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Guitarist Ivar Grydeland (b.Trondheim 1976) started his music education degree in the mid-nineties. Having a base as a free jazz artist, Grydeland has continually expanded his experimental style to include new sounds. This unique style set it’s roots while Grydeland studied improvised chamber music at Norway’s College of Music (2001-2003), together with percussionist Ingar Zach. Since, the musical style of Grydeland has burst the improvisational traditions, whether it is called free jazz, or intuitive music. As a improvisational artist, Grydeland has had the change to play with countless groups, as well as being part of numerous recordings. This fluid approach to musical collaboration might be a condition for the boundary breaking genre this style of music represents.
As such, it is not surprising that Ivar Grydeland is a very adaptive musician: He takes pieces of his own surroundings and weaves them into his own unique style. This proves true, whether it be an adaptation to the sounds of Japanese artist Yumiko Tanaka with her traditional shamisen, or pianist Christian Wallumrøds sober, repetitive sounds. Like many musicians, improvisers, and composers, Grydeland has developed an artistic practice which results in hybrid musical forms, working styles, and genre stretching cooperation. There doesn’t appear to be a deliberate ideological drive behind this development, rather a continual search of music’s communicative possibilities.
One of Grydelands distinguishing features is his work with prepared string instruments. With the use of various metal, plastic, rubber and wooden objects, Grydeland manipulates the strings, sound board, and skin of his instrument (one of his instruments is also a guitar-banjo: a guitar neck with a banjo body). He experiments with various tuning of the instrument with the use of various sympathetic strings to give his instrument new sounds. Here one sees influence from John Cages work with the prepared piano during the 1940s. However, where Cages has a prosaic desire to create a percussion instrument using a piano, Grydeland transforms his instrument into something unknown. In this way, Grydeland is able to develop a hybrid style which also includes the string instrument he works with. Using an instrument whose sound is well known, he has mutated and transformed his guitars sound to something unknown.
Eivind Buene, February 2006
Translated by Tyler Olson
Curriculum Vitae - Ivar Grydeland
Born in Trondheim 01. October 1976, living in Oslo.
Education:
2005 – 2006 : Arts management. Norwegian Academy of Music (part time)
2001 – 2003 : Master study, chamber music. Norwegian Academy of Music
1999 – 2000 : Vocal and instrumental didactic, Norwegian Academy of Music
1996 – 1999 : Music and social pedagogy, Norwegian Academy of Music
Occupation:
Composer and musician
Teaching activity:
- Teaches improvisation, chamber music and work as a tutor at Norwegian Academy of Music (2003 - )
- Workshop in improvising at Vancouver Jazz- and Blues Society i February 2003.
Musical activity:
Started his professional career as musician and composer in 1999. His activity ranges from concerts, tours and CD releases with regular groups and ad hoc constellations. He has performed both solo and with ensembles on major festivals for contemporary music and jazz in Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, England, Canada, USA, Japan and more.
Grydeland composed and performed the music to the piece LIV based on Jon Fosse’s “Stengd gitar” that premiered on Nationaltheateret in Oslo in October 2007. Grydeland also composed music for the dance performance Isolde that was programmed at Dansens Hus in Oslo, April 2008.
Collaborators:
Long-time collaborators are in particular Ingar Zach, Tonny Kluften, Xavier Charles, Christian Wallumrød. On shorter terms or for more ad hoc situations are Rhodri Davies, Tony Oxley, Paul Lovens, Thomas Lehn, Pat Thomas, Yumiko Tanaka, Phil Minton, Axel Dörner, Håkon Kornstad, Bjørnar Andresen, Jon Christensen, Jaap Blonk, Michel Doneda, Diego Chamy, Leonel Kaplan and others.
