Neon Ion - Laugh Now, Cry Later (Release Concert)

The Brief

Neon Ion is the solo project of award-winning vocalist Natalie Sandtorv. The vocalist plays with genre-crossing electro-jazz and tops it all off with an explosive band consisting of Sigrid Aftret on saxophone, Kjetil Jerve on keyboards, Kristian Jacobsen on bass, and Ole Mofjell on drums. On January 30, the album Laugh Now, Cry Later was released, a highly personal work that Sandtorv has spent the last three years creating. The singles Desert Bloom and Laugh Now, Cry Later were recently released, the former was described as "formidable" and went straight onto NRK P3's Best Right Now, and Dagsavisen gave the latter a 6/6 rating!!! The songs show how she has now embraced the organic expression of the band with catchy, melodic lines. The music was written before and after the hearing loss that almost stopped her entire career, but despite this the artist continued to write, and the music is perhaps stronger than ever? Her latest releases, Mood Cosmic and Heart Echoes, were released on Jazzland Recordings to overwhelming response from the Norwegian press (Klassekampen/Dagsavisen/DN etc.). Sandtorv received the prestigious Jazz Talent Award at Moldejazz in 2016, and was again in 2022 relevant with a new commissioned work for Moldejazz. She is known for her uncompromising expression, and through collaborations with artists such as Nils Petter Molvær, Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth and Arve Henriksen, she has shown that she stands out.