Gjenskinn

Nils Økland has been at the heart of music-making in Norway for over 40 years. Rooted in Norway’s traditional violin and Hardanger-fiddle music, his own compositions and improvisation work made him the go-to musician for ensembles working in jazz, contemporary and experimental music both at home and abroad.

The Nils Økland Band have been together for ten years, a remarkable gathering of outstanding musicians, all of them key figures across several ensembles. Even with a vast discography behind him, Gjenskinn is a good place to get to know Økland’s musical depth and personality. His exquisite playing leads the way, sometimes bringing the beauty of past traditions alive, sometimes finding mysteries among the cobwebs of time, sometimes getting the soil of nature under his fingernails. From silvery tones to earthiness and grit to full-bodied whisky-gold magnificence, Økland continues to create new, compelling sounds. Attuned to his musicianship, the band members create beguiling textures: Rolf-Erik Nyström’s saxophone brushstrokes, Håkon Mørch Stene’s percussion palette drawing on far-away drums and magical vibraphones, long-term collaborator Sigbjørn Apeland’s harmonium finding hymn-like harmonies and dance-floor urges, Mats Eilertsen’s bass with a direct line to heaven.

Dance to ‘Tilley Plump’ or the Egyptian-inspired ‘Kairo’, or breathe in the other-worldly ‘Lys’ and discover Gjenskinn’s unforgettable journey.