Discography:
Huntsville – eco, arches & eras, Rune Grammofon2079 (2008)
Marc Pichelin / Xavier Charles / Ivar Grydeland – North of the North, SOFA525 (2008)
Xavier Charles, Ivar Grydeland, Christian Wallumrød, Ingar Zach – Dans les arbres, ECM2058 (2008)
Eivind Buene – Asymmetrical Music, SOFA523 (2007)
Huntsville – for the middle class, Rune Grammofon2058 (2006)
No Spaghetti Edition – Sketches of a fusion, SOFA 520 (2006)
Thomas Lehn / Ingar Zach / Ivar Grydeland – Archiva Genera (2006)
Yumiko Tanaka / Ivar Grydeland – Continental Crust, SOFA 517 (2005)
Jaap Blonk / Ingar Zach / Ivar Grydeland – improvisers, KONTRANS (2004)
Ingar Zach / Ivar Grydeland – You Should Have Seen Me Before We First Met, SOFA 515 (2004)
No Spaghetti Edition – Real Time Satellite Data, SOFA 513 (2003)
Ivar Grydeland / Tonny Kluften / Paul Lovens – These six, SOFA 512 (2003)
HISS (Pat Thomas, Ivar Grydeland, Tonny Kluften, Ingar Zach) – ZAHIR, Rossbin (2003)
No Spaghetti Edition – Pasta Variations, SOFA 510 (2002)
Wachsmann, Hug, Grydeland, Zach – Wazahugy, SOFA 508 (2002)
No Spaghetti Edition – Listen…and tell me what it was, SOFA 506 (2001)
Ingar Zach / Ivar Grydeland – Visiting Ants, SOFA 502 (2000)
Tony Oxley project 1 – Triangular Screen, SOFA 501 (2000)
Contributed on:
Wachsmann, Hug, Grydeland, Zach – “Tapper#9”, THE WIRE (2002)
No Spaghetti Edition – “Good Shit From Norway”, THE WIRE (2002)
Øyvind Torvund / Ivar Grydeland – Cottage Industrial vol.2, HUMBUG031 (2003)
Karl Seglem – Nye Nord (NORCD 2002)
Press:
All About Jazz on Huntsville show:
«Grydeland was particularly impressive alternating between his various string instruments, setting up a simple and lyrical loop on pedal steel before moving to electric guitar to create additional melodic fragments as well as more jagged and distorted attacks to provide an intense backwash of sound.»
BBC on Huntsville’s ”For the middle class”(Rune Grammofon 2006):
«...involving, evocative music that's genuinely emotionally engaging as well as pressing all the right buttons for those on the lookout for new sonic thrills. Beautiful.»
THE WIRE on the CD Yumiko Tanaka & Ivar Grydeland: Continental Crust (SOFA 2005):
‹‹This is a very successful duo improvisation record – lively communication between the musicians, but enough distance between their approaches to generate healthy tension, so that they achieve unanimity it's worth a lot. (…) suddenly Tanaka's voice launches into a full-blooded Gidayu narration. Whether Grydeland has seen the puppet theatre or not, he reacts well to the passion and drama in Tanaka's delivery.
So, a fresh and intelligent album, and encouraging to anyone who suspects improvisation might be languishing in a rut. ›› Clive Bell, The WIRE
Arild Andersen in Aftenposten on Continental Crust:
‹‹"Continental Crust" demonstrates that Grydeland is developing independence , in the direction of considerable.›› Arild Andersen, Aftenposten
Signal To Noise on Continental Crust
‹‹This is music about submerging identity, whether in the free interaction of sound, floating high in space in an aged amusement park or diving in the oceanic imagination to the earth's shifting plates. It's music of compelling delicacy and rigor-especially striking when Tanaka plays and sings the traditional "Hidakagawa Iriaizakura" in the midst of an extended improvisation-but it feels resilient, not fragile, with a poetry all its own.›› Stuart Broomer, Signal To Noise
The WIRE on Ingar Zach & Ivar Grydeland “You Should Have Seen Me Before We First Met” (SOFA 2003):
‹‹Percussionist Zach and guitarist Grydeland founded the excellent Sofa label in 2000. Their second duo release presents a fascinating pair of improvisations caught last year in Geneva and Oslo. (…) Controlled feedback from Grydelands electric guitar plays its part in what seems to be a conscious process of redefining the performance space, modifying its feel or adding significant decoration while the focal point, centre stage, may be left suggestively vacant. On CD these improvisations, five months apart in different cities, both convey an element of auditory set design that doesn't just frame but actively constitutes the music.›› Julian Cowley, The Wire
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