Jazz breaking news: Terje Isungset’s Ice Music back for more sub-zero sounds
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Maverick Norwegian percussionist Terje Isungset (pictured left) returns to the UK between 29 November and 2 December with his Ice Music project; a series of live performances played exclusively on instruments created from ice.
He is bringing his project to four locations in rural England, carving the instruments from solid blocks of ice; performances will showcase an ice horn, iceophone, ice percussion instruments alongside vocals from singer, Maria Skranes. Isungset who trained as a jazz percussionist, is also heavily influenced by traditional Scandinavian music in his compositions.
Isungset remarked of his passion for performing on ice instruments comes from the fact that “every instrument is new, instead of deciding how I am going to sound the instrument decides how I am going to play, they constantly change”. He has been making ice instruments since 1999, setting up his own label dedicated to ice music in 2005, and has performed live around the world, including his native Norway for his Ice Festival. He prefers to use natural ice from the Norwegian mountains as “this produces a purer sound because the ice has no air bubbles.” For his trip to the UK he will play on instruments carved from Norwegian lakes and glaciers and as every performance is played on different instruments each date is guaranteed to be unique.
Terje Insungset will be performing on the following dates: Grampound Village Hall, Cornwall (29 Nov); Appledore, Devon (30 Nov); Hartham Park Stické Tennis Court, Hartham (1 December) and Cogges Manor Farm, Witney (2 December).
For more info about the project go to www.sounduk.net
– Esther Hayden