Norwegian jazz band r etur ning for two-week China tour

　　By Wang Yu

　　Late spring saw Norwegian jazz band Excess Luggage perform for audiences from China’s northwest to southeast. Autumn will bring another of Norway’s finesjazz exports down the length of the east coast, from Harbin to Hong Kong.

　　As one of Norway’s most energetic jazz bands, The Core is out to change notions of the country’s jazz as austere and hymnal. Its music is rootedn acoustic modal jazz from the 1960s, combined with contemporary grooves rooted in funk and rock, resulting in the feel of a large ensemble and the energy of small post-bop improvisational group.

　　Its high-energy live performances are the foundations on which The Core has built its international reputation, and critics have been raving about the band’s shows and albums since its founding nearly a decade ago. With the absence of guitar, sax melodies often lead the group’s performances.The four band members – sax player Jrgen Mathisen, pianist Erlend Slettevoll, bassist Steinar Raknes and drummer Espen Aalberg – met in 2001 at te conservatory of music in Trondheim, Norway.

　　“We knew each other earlier and played together, but not all four of us. When our piano player moved to Trondheim, it all fell together,” Aalberg said. “Our songs are alwacomposed by a member of the group. But when we bring a new song to rehearsal, we may change something in the tune to make it fit our sound. It’s always about melody solos. Who will do the solos we decide on stage. But the solos are always related to the different melodies’ moods.he Core’s autumn tour is not the first time it’s bringing its melodies to the country. Last year, the group did three concerts in Beijing in a variety ofenues: an opera house, a cafe and a university concert hall.