Quick Facts
Biography
Terje Isungset (born May 4, 1964 Hol, Norway) is a Norwegian musician (primarily as a percussionist) and composer. From his background in jazz and traditional Scandinavian music, he has designed musical instruments from non-traditional materials including ice.
Career
May 30, 2015
at Victoria, December 2015
Isungset was raised in Geilo where he played traditional dance music with his father (accordion) during his high school days. Moving to Bergen in 1984 led him to be a popular member of a number Bergen Groups, «Ictus» and «Tordenskjolds soldater» 1984-85, «Growl» and «Gruv» 1984-88, «Saksbehandlerne» and «Night and Day» 1985-86, «Salsa Pati» 1985-87, «Supply» 1985-88, in addition to periods within the Big Band «Emanon» from 1986, and recording debut Amalgamation (1985) with Kenneth Sivertsen.
Isungset is after more than two decades on the Jazz scenes, one of Europe's most accomplished and innovative percussionists. With more than 25 years experience in jazz and Scandinavian traditional music he raises these narrow formes of music far beyond their traditional boundaries, becoming more like a crossover between a sound artist and a shaman. When crafting his own instruments from Norwegian natural elements such as arctic birch, granite, slate, sheep bells and even ice, he is highly recommended to those sensible to the poetry and simplicity of sounds.
His work is highly acclaimed in the press, often described as innovative, visual, energetic, and different from any previously known concepts. His love for ice music was raised in 1999 when the commission of the winterfestival at Lillehammer asked him to compose and play in a frozen waterfall. Isungset has also been commissioned to compose music for Jazz Festivals, Dance Performances, Theatre, Film, etc., with 41 commissioned concerts.
He has released 10 solo albums and is now doing most of his work internationally. Solo concerts, with his band or in collaboration with other artists. In 2006 he started the Ice Music Festival at Geilo, Norway together with Pål Knutsson Medhus, and is the founding manager of the record label All Ice Records. His most recent project is the Glassmusic together with Arve Henriksen. They released an album named World of Glass in late 2014. The recordings were largely made in front of a live audience in Tallinn. All the instruments were made from glass by students from the Estonian Academy of Arts.
Honors
- 1996: Vossajazzprisen
- 2008: Edvardprisen in the «Open class» for the album Igloo
Projects
- 2010: Organic expressions, project with three dancers (Rebecca Hytting, Guro Rimeslåtten, Christine Kjellberg) from the Carte Blanche Dance Company
- 2012: Isslottet, at the Oslo Opera and Ballet
Discography
Solo albums
- 1997: Reise (NorCD)
- 2000: Floating Rhythms (Via Music)
- 2002: Iceman Is (All Ice Records) (Jazzland/Virgin), with Arve Henriksen
- 2003: Middle of Mist (NorCD)
- 2006: Igloo (All Ice Records), nominated for Spellemannprisen in the class Jazz, with Sidsel Endresen
- 2007: Two Moons (All Ice Records), with Per Jørgensen
- 2008: Ice Concerts (All Ice Records)
- 2009: Hibernation (All Ice Records)
- 2010: Winter Songs (All Ice Records)
- 2014: World Of Glass (All Ice Records), with Arve Henriksen
- 2015: Meditations (All Ice Records)
- 2015: Terje Isungset & Stian Westerhus (All Ice Records), with Stian Westerhus
- 2016: "Oase" Terje Isungset & Sissel Vera Pettersen (All Ice Records)
- Compilations
- 2015: Collected Works (All Ice Records)
Collaborative works
- With Kenneth Sivertsen
- 1985: Amalgamation (Hot Club Records), incluuding Knut Riisnæs and Bjørn Kjellemyr
- Within Karl Seglem's «Sogn-A-Song»
- 1991: Sogn-A-Song (NorCD)
- 1994: Rit (NorCD)
- Within Isglem (duo with Karl Seglem)
- 1991: Rom (NorCD)
- 1992: To Steg (NorCD)
- 1996: Null G (NorCD)
- 2003: Fire (NorCD)
- 2016: "Femte" (NorCD)
- Within «Orleysa», fest. Tore Brunborg
- 1991: Orleysa (Odin Records)
- 1993: Svanshornet (Odin Records)
- Within «Utla» (including Håkon Høgemo and Karl Seglem)
- 1992: Utla (NorCD)
- 1993: Juv (NorCD)
- 1995: Brodd (NorCD)
- 1999: Dans (NorCD)
- 2003: Song (NorCD), feat. Berit Opheim Versto
- Within «Groupa» (including Jonas Simonson and Mats Edén)
- 1999: Lavalek (Xource)
- 2008: Frost (Footprint)
- 2014: Silent Folk (Footprint)
- 2016: "Kind of folk,vol1. Sweden. (All Ice Records)
- With other projects
- 1995: Haugtussa (Kirkelig Kulturverksted), with poems by Arne Garborg (including Lynni Treekrem, Annbjørg Lien, Arild Andersen, Børge Petersen-Øverleir, Hans Fredrik Jacobsen, Ketil Bjørnstad, Per Hillestad and Tone Hulbækmo)
- 1995: Det syng (Kirkelig Kulturverksted), with Lynni Treekrem
- 1996: Prosa (NorCD), with poems by Jon Fosse (including Arve Henriksen, Håkon Høgemo, Karl Seglem and Reidar Skår)
- 1996: Tya - frå Bor til Bytes (NorCD), with Elin Rosseland, Karl Seglem and Reidar Skår
- 1998: Spir (album) (NorCD), with Karl Seglem, Berit Opheim Versto, Morten Sæle and Audun Erlien
- 1999: Bergtatt, with Grete Helgerød and Oslo Kammerkor
- 2000: Daa (NorCD), trio with Arve Henriksen and Karl Seglem
- 2001: Shadows And Light (FMR Records), duo with Frode Gjerstad
- 2004: New North (NorCD), with Karl Seglem
- 2005: Didier Petit - Terje Isungset (Vossa Jazz Records), duo with Didier Petit live at Vossajazz 2003
- 2006: Aihki (Ektro Records), duo with Jorma Tapio
- 2006: Sáivu, with Arve Henriksen and Torgeir Vassvik
- 2006: On the Great Alkali Plains (Jester Records), with Espen Jørgensen
- 2008: Agbalagba Daada (Ektro Records), duo with Per Jørgensen
- 2008: Laden With Rain (FMR Records), duo with Stian Westerhus
- 2008: Sådagen (Etnisk musikklubb), with Eilif Gundersen, Gunnlaug Lien Myhr and Tor Egil Kreken
- 2011: City Stories (NorCD), with Daniel Herskedal
- 2011: Beginner's Guide to Scandinavia (Nascente/Virgin), with various artists
- Talkington, Fiona (2003-03-05). "Terje Isungset Iceman Is Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 2012-12-09.