Contact & Bio
Get in touch
Contact our Norway/EU representative for HM3 bookings and press related questions. For all other inquiries contact Hedvig Mollestad.
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Norway: vibeke@polarartist.no
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or have other inquiries:
hedvigmollestadtrio@gmail.com
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Download press kit - coming soon!
«Jazz for the death metal generation.»
Record Collector (UK)
Biography
Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen is a groundbreaking and influential Norwegian guitarist, working in a wide range of scenes and genres, being an artist with a take-no-prisoners-attitude no matter the task given.
She was born in Ålesund February 4th 1982, her mother played guitar and piano. Her father played trumpet and flügelhorn, appearing at several recordings from the 70-ies and 80-ies, among them Østerdalsmusikk with Jan Garbarek.
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Hedvig Mollestad
2023 Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns, Weejuns, Rune Grammofon
2022 Hedvig Mollestad & Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Maternity beat, Rune Grammofon
2021 Hedvig Mollestad, Tempest Revisited , Rune Grammofon
2020 Hedvig Mollestad, Ekhidna, Rune Grammofon
Hedvig Mollestad Trio
2021 Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Ding dong. You’re dead. Rune Grammofon
2018 Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Smells Funny, Rune Grammofon
2016 Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Black Stabat Mater, Rune Grammofon
2016 Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Evil in Oslo (double live LP), Rune Grammofon
2014 Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Enfant terrible, Rune Grammofon
2013 Hedvig Mollestad Trio, All Of Them Witches, Rune Grammofon
2011 Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Shoot! (Rune Grammofon)
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2021 Per Oddvar Johansen Trio, The Quiet Cormorant (guest) (Losen Records)
2017 Sky Music, A tribute to Terje Rypdal, Rune Grammofon (w. Nels Cline, Bill Frisell, Reine Fiske, David Torn etc.)
2017 White Willow, Future Hopes (Laser's Edge)
2014 Trondheim Jazz Orchestra & Elin Rosseland, Ekko (MNJ Recordings)
2014 VOM, Takk for maten, den var god, her er plate nummer to, Duplex Records
2012 The Doom & The Born Electric, The Teeth That Match My Wounds (EP), (Rune Grammofon)
2012 El Doom & The Born Electric, El Doom & The Born Electric (Rune Grammophone)
2011 Jon Eberson Group, The Coarse Sand And The Names We Wrote, JEG Records
2011 Trondheim Jazzorchestra & Øyvind Brække, Migrations, MNJ Records
2011 Hilde Marie Kjersem, Lets Let Go, Brother Rec
2010 VOM, Viva la VOM, Duplex / Grappa
2010 Jarle Bernhoft, 1: Man 2: Band Gubemusic
2009 Friensemblet, Come Closer, Giraffa
2008 Eick / Viddal Duo, November Log, Giraffa
2006 Friensemblet, Holding Balance Giraffa
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2021 - Spellemannsprisen (Norwegian Grammy) for the album Tempest Revisited
2021 - Rolf Gammeleng-prisen
2020 – Spellemannsprisen (Norwegian Grammy) for the album Ekhidna
2020 – Edvard-prisen – for the album Ekhidna
2019 – Kongsberg Jazz Festivals Musicians Prize
2016 - Kjell Holms Kulturpris
2014 - Norwegian Arts Council: State Scholarships for a period of 3 yrs
2012 - Norwegian Jazz Forum Specialization Scholarship
2011 - Ungjazzprisen 2011 (Ungjazz Festival Scholarship)
2011 - GNIST scholarship (SPARK Scholarships, Sparebanken Møre)
2011 - Norwegian Jazz Forum Band Scholarship
2011 - Oslo Citys Culture Scholarships
2010 - Norwegian Arts Council: State Scholarship for a period of 2 yrs
2009 - Jazz Talent of The Year, at the Molde International Jazz Festival
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Overview
Her work with Hedvig Mollestad Trio, including 7 albums in 10 years, has led to broad international attention and interest. She received the award for This Year's Jazz Talent during Moldejazz in 2009, and on that occasion she founded Hedvig Mollestad Trio. Since 2010, the trio has played hundreds of concerts all over the world. in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, US and Canada. In 2020 she released her first solo record Ekhidna, and received a Norwegian Grammy. Her 2nd solo release, Tempest Revisited, achieved the same award, and her 2021 release with her trio was nominated in the Rock category.
Her release Maternity Beat with Trondheim Jazz Orchestra from 2022 was her most ambitious work at that point, composed for 12 musicians during the pandemic.
International critical acclaim
David Fricke from Rolling Stone says about the trio: I was immediately struck by the quality and ferocity of her guitar playing and improvisation, and the rhythmic bond of the group. Richard Williams has written liner notes for their live album from 2016 and says: There is always something wild and worthwhile happening in her solos, demonstrating a phenomenal deftness and gift for detail.
The releases of the trio have been reviewed several times in media such as New York Times, Wall Street Journal, MOJO, Uncut, Classic Rock, The Wire, Downbeat, Jazzwise, Jazztimes, Guitar World and Decibel Magazine. Following the release of Ekhidna, she was included in Downbeat’s “25 for the future”, where the article shine a spotlight on ascending artists that potentially will shape the direction of jazz in the years to come.
Composing
In recent years, Mollestad has also made her mark as a composer, with several commissioned works. In 2019 she delivered Tingingsverket to Vossajazz, her most recent release Ekhidna. In 2019 she was also awarded the prestigious Musicians Prize at Kongsberg Jazz Festival, performing in 2022 with Weejuns, featuring international acts Ingrid Laubrock and Shazhad Ismaily. Weejuns is Ole Mofjell and Ståle Storløkken. They released their debut album in september 2023 to broad critical acclaim.
Artist in residence
In 2023 she was the prestigious Artist In Residence at Molde International Jazz Festival, following pioneers like Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Terje Rypdal, Michael Brecker and Joshua Redman, to mention a few. She curated and played 8 concerts during the 6 days the festival lasted: Liquid Borders (opening concert), guesting with Snarky Puppy, Østerdalsmusikk Revisited, duo with Colin Stetson, Weejuns feat. Trevor Dunn, Cortex w/Hedvig Mollestad, Sky Music - A Tribute To Terje Rypdal, Hedvig Mollestad Trio feat. Snah and Nels Cline, and a solo closing concert in the town church. Read a full review of the week by Nick Hasted here.