Farmers Market (band)
Encyclopedia
Farmers Market is a Norwegian
band founded in 1991. They started out as a free jazz
quintet sprung out from the conservatory in Trondheim
, but now incorporates a wide variety of genres, such as jazz
, rock
, pop music
, bluegrass
, classical
and—most significantly—Bulgarian folk music. Humorous arrangements, virtuosity and odd time signature
s are characteristic to their style. Multi-instrumentalist Stian Carstensen
is a sort of front figure, though guitarist Nils-Olav Johansen performs most of the lead vocals.
The band's original saxophonist Håvard Lund left the group in 1995, and they looked to Bulgaria for a replacement. Trifon Trifonov joined the band after auditioning by telephone.
Farmers Market has performed at several international jazz festivals, such as Kongsberg Jazzfestival
(1993, 1995, and 2009), Moldejazz
(1994, 2003, 2004, and 2010), North Sea Jazz Festival
(Amsterdam, 2004), and