URBS TOUR 08: Day One: Oslo

We start final rehearsales today at 10.00, then get in and sound check here in Oslo this afternoon. As always before going on tour I feel I have a lot of things that is not fixed - but finally (tomorrow morning) all things comes out OK. Hopefully. I am really looking forward to the tour, both to present new material and "a new band": Drummer Kenneth Ekornes will join in on this tour beside of Gjermund Silset on bass, Olav Torget on guitars and konting, and Håkon Høgemo on the Hardanger fiddles. On the map the tour does not look as rough as the 2007 URBS tour - and we also have some days of in Salderatzen where we are going to do some recordings. More to come - I have to rush.....

The debut gig went out very fine. The hole band very concentrated and well playing, and also with good help from sound-man Asle Karstad. Some times I feel like old author Henrik Ibsen - he was not too happy about Norway - or norwegians!, and left to Italy, for over twenty years :-). A newspaper in Bergen (city where I used too live) turned thumb down for the DVD. To be honest I don´t care. You have to take the release SPELFERD - a playful journey for what it is! (A "never giving thumbs up" journalist - seems like he always is in a bad mood in his jazzwritings, does nothing good for music anyhow)