LEAGUS - Flora Eallin
feat. Nordnorsk Jazzensemble
new album out now!
“A captivating and irresistible piece of music.” - Jazz-fun.de
"Music beyond music" 10/10 - Metalhead.it
«This exquisitely crafted stroke of musical excellence is undoubtedly one of the most unique and deeply emotive albums that I have come across in quite a while». - Eternal-terror.com
“a deeply rewarding experience” PROG UK
"This is a high quality album containing high quality compositions, performed in an excellent manner by skilled musicians” 6/6 - progressor.net
“An album that is unlike anything else and ruled by its own, magical laws.” - rocking.gr
About
LEAGUS is a contemporary and experimental musical duo who from Sápmi - Norway, and whose music alternates between formal composed parts, open structures, and free improvisation, and ranges from subdued, minimalistic, psalm-like pieces to more rock-oriented improvised parts.
Consisting of pianist Herborg Rundberg and guitarist Kristian Svalestad Olstad, LEAGUS was originally formed in 2013 by Herborg, as part of her Masters degree in Rhythmic Music at the Tromsø Conservatory, where, coincidentally, Kristian had also received his Masters degree in the same subject two years earlier
The name LEAGUS is actually Sami slang for asking for something and originates in the area in which Herborg herself was born. It is her Sami background, and her work with traditional and classical music, along with Kristian´s extended use of guitar and electronics, that forms the basis of LEAGUS' sound, which has, over time, developed into an exploratory and complex sonic universe.
Over the years the duo has worked extensively on finding new, and different interactions between the piano and the guitar, which has led to the development of a new and progressive kind of musical togetherness. It is a sound that is highly dynamic with musical contrasts playing a big part in their concept.
LEAGUS' two previous albums, 2016's "Lea Aigi", and 2019's "Naimaka", the latter actually having been released as a quartet with two additional drummers, both received critical acclaim, and served to establish LEAGUS as an up-and-coming band within the northern Norwegian Experimental scene.
In 2021 LEAGUS were commissioned by the North Norwegian Jazz Ensemble to write a piece for a ten-member orchestra. The result was "Flora Eallin" which was composed and arranged by Herborg and Kristian. This led to a tour with the North Norwegian Jazz Ensemble and long-time collaborator and visual designer Torbjørn Thrane Sandnes, as well as a studio recording of the music.
Flora Eallin was released on Is it Jazz? Records April 2023.
Listen:
Video
LEAGUS - Live at Kulturhuset i Tromsø
LEAGUS performing a duo-set in an empty concert hall during COVID-lockdown. Directed by Carl Christian Lein Størmer.
leagus feat. Nordnorsk jazzensemble: Portrait of a musical act
A live concert movie from Bodø feat. Nordnorsk Jazzensemble. Directed by Martin Losvik.
Contact:
Email : herborg@rundberg.no
Phone: +(0047) 977 24 811
Website: https://www.leagusband.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leagusleagus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_leagus_/
Label: https://isitjazzrecords.no/