Henriette Eilertsen - Just a universe

Description

Bold and poetic music from a great band lead by the flute. After receiving the Kongsberg Jazz Festival's Musician Award – the DNB Prize in 2024, flutist and composer Henriette Eilertsen responded with the commissioned work Just a Universe – a bold, poetic and exploratory work that expands both the flute and the ensemble she plays with. The work was premiered on 5 July 2025 during the Kongsberg Jazz Festival, and now we in Oslo also get to enter the universe! The music moves between immediacy and depth, letting the listener flow along in rolling, suggestive passages and melodies that draw you in. It is both persistent and beautiful, free and structured, with a distinctiveness that critics have called "catchy in that jazzy way". "Just a Universe is about curiously looking at the musical baggage I carry with me, from when I sat in my teenage bedroom dreaming of being some sort of reincarnated Coltrane; to becoming fascinated with Indian classical music; to beautiful grooves; grooves that aren't grooves; flutes that make grooves. But also a curiosity about what lies ahead, wondering what's around the next bend." In just a few years, Eilertsen has established herself as a clear and distinctive voice on the Norwegian and Scandinavian jazz and improvisation scene. She is known for weaving together composed and improvised elements with an inviting naturalness, and for letting the flute be both narrator and explorer. With her, Henriette Eilertsen has a brilliant ensemble of musicians who each individually shape the Nordic jazz scene – and together they create a soundscape that is rich, open and unpredictable. Here you'll find intricate arrangements, spiritual undertones and an interplay that feels organic and alive. Henriette Eilertsen – flute, Nils Berg – woodwinds, Heida Mobeck – tuba, electronics, Håvard Aufles – keys, Joel Ring – cello, electronics, Øystein Aarnes Vik – drums Photo: Signe Fuglesteg Luksengard