Silje Nergaard: Houses (LP)

Jazz stories from houses. In her native Norway, she is a star and a welcome guest in the top 10 charts. But here in Germany, too, she is no longer an insider tip among jazz fans: Silje Nergaard. in 2021, the singer and songwriter is presenting her new, 16th studio album, which she called "Houses", for the following reason: "The last year has been anything but normal for all of us. Like most of you, I've been spending long days in my own house and clearing my head on daily walks around my neighborhood. In doing so, I realized that everyone else was also stuck in their own homes. After a while, I started fantasizing about the kind of stories that took place in those houses. Who lived there - what kind of lives did they lead? These fantasies soon became songs and formed a new concept album, which I called 'Houses'," says Nergaard on her website. The result is a total of 14 pieces, 14 different musical houses between jazz and pop. They tell personal stories about longing, hope, dreams, relationships, experiences and thoughts during the coronavirus pandemic. After Silje Nergaard had already recorded several demos, "Houses" was produced together with producer and technician Mike Hartung. For the music, the singer enlisted the support of a number of international instrumentalists, including world-class musicians such as Toninho Horta, Carlos Ríos, Adam Baldych, Sanskriti Shresta, Helge Lien, Trygve Seim, Håkon Kornstad, Bugge Wesseltoft and Arve Henriksen. Commenting on the collaboration, she said: "I was lucky that all these fantastic musicians wanted to take part. With their magic, their skills, they contribute to bringing each 'house' to life. And I think they all really enjoyed making a recording in these quiet times when everything was at a standstill. All the Norwegian musicians came into the studio, but of course the international musicians had to record in their home country." The Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the Budapest Art Orchestra were then engaged. Under the musical direction of Vince Mendoza and Gaute Storaas, they contributed a few orchestral parts to "Houses". And with Kurt Elling, there is also a special guest singer on the record.