First as Farce, by Hein Westgaard

First as Farce

by Hein Westgaard

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
The CD edition comes with a set of liner notes by saxophonist, composer and music historian Allen Lowe.

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1.	Einstein E.T. Morph 03:36	buy track
2.	Year of the Rat: Part I 01:02	buy track
3.	Variations on Señor Pint 03:37	buy track
4.	Year of the Rat: Part III 03:36	buy track
5.	Free-Floating Planets May Be More Common Than Stars 01:28	buy track
6.	Asteroid Nightwear 05:41	buy track
7.	Potential Harm 01:23	buy track
8.	Swineherd Agitator 03:11	buy track
9.	Year of the Rat: Part II 00:56	buy track
10.	Wayne's Horse Farm 03:29	buy track
11.	Year of the Rat: Part V 02:55	buy track
12.	Whatever Happened To The Giant Hovercraft SR-N4? 05:14	buy track

about

"It is extremely refreshing (and even surprising) to hear something like this recording, which on first hearing leaped out at me with its freshness and honesty. Few musicians play any more like they have to, like it is a life necessity to perform and improvise, and this project is unusual, to my ears, in that way. It is full of discovery and an honest appraisal of its musical materials, played by musicians who not only care but who show a commitment to the mysteries of form and content. There is a lot of variety on these tracks, and the band is beautifully recorded, in such a way that all the elements of the music are clearly defined and discernable."

- Allen Lowe (excerpt from the liner notes)

The 1st of September 2023 will see the long waited release of Hein Westgaard’s debut album as a leader on the Oslo-based, musician-run label Nice Things Records. The trio met in Copenhagen in 2017, and since then they have deepened and matured their unique form of interplay, preparing themselves for the international stage.

Playing their very own kind of experimental music, Hein Westgaard Trio is clearly inspired by free improvisation and jazz, but also by country, rock, folk and classical music. The trio manages to translate all these elements into a unique form, where the boundary between the composed and improvised becomes blurred.

The CD release includes a set of enthusiastic liner notes by the American saxophonist, composer and music historian Allen Lowe.

credits

released September 1, 2023

Hein Westgaard: Guitar, Composition
Petter Asbjørnsen: Double Bass
Simon Forchhammer: Drums

All tracks written by Hein Westgaard (Koda/NCB) except where noted.
Track 2, 4, 7, 9 and 11 written by Westgaard, Forchhammer (Koda/NCB) and Asbjørnsen (Tono/NCB)

Recorded 13/14 January 2022 in Åkersberga, Sweden by Jon Fält and Petter Hölaas
Produced by Hein Westgaard
Mixed by Anton Toorell
Mastered by Christian Obermayer

Cover Photo by Aurelijus Užameckis
Inside Photo by Tomás Gubbins
Layout and Design by Daniela Doe
Liner Notes by Allen Lowe

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Album Reviews:

"Deserves an international breakthrough. When young musicians combine good ideas with exuberance and maturity, it is good to listen." 5/6
( Arild R. Andersen, Aftenposten )

"“First as Farce” is incredibly refreshing with a distinctive sound. And once you’re hooked, you can’t let go. A brilliant debut that demands, and deserves to be heard." 4/5
( Mike Gates, ukvibe.org )

"Truly an incredible album!" 4.5/5
( Jan Hocek, jazzport.cz )

Concert Reviews:

"Hand-picked excerpts from various genres that become the trio's own. And talented musicians to boot. (…) It's great to hear genre-free music incorporating genre-specific notes and using them instead of discarding them. "
( Marcus Behrens, salt-peanuts.eu )

"One of the most distinctive young Nordic bands. (...) the music has a very loose, almost intuitive feel to it, with a tremendous tension arising between the surging guitar and the elastic, seemingly disjointed rhythms"
( Jan Hocek, jazzport.cz )

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about

Hein Westgaard Copenhagen, Denmark

Hein Westgaard is a Norwegian guitarist, improviser and composer, based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Hein Westgaard Trio is a guitar-bass-and-drums trio that plays exploratory, genre-curious music, freely mixing elaborate compositions with open improvisations.

www.instagram.com/heinwestgaardtrio ... more

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