Gisle Torvik
Oslo, Oslo County, Norway | INDIE
Music
Press
Gisle Torvik is 34 years old and borned in Tørvikbygd in Hardanger Norway. He compose, arrange, play and makes albums. The new album ”Frozen Moment” is now available. It is a good buy – even for those not dying for listening to a jazztune. He brought along Hilde Norbakken for this album. She has also written music and lyrics to this album besides singing. It sounds great!
The sound is good. DSo are Gisle Torvik. No one needs to doubt that he has listened to the great star of jazz, Pat Metheny. He is doing the genre on an excallent way.From the album to judge Torvik hae a great technic. It's really not easy to walk the shoes of Metheny, but Torvik is doing good.
Hilde Norbakkens tunes and lyrics are great, and she is a great singer.Some of the tunes with a full band sounds a bit like Silje Neergaard on her very best.The two misicians i able to reach far. All that is left is people to listen to the songs – cause they are good. - folkebladet
Guitar poetry from the west.
Naked without a Guitar is the name of the album, but on its cover is a young guitarist from Hordaland pictured in a guitar and only a guitar. He stands by a waterfall with a violet background looking meloncoly. Gisle Torvik is his name. He has composed most of the songs on the album and plays with Petter Wettre and Sigmund Groven, Frode Berg, Endre Christiansen, Tore Teigland and Torstein Lofthus. Young, new and fresh. Even more experienced guitarists have turned their sights on water these days. Knut Reiersrud finds himself on the cover of his last album called SUB (under water). To judge what we hear on Gisle Torviks debut CD it shouldn’t take long before he himself is an established guitar player. It is a comfortable, beautiful, atmospheric improvisational music we meet. For the most part poetic with sounds from nature, melodious and harmonious, without cliché.
It stays exciting with unexpected solutions and revelations. An album that you can play over and over again only to love it more with time. - Fedrelandsvennen
Torvik gives off heat, drive and technical abilities while balancing within simple melodically lines and incredible improvisations.
Torvik, Berg, Lofthus and Christiansen is a well-tuned group; solid and seeking.
- Bergens Tidene
Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad
Torvik is able to bring about the closeness in the aura.
He plays incredibly great. - Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad
This album could just as good have been recorded in Los Angeles or in Greenwich Village. Still there is a nordic melancoli and frost in the tunes, just like the albums of Jan Garbarek, Mari Boine and Terje Rypdal. This puts Torvik straight into a nordic jazz tradition that is world known. - Festivalmagasinet
Discography
1999 "Naken uten gitar"
2009 "Frozen Moment"
Photos
Bio
Gisle Torvik was born June 2, 1975. He grew up in Tørvikbygd in Hardanger, Norway.
In the spring of 1992, he found an old Hoefner guitar up in the attic. A bit of plastic became a pick, and Gisle decided to become a guitarist.
After playing in different bands, it was in 1999 his first solo album with his own band was released. Sigmund Groven, Petter Wettre, Frode Berg, Endre Christiansen and Torstein Lofthus contributed to “Naked without a Guitar” becoming a reality.
In 2009 he released his for now last album. Frozen Moment is a pop influated jazz album with vocals. Hilde Norbakken has also been a co-writer besides doing the vocals.
Gisle Torvik about his new album:
Making music comes natural to me without any consideration if I am crossing musical genre boundaries. This album is my first with vocals. After listening to many great vocalists, there was one that clearly stood out. Hilde Norbakken has a beautiful voice which goes well with my music. She also has written one of the tunes, and is truly a pleasure to work with.
Inge Stangvik has also done two great "joik" performances and Cesar Bolly sung so nice in dida. Many musicians have contributed to this album - to make it an album of depth and variety.
I always focus my compositions around a strong melody. That is to me the most important factor. When the idea comes, the arrangement is usually soon to follow.
On this album I have composed, arranged, and produced as well as played all the guitars myself. Hilde Norbakken and Kari Iveland has written the lyrics. I wanted this album to sound both lively and organic, and still use the advantages of the recording studio. It was a balancing act, but after many hours in the studio I feel that I have accomplished just that.
Instrumentation
Gisle Torvik - guitar
Hilde Norbakken - vocal
Trond Akerø-Kleven - piano
Sondre Meisfjord - double bass
Andreas Bratli - drums
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