Kornstad Trio
“Im Treibhaus” (2018)

What started as a young Norwegian jazz rebel’s sudden passion for the music of the classical canon, has now developed into a musical species of its own. Håkon Kornstad has astonished and touched a steadily growing audience around the world with his complete openness to music.

Kornstad Trio started performing together in 2016. Jazz saxophonist and opera singer Håkon Kornstad is joined by accordionist Frode Haltli and bass player Mats Eilertsen — two of the finest and most versatile improvisers on the European music scene today.

On Im Treibhaus Kornstad mixes romantic songs and opera arias with Scandinavian jazz. Without boundaries, and with a lot of surprises, the album is a true expression Håkon Kornstad’s rare accumulation of musical influences.

The selection of songs and arias by—among others—Tosti, Mascagni, Verdi, Grieg and Wagner (the title track is from Wesendonck Lieder) also calls for a highly original and invigorating mixture of Italianate bravura and Nordic restraint.

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Press reactions
European release

"All das ist mit Verbal-Plattitüden wie »Crossover« oder »Stilmix« nicht mehr zu fassen; wir haben es hier auch nicht mit einem Opernsänger zu tun, der nebenbei auch »in Jazz macht« (wie uns das Thomas Quasthoff vor einigen Jahren weismachen wollte) oder umgekehrt. Nein, das ist ein Spektakel auf höchster musikalischer Ebene, und das Beste daran: Es wird zu keiner Zeit als ein solches inszeniert, sondern völlig unprätentiös, als wäre es die naheliegendste Sache überhaupt, nach einem Saxofonsolo mal eben eine Arie zu schmettern." Read more – CD des Monats, Nordische Musik (DE)

"Tenor hoch zwei: Der junge Norweger Håkon Kornstad spielt Saxophon und singt italienische Opernarien. Im Trio mit Akkordeon und Kontrabass kreiert er für das Label Grappa sein eigenes Genre aus Oper und Jazz - hypnotisch, elegisch und packend." Read more – Bayerische Rundfunk (DE)

"Überhaupt, wie das Trio zugleich Kontakt und Abstand zur Tradition hält, verdient hohen Respekt. Selbst bei so einem schwerschwülen Treibhaus-Stück von Richard Wagner – schön." Read More – HörBar der Neue Musikzeitung (DE)

"Während Kornstad als Sänger die Melodien der Klassiker mit mediterraner Leidenschaft vorträgt, interpretiert er auf seinem Instrument die Vorlagen offener, sodass Verdi zwischendurch im bluesigen Groove landet und das Ganze reizvolle Kontraste aufwirft. Diese hinreißende Verzahnung von Arie und Jazz eröffnet demnächst das Kulturfestival der jazzahead! in Bremen." Read More – JazzThing (DE)

"Håkon Kornstad is one of the most interesting musicians in Norway."
Read more – Johnnie’s Garden (NL)

"Clearly interesting and pleasant sound plants are created by Kornstad's delightful tenor voice and suggestive saxophone, Mats Eilertsen’s double bass and Frode Haltli’s accordion."
Read more – Lira Musikmagasin (SE)

"Im Treibhaus is once again a successful exploration of new paths in the crosslands of jazz and classical"
Read more – Music that needs attention (NL)

Norway

"En musikalsk verdenssensasjon"
Les mer – Dagens Næringsliv

"Dette drivhus-prosjektet passer godt under juletreet til hele familien"
Les mer — Morgenbladet

"Coleman Hawkins ville ha nikka anerkjennande til arrangementet på Verdis «Di tu se fedele», og beint fram magisk er tittelkuttet «Im Treibhaus" — Dag & Tid

"Gripende vakkert"
Les mer —Dagsavisen

"Det er berikende, underholdende og viser at musikk fortsatt har uante berøringspunkter."
Les mer ​—Aftenposten

"Kornstad som en av Nordens mest spennende saksofonister, samtidig som han har utviklet seg til en fullbåren tenorsanger" Les mer ​—Salt Peanuts*

"Nei, det er ikkje ein fusjon. Det er berre musikk!" Les mer ​—Jazz i Norge

"I dette kunstneriske drivhuset dyrker Kornstad frem nye sammenhenger og uttrykk som er musikalsk og konseptuelt gripende. Men musikkens største styrke er den glødende varmen den fremføres med. Kornstads musikk er et ekte kjærlighetsbarn." Les mer ​—Jazznytt

Upcoming concerts

Tour dates

Håkon Kornstad—tenor, tenor saxophone, flute
Frode Haltli—accordion
Mats Eilertsen—double bass

Total playing time: 42 minutes

​​Produced by Kåre Chr. Vestrheim. Co-produced by Håkon Kornstad.

Recorded August 27-28, 2018 in Propeller Studios, Oslo. Engineer: Mike Hartung. Mixed by Mike Hartung, October 2-4, 2018 in Propeller Studios, Oslo.

Mastered by Morgan Nicolaysen at Propeller Mastering, Oslo.

Liner notes

Session images

HOW DID YOU PICK THE SONGS—AND HOW DID YOU ARRANGE THEM? First of all, working with improvisers like Frode and Mats, all you have to do is to throw at them the original opera score, and then an organic trio reduction comes out, often at the very first try. Some songs or arias just have that EUREKA feeling. Even though they are from—say 1823, they instantly fit into our way of playing together. Others are harder to break through, but with some collective tweaks we get there. And some arias are simply not possible to do, music wise (or taste wise...) 

HÅKON KORNSTAD, ARE YOU A JAZZ SAXOPHONIST OR AN OPERA SINGER?
When I play the saxophone, I’m a jazz musician, inspired by people like Hawkins, Getz and Garbarek —or Gustafsson for that matter. When I take a breath to sing, I think like a classical singer, inspired by Björling, Wunderlich or Pavarotti, in love with—and sometimes scared of the high notes, like all the tenors I know.

WHAT DOES THE TERM “JAZZ” MEAN TO YOU? 
I grew up in Norway, and my inspiration builds on the Norwegian sound established already in the 1960s. Our heroes were mixing different, often contrasting musical genres, using ears and
improvisation skills as glue. To me jazz is a way of thinking—a method—rather than a specific sound. Maybe you bought this album after a concert, wanting to bring these exact same songs and moods home with you, only to find that they sound totally different from what you remember. In jazz the compositions never stop evolving (almost like plants in a greenhouse).

...SO THAT’S WHY YOU CHOOSE THE TITLE “IM TREIBHAUS”?
Wagner’s song from “Wesendonck-Lieder” instantly captured me when I first heard it—it has this dark, innate beauty, yet it’s almost sketch like, and with some editing, it was well suited and open to our ways of playing with it. Additionally, the title describes in a good way my own bouts as a singer for the last three years—I have been focusing on letting my voice grow, the way it wants to.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CONTEMPORARY SAXOPHONIST KORNSTAD?
Maybe he became post contemporary, haha. Coltrane passed away over 50 years ago, and people are still referring to him—and those who sound like him—as contemporary jazz. 50 years before that again, the jazz songbook was written by classical composers stemming from romantic music. Personally I think what we do is as contemporary as anything else in 2018: editing the classical masterpieces with a new point of view (and a bit of humor) —Enjoy!

Photos by Erik Burås