WEEJUNS // Last Train

HEDVIG MOLLESTAD WEEJUNS

Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen – Gitar
Ståle Storløkken – Orgel
Ole Mofjell – Trommer

(English below)

De siste årene har Mollestad befestet sin posisjon som kompromissløs komponist og gitarist innen sin sjanger – og forbi. Hun har turnert verden over med sin faste trio, hun har vunnet Spellemannpris i Åpen klasse to år på rad for sine soloutgivelser, og i 2023 var hun Artist in Residence på Moldejazz – det mest høythengende oppdraget en jazzmusiker kan få i Norge, og med seg hadde hun blant annet Nels Cline fra Wilco og Trevor Dunn fra Mr. Bungle. Weejuns er hennes nyeste prosjekt: En tindrende trio med Ståle Storløkken, en bauta gjennom sitt arbeid med Terje Rypdal, Supersilent og Elephant9, og Ole Mofjell, en av de fremste unge trommeslagerne på den europeiske impro-scenen. I Weejuns har prinsippene om lange, komponerte strekk fått fare, og vi står igjen med en åpen dør inn til et enormt univers av gnistrende samspill og maleriske strukturer, en følelse av vektløshet der tidsaspektet rokkes ved, der musikerne samles i en stor triologi. Under ligger likevel dragningen mot de mektige riffene og bevrer, og det er ikke vanskelig å assosiere seg til både til det Rypdalske og monumentale, men også til knekken mellom 60- og 70-tallet, fra Bitches Brew- og Mahavishnu-eraen. Og de mektige riffene har fortsatt en helt sentral plass.

Deres debutalbum kom 01.09.23, og høstet strålende kritikker i inn- og utland:

-On the electrifying Stay At Your Peril, with a theme first heard briefly on the opener, Mollestad heart-stoppingly wrings out every conceivable permutation stemming from an ostinato motif. It’s a free-flowing performance that should surely consolidate her position at the very top of the jazz-rock guitarists’ tree.
Jazzjournal (UK)

-The encapsulating live double album comes as a welcome return for one of the most perplexing and original contemporary artists in Europe today.
Presto Music (UK)

-Det er mye gullalderprog og jazzrock her, eventyrlig søkende og flytende, men med en egen evne til å falle ned i uimotståelige grooves og riff som kaller på rockefoten.
Dagens Næringsliv

-Den rör sig oupphörligt framåt, utmanar gränser och förhållningssätt. Det är lysande.
Lira (SE)

-Mollestad has always had to barrel hoop her energies to bring form to her eruptive powers (…) but with Weejuns, the corsets are off. This live double album captures the trio improvising extensively, with written-in hooks and riffs keeping the three oriented.
Jazzwise (UK)

ENG

Introducing Weejuns: The Thrilling Trio Shaking Up the Jazz Scene

Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen – Guitar
Ståle Storløkken – Organ
Ole Mofjell – Drums

In recent years, Mollestad has solidified her position as an uncompromising composer and guitarist within her genre – and beyond. She's toured the world with her steadfast trio, clinched the Norwegian Grammy two years in a row for her solo releases, and in 2023, she held the esteemed title of Artist in Residence at Moldejazz – the most prestigious appointment a jazz musician can receive, next year the Bill Frisell will hold the title. Joining her were luminaries such as Nels Cline from Wilco and Trevor Dunn from Mr. Bungle. Weejuns (am. slang for Norwegians) mark her latest endeavor: a sparkling trio featuring Ståle Storløkken, renowned for his work with Terje Rypdal, Supersilent, and Elephant9, alongside Ole Mofjell, one of the foremost young drummers on the European improv scene.
In Weejuns, the principles of elongated, composed stretches have been cast aside, leaving behind an open door to an immense universe of sparkling interplay and picturesque structures, a sensation of weightlessness where the concept of time is disrupted, and the musicians converge in a grand trilogy. Yet, beneath it all lies an allure towards powerful riffs and pulsations, drawing associations not only to the monumental sounds of Rypdal but also to the transition between the 60s and 70s, from the eras of Bitches Brew and Mahavishnu.
Their debut album, released on 01.09.23, garnered glowing reviews both domestically and internationally:

• "On the electrifying Stay At Your Peril, with a theme first heard briefly on the opener, Mollestad heart-stoppingly wrings out every conceivable permutation stemming from an ostinato motif. It’s a free-flowing performance that should surely consolidate her position at the very top of the jazz-rock guitarists’ tree." - Jazzjournal (UK)
• "The encapsulating live double album comes as a welcome return for one of the most perplexing and original contemporary artists in Europe today." - Presto Music (UK)
• "There's a lot of golden age prog and jazz rock here, adventurously exploratory and fluid, yet with a unique ability to dive into irresistible grooves and riffs that beckon the rock foot." - Dagens Næringsliv
• "It relentlessly moves forward, challenging boundaries and perspectives. It's brilliant." - Lira (SE)
• "Mollestad has always had to barrel hoop her energies to bring form to her eruptive powers (...) but with Weejuns, the corsets are off. This live double album captures the trio improvising extensively, with written-in hooks and riffs keeping the three oriented." - Jazzwise (UK)

Weejuns are not just a band; they're a force of nature reshaping the jazz landscape one electrifying riff at a time.

Photo J.M. Naglestad