Press 1 – A Box of Monkeys
Mmmm….indiepopjazz. Den skotsk baserede guitarist Haftor Medbøe er igen aktuel med en plade med sin gruppe. De bevæger sig ind på et ikke alt for overbetrådt område. De spiller jazz med et umiskendeligt stort præg af vellydende indiepop – og det er vel at mærke af den britiske slags….
Press 2 – A Box of Monkeys
The current line-up of Haftor Medbøe’s group is the strongest yet. The guitarist’s accomplished soloing is supported by powerful contributions from two of the leading horn players on the Scottish scene, saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski and trombonist Chris Greive…
Press 3 – Haftor Medbøe Group
A while ago I received a pair of releases from a group led by the guitarist Haftor Medboe. Born in Norway Medboe is now based in Edinburgh from where he leads an eclectic group comprised of musicians from various countries and backgrounds, all of them active on a vibrant Scottish music scene…
Press 4 – Haftor Medbøe Group
Un guitariste, un saxophoniste, un tromboniste, et une percussionniste, s’octroyant le luxe d’inviter des contrebassistes de choix pour les accompagner (Eva Malling, Mario Caribé…). Telle est la composition du Haftor Medboe Group – du nom du compositeur de la bande – qui depuis 2004…
Press 5 – NEW:HAPPY
Tanta maestria ed altrettanta semplicità: questa è l’essenza dell’ultimo lavoro firmato Haftor Medboe. Chitarrista e compositore norvegese, lavora principalmente ad Edimburgo, nel campo del jazz e della classica contemporanea. Si coglie al primo ascolto l’atmosfera leggera…
Press 6 – NEW:HAPPY
The current line-up of Haftor Medbøe’s group is the strongest yet. The guitarist’s accomplished soloing is supported by powerful contributions from two of the leading horn players on the Scottish scene, saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski and trombonist Chris Greive…
Press 7 – NEW:HAPPY
So far in my lifetime of following the music of jazz since growing up with the sounds of the big bands back in the early forties, I’ve seen jazz grow and nurture, lending itself to other cultures from distant lands and becoming an international musical art form…
Press 8 – NEW:HAPPY
“New: Happy” could be anything: a surrealistic ballet music, a soundtrack of a mysterious movie, or a timeless collection of jazz poems. The fusion goes multidimensional, from classical to modern, from evocative to exhilarating and dissonant, switching tempos and moods, crossing genres and musical maps…
Press 9 – NEW:HAPPY
Bandet har base i Skotland, men medlemmerne er fra Norge, Island, Polen, Australien og det senest ankomne medlem er fra Danmark. Deres opfattelse af jazz kender heller ikke rigtig nogen grænser. Bandet ledes af guitaristen Haftor Medbøe, der både skifter mellem elektrisk og akustisk guitar…
Press 10 – NEW:HAPPY
Norwegian guitarist Haftor Medbøe is a well established figure on the music scene in his adopted Scotland. He continues to evolve his exploration of evocative jazz-rooted but pop-aware instrumental forms in this latest outing with his fine group, now featuring Danish bass player Eva Malling…
Press 11 – NEW:HAPPY
Guitarist and composer Haftor Medboe delivers with his latest album New: Happy an engaging assortment of Contemporary jazz compositions. Performed with Konrad Wiszniewski, Chris Greive, Eva Malling, Signy Jakobsdottir and guest Tommy Harmonica this album is a startling group work…
Press 12 – Jazz Centre @ The Lot
Not so much Jazz Centre @ the Lot here as jazz creche as guitarist Haftor Medboe’s Danish guest, double-bassist Eva Malling’s five-year-old daughter slept the sleep of the innocent in the curtained-off section they call the green room. That the youngster didn’t stir says more about her tiredness…
Press 13 – In Perpetuity
On the 3″ CD, Birdsongs, Haftor Medboe and Susan McKenzie wove delicate spells of ambient altered jazz that were soothing, meditative and invigorating. Now expanded to a full group, Haftor’s compositions draw upon a wider palette to bring together jazz, broken electro-funk, vast…
