Soft Ffog
More and more bands are combining impulses from Jimi Hendrix and King Crimson with typical jazz expressions. They create a music that both seethes with the energy and excess of rock and the improvisational freedom and temperament of jazz. Soft Ffog is such a band!
At the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in 2016, a quartet under Tom Hasslan's direction played as part of the concert series 'Nye stemmer'. Great success - and after a break, the band is now back under the name Soft Ffog, and with a brilliant vinyl record out to the great delight of many. Guitarist Tom Hasslan is the band's leader and composer, and together with his fellow musician from Crocophant, drummer Axel Skalstad, bassist Trond Frønes (Red Kite) and keyboard master Vegard Lien Bjerkan (WIZRD), he provides a musical discharge that makes the rock crowd cheer and the jazz crowd hoot with sheer joy. Often the music thunders forward, but sometimes it sneaks up on light feet. The jazz writer Audun Vinger is of course absolutely right when he claims that "Axel Skalstad is one of the country's roughest drummers". As band leader, Tom Hasslan grants himself some fierce, wild and long guitar solos. No one minds! Trond Frønes and Vegard Lien Bjerkan of course contribute to keeping the pot boiling and to the fact that the musical overall is so insanely good.
Anyone who likes bands like Elephant9, Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Krokofant og Bushman's Revenge will certainly be making a pilgrimage to this year's festival concert with Soft Ffrog.
Tom Hasslan – guitar
Trond Frønes – bass
Vegard Lien Bjerkan – keyboards
Axel Skalstad – drums
The doors open at 21:30 p.m
Concert start at 22:30
20 years of age
