Piano Transformed Kjetil Husebø

• 1Reflection04:42
• 2Hulter Til Bulter06:02
• 3Circle04:36
• 4Feedback of Questions05:59
• 5Piano Transformed12:00
• 6Responsive03:50
• 7Was Ligeti an Astronaut?07:00
• 8Procrastination01:28
• 9Lust06:20
• Total Runtime51:57

Info for Piano Transformed

"Norwegian composer-pianist-electronics player Kjetil Husebø keeps developing his unique sonic vision of blending, almost uniting the acoustic grand piano with live sampling and live electronics. «Piano Transformed» continues Husebø work on his previous albums, «Contradictions» and «Sources» (2012, 2013, both on Optical Substance Productions), where he began introducing live sampling and live electronics on several pieces.

On «Piano Transformed the live sampling and live electronics are already an integral and organic elements of Husebø language, suggesting a highly personal and an intimate symbiosis of the live acoustic playing with real-time processing, editing and expanding the piano sonic palette. Often, this method of focused, patient improvising that turns into a process of composing, and vice versa, enables «Piano Transformed to sound as a multifaceted, work in progress. This album sounds as a work that asks more questions than providing comforting answers; a sonic installation that never settles in a distinct, conventional sonic terrain but always offering new listening experiences, much like the recent ambient works of Brian Eno.

The nine new pieces suggest spacey, contemplative and reserved atmospheres that leaves enough room to reflect about the sound of the piano and sound at all , senses of time, tension and space, dynamics and form. Still, all radiate a disturbing yet sobering feeling of how all is transient. These kind of broken melodies are contrasted and intersected arbitrarily by alien sounds, fragmented into weird forms of pulse and textures, forced to keep morphing and changing. The serene title piece, the provocative and nervous «Was Ligeti an Astronaut?» and the fragile and touching «Lust» captures best Husebø daring sonic vision." (Eyal Hareuveni)

Kjetil Husebø, piano

Kjetil Husebø
is a keyboard-player and a classically trained piano-player with a background from such varied musical landscapes as:improvisation, electronica, pop, cross-over, folk and jazz. He debued with his own band; Coffee Pain at Nattjazz in Bergen in 1996 and he also wrote commissioned music to the municipality of Modalen in 1997. The same year he began to collaborate with Jigme Drupka (singer from Buthan) and he also played with Dj Erot (RIP) both in studio and on stage.

In 1999, Kjetil focused mainly on his studies at the University of Oslo (major-degree in History of Ideas in 2005). In 2000 he also played with the norwegian pop-band Bloom.

In 2003, Kjetil gave less attention to piano-playing and started his solo/cross-over project; Optical Substance, a project in which programming and production were posed centre stage. The project included various guest-musicians, a collaboration which resulted in the first album entitled Sub Luna. Sub Luna was made in its entirety in Kjetil´s home-studio in 2003 and was brought public as Optical Substance played its first concert at Moldejazz (Kulturhuset) in 2004.

Improvisation has always played an important part of his piano and keyboard-playing. However, in the last years he has gradually expanded his interest into breaking down barriers between various musical expressions and applying improvisation as a tool to explore the potential that lie in using technology on stage. In 2006, he started to explore and develop live-electronics and live-sampling setups based on various software and hardware. Furthermore, he also began to play with various musicians who focus on improvisation such as Alex Gunia, Audun Waage, Li Tieqiao, Terje Evensen and many others.

In 2008, Kjetil began to work on a new album where production, programming and compositions were integrated with the last years focus on live-electronics and improvisation. In this process, he used a lot of live-samplings of musicians recorded between 2006-2008 and combined it with new recorded material, an effort which resulted in the new album entitled Adaptation which was released on August 23rd 2010.

After releasing Optical Substance – Adaptation – and playing some concerts with OS project, Kjetil began to focus more on solo piano, both acoustic and with live sampling and live electronics. At the same time he also started the Tape to Zero festival at National Jazz Scene, Oslo, together with Terje Evensen. At the Tape to Zero festival, he curated the program and also played concerts together with musicians such as Bendik Hofseth, Thomas Strønen, Jonas Barsten, Steinar Løberg Værnes, Kristoffer Lislegaard. In 2012 Kjetil released he´s first piano album “Contradictions” and in 2013 he released his second piano album “Sources”. Both albums are based on free improvisations played on a fantastic Steinway D Grand Piano, recorded at Ibsenshuset/Audiopol Studio in Skien, Norway. During fall 2013 and winter 2014, Kjetil started a new solo electronic project entitled «Skyggespill» (Shadow play), and composed and produced one album “Morping Between Spaces and Phases”, which was also he´s first vinyl release, released fall 2014. In 2015 Kjetil released he´s first acoustic album “Steps”, recorded December 2nd 2014 at RainbowStudio with the legendary Jan Erik Kongshaug as sound engineer.

This album contains no booklet.