Elvira Nikolaisen / Mathias Eick
One of last year's great musical innovations and pleasant surprises was the collaboration between Elvira Nikolaisen and Mathias Eick. Now they are taking "The Great American Songbook" into the magnificent Kongsberg Church for a midnight concert on the last day of the jazz festival.
Elvira Nikolaisen broke through with a bang with the record "Quiet Exit" in 2006. She quickly became a very popular and popular artist with her fine songs performed with a particularly expressive voice. But an artist who has such a sense for good lyrics and good composition is of course attracted to "The Great American Songbook". Behind this designation we find songs by celebrities such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers and many others. The fact that these songs have survived many decades and still stand strong in the consciousness of both the public and musicians says a lot about how durable they are and how good they are.
In order to realize the dream of performing these songs, Elvira Nikolaisen began a collaboration with the jazz musician Mathias Eick. It has turned out to be extraordinarily wise. Eick has for several years belonged to both the national and international jazz elite. He has won several prestigious awards and has unfolded in many different musical contexts, from Motif and Jaga Jazzist to Thomas Dybdahl and Motorpsycho. Of all the different instruments he masters, the trumpet is undoubtedly the main instrument.
When the two released the record "I Concentrate On You" in autumn 2013, it was received with loud praise. "It is indescribably beautiful", wrote Roald Helgheim in Dagsavisen and continued that "it is the album of the year in all classes". Dagbladet's reviewer Torgrim Øyre called it "A warm corner for dark autumn evenings", but this heartfelt and warm music fits at least as much in bright July nights.
Elvira Nikolaisen (vocals), Mathias Eick (trumpet), Eyolf Dale (piano).