Press 14 – In Perpetuity
Diversity and innovation in music often comes when tender characters are cooking and swinging. Guitarist Haftor Medboe from Norway, mixes up different cultures, bringing into his new release the sundry voices of Scottish saxophonist Susan Mckenzie, Australian trombonist Chris Greive
Press 15 – In Perpetuity
You may call it contemporary music or symphonic jazz fusion or whatever you like but Haftor Medboe Group is much more than a melting pot. Sometimes abstract or melodic, experimental or minimalist, part modern, part classical, their last release, “In perpetuity” can be listened as a musical story about time and spaces…
Press 16 – In Perpetuity
WHERE once jazz musicians were wary about the use of the label for fear of alienating potential customers, the current – and better – tack is to expand the meaning of the term. The group led by Edinburgh-based Norwegian guitarist Medboe, with saxophonist Susan Mckenzie…
Press 17 – In Perpetuity
The Norweigan Haftor Medbøe, now resident in Edinburgh, performs in an international partnership drawn from Britain, Australia and Iceland, here reunited for their second recording with support from the Edinburgh Quartet. At first, his music appears to be ambient jazz, exploring backgrounds and textures,
Press 18 – In Perpetuity
Lacing electronic Scandinavian “nu jazz” with classical strings and lyrical improvisation, In Perpetuity feels like a set of
sound portraits. The meeting between the sinuous strings of the Edinburgh Quartet and Medboe’s musical arrangements turn a corner – the gorgeous “Spor” for example…
Press 19 – In Perpetuity
Another Edinburgh based band, Haftor Medbøe is a guitarist and composer really doing something different. This album heavily features Susan Mckenzie on soprano saxophone, a player with a classical background, but utterly at home with this type of intense jazz…
Press 20 – In Perpetuity
Liberating jazz with classical curtseys and subtle electronic poking is perhaps the most accurate way to describe the music of the Edinburgh based Haftor Medbøe Group. A sugary sax weaves a syrupy trail over well-mannered strings and close to ground percussion on “Little Auk”…
Press 21 – In Perpetuity
THIS group’s debut on Linn is a swansong for the former line-up, in which the guitarist Medboe is joined by soprano saxophonist Susan Mckenzie, trombonist Chris Greive and percussionist Signy Jakobsdottir, with additional strings from the Edinburgh Quartet and programming…
Press 22 – In Perpetuity
Glasgow-based (?) guitarist Haftor Medbøe makes his recording debut for Linn Records with this disc, although the line-up of the band has changed since it was recorded last year. This recording features soprano saxophonist Susan Mckenzie, who has recently given way to the very different Konrad Wiszniewski…
Press 23 – In Perpetuity
[The] opener Little Auk offers a mellow, summery stroll, thoroughly enhanced by expert orchestration and well-levelled strings, percussion and a tenor sax lead which HMG seem to use almost like a lead vocalist. Spor brings more conviction and funk and again demonstrates the real craft of HMG…
Press 24 – In Perpetuity
Gitaristen Haftor Medbøe er bosatt i Edinburgh, men som navnet røper, er han nordmann. I bandet sitt har han med Susan McKenzie på sax, Chris Greive på trombone og Signy Jakobsdottir på trommer. I tillegg er en strykekvartett fra Edinburgh med på dette albumet…
Press 25 – In Perpetuity
DEN norske gitaristen Haftor Medbøe har slått seg ned i Edinburgh, der han er «Jazz musician in residence» ved Napier-universitetet. Han har komponert musikk for TV. film og teater, og ikke minst for sin egen kvartett som er i ferd med å få et visst ry…
Press 26 – In Perpetuity
Som vikingene fant gitarist og komponist Haftor Medbøe veien til de britiske øyer. Til forskjell fra sine forfedre har Medbøe hatt en mer forsonende og imøtekommende tone. Dette har resultert i flere skotske venner og sammen med disse utgjør han Haftor Medbøe Group. Deres andre plate…
