Strippa Tor Einar Bekken & Mattis Kleppen

• 1 Iko Iko 04:21
• 2 A Little 3/4 Time for God & Co 03:54
• 3 King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown 03:06
• 4 Laverne Walk 03:27
• 5 Picture in a Frame 04:00
• 6 Marche Slave 04:12
• 7 King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown nr. 2 02:52
• 8 Pols, Henrik Granlund 02:52
• 9 Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting 05:33
• Total Runtime 34:17

Info for Strippa

The album contains everything from Norwegian folk music to reggae/dub, hardcore jazz and ballads.

Tor Einar Bekken (piano, melodica, vocals) and Mattis Kleppen (electric bass, foot percussion) have played together for a number of years, and in October their second album; STRIPPA, will be released on Øra Fonogram.

Tor Einar Bekken, piano, melodica, vocals
Mattis Kleppen, electric bass, foot percussion

Recorded and mixed in Øra Studio by Jo Ranheim
Mastered by Karl Klaseie

Tor Einar Bekken
is a musician and educator who takes his calling very seriously. For decades, he has championed and spread a vital message: he has preserved blues, jazz, boogie, and funk in their original forms, keeping them relevant for successive generations. He is, quite simply, a cultural advocate of the most genuine and significant kind—and, fortunately, there is little sign that he intends to stop anytime soon.

Although "the Doctor" also enjoys dabbling with various stringed instruments, the piano is, without a doubt, his true love. I have lost count of how many releases have emerged from his mind and hands in recent years; to suggest the number is small would be the understatement of the year.

This year, he has offered his audience fresh material through two new releases—both featuring solo piano. Bekken’s approach is as straightforward as it gets: one piano, one microphone, and no mixing, mastering, or editing. You get exactly what happened in the moment—the raw, authentic experience. This mirrors the very nature of the original music he so genuinely conveys. He aims to recreate the vintage sound and atmosphere, and he succeeds with profound sincerity.

Bekken has delved deep into the subject matter, rediscovering several of the "original" blues and boogie pianists and drawing inspiration from them—most notably on *Stone Blues, Vol. 3*. With the exception of one traditional piece, he composed all the music himself; there is no doubt that he truly embodies this tradition. Dr. Bekken is both an important communicator of culture and a bearer of tradition—he is, in fact, truly worthy of preservation.

Mattis Kleppen
The music is groovy, rhythmic, melodic, melancholic, and evocative. The album was recorded live in the studio—with no overdubs—and produced by Olav Torget.

Mattis Kleppen’s debut album not only garnered fantastic reviews but also won the prestigious Norwegian Folkelarm Award in 2018.

This is Mattis Kleppen’s second solo album—and "solo" is meant quite literally here: it is just Mattis Kleppen and his bass!

On his bass guitar, Mattis Kleppen performs traditional music from his home region of Telemark—a place that, for Norwegian folk music, is what the Mississippi Delta is for the blues. On "Svartufsen," he fuses this tradition with West African music.

With a background in jazz, Mattis Kleppen holds a PhD in "artistic research" from the jazz department at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Over the course of thirty years, he has collaborated with musicians from all over the world—spanning more than 25 countries—and contributed to over 30 albums, in addition to the 5 releases issued under his own name. He blends genres and styles into a meticulously crafted, uncompromising "gumbo" that demonstrates a profound respect for every tradition involved.

This album contains no booklet.