Wednesday was modern guitar pioneer Terje Rypdal’s 70th birthday. To celebrate, Henry Kaiser assembled a who’s who of modern guitarists: David Torn, Bill Frisell, Nels Cline, Hedvig Mollestad, Jim O’Rourke, Hans Magnus Ryan, Raoul Björkenheim, Even H. Hermansen, Reine Fiske, along with long time Rypdal keyboardist Ståle Storløkken, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, and drummer Gard Nilssen (Dungen). There is a Volume 2 that is a vinyl only release of side-long outtakes that were too good to leave on the shelf.
Kaiser also played and his production is more than up to the task of presenting multiple distorted guitars with clarity and cohesion. This tribute is a must-own for anyone interested in modern guitar playing at its best.
Credits:
SKY MUSIC a tribute to Terje Rypdal CD or 2-LP with CD
1 ØRNEN 5:53
electric guitar: Bill Frisell
(1985: Chaser)
2 OVER BIRKEROT > SILVER BIRD HEADS FOR THE SUN 14:50
electric guitars: Raoul Bjorkenheim , Reine Fiske, Even Hermansen, Henry Kaiser, Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen
electric bass: Ingebrigt Håker Flaten
keyboards: Ståle Storløkken
drums: Gard Nilssen
(1975: Odyssey and 1974: Whenever I Seem to Be Far Away)
guitar solo order: Reine > Raoul > Hedvig
3 CHASER 6:16
electric guitars: Reine Fiske, Even Hermansen, Henry Kaiser, Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen,
electric bass: Ingebrigt Håker Flaten
keyboards: Ståle Storløkken
drums: Gard Nilssen
(1985: Chaser)
guitar solo order: Hedvig > Even > Henry
4 WHAT COMES AFTER 6:28
electric guitar, bass, loops: Nels Cline
cello: Erik Friedlaner
(1973: What Comes After)
5 WARNING: ELECTRIC GUITARS 5:17
electric guitars: Even Hermansen, Henry Kaiser, Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen
double bass: Ingebrigt Håker Flaten
keyboards: Ståle Storløkken
drums: Gard Nilssen
(1997: Rypdal & Tekrø)
guitar solo order: Hedvig > Henry
6 TOUGH ENOUGH > ROLLING STONE > TOUGH ENOUGH 19:14
electric guitars: Raoul Bjorkenheim , Reine Fiske, Even Hermansen, Henry Kaiser, Hans Magnus Ryan, Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen
electric bass & double bass: Ingebrigt Håker Flaten
keyboards: Ståle Storløkken
drums: Gard Nilssen
(1971: Terje Rypdal and 1975: Odyssey)
guitar solo order: Henry > Even > Raoul > Henry
7 AVSKJED 6:59
electric guitar: David Torn
(1980: Descendre)
8 DREAM SONG – INTO THE WILDERNESS – OUT OF THIS WORLD 6:05
keyboards: Ståle Storløkken
(previously Rypdal unissued composition and 1997: Skywards)
9 SUNRISE 8:47
electric guitars: Reine Fiske, Jim O’Rourke, Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen
double bass: Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Jim O’Rourke
pedal steel, guitar synth, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, serge synth: Jim O’Rourke
drums: Gard Nilssen
(1979: Terje Rypdal / Miroslav Vitous / Jack DeJohnette)
guitar solo order: Reiner & Hedvig duet > Jim
VOL 2 LP with CD
1 ICING 18:37
electric guitars: Reine Fiske, Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen
double bass: Ingebrigt Håker Flaten
keyboards: Ståle Storløkken
drums: Gard Nilssen
(1973: What Comes After)
guitar solo order: Reiner & Hedvig duet throughout
2 FILLMORE ’76 18:40
electric guitars: Raoul Bjorkenheim, Even Hermansen, Henry Kaiser, Hans Magnus Ryan
acoustic guitar: Henry Kaiser
electric bass: Ingebrigt Håker Flaten
keyboards: Ståle Storløkken
drums: Gard Nilssen
(1978: live performance, Radio House Studios, Stockholm)
guitar solo order: Raoul > Even > Even/Henry duet > HMR > Henry/HMR duet > Henry
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Production: Henry Kaiser Principle recording & mixing at Athletic Sound, Halden, Norway – Aug 21>26, 2016 Recorded and mixed by Kai Andersen with Dag Erik Johansen Production Coordination: Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen Additional mixing: Jeremy Goody at Megasonic Studio, Oakland, California Additional mixing: Adam Munoz at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California Mastering: Ken Lee, Kensington, California
ØRNEN recorded by Luke Bergman in Seattle AVSKJED recorded by David Torn in Bearsville WHAT COMES AFTER recorded by Jon Silverman at Library NYC in New York City. DREAM SONG – INTO THE WILDERNESS – OUT OF THIS WORLD recorded by Ståle Storløkken at The Cottage in Trondheim. SUNRISE partially recorded by Jim O’Rourke in Tokyo
many thanks to: Terje Rypdal, Edvard Askeland & Oslo Jazz, Knut Reiersrud, Steve Feigenbaum, Carl Weingarten, Arild Andersen, Brandy Gale, Piotr Zapart, plus all the musicians on this project who extended themselves above and beyond the call of duty to realize this celebration.
I am so very much looking forward to this project. Terje has held a unique place in my pantheon of guitar heroes since the late ’70s, when I first became aware of him. It is a bitter disappointment to me that I will never ever see him perform live. He is just as unlikely to travel to the states as I am to Norway these days.