natural and necessary to approach composing for this project with a less-is-more mentality”. The ideas are presented in a simplistic form but always with a clear artistic direction and mood. Similar to the jazz standards that are featured on the album, the forms provide a familiar space for improvisation, giving the musicians freedom to interact while interpreting the material. Altering the harmony, time signatures or rhythmic context of the jazz standards unifies the pieces by creating a cohesive sound throughout the album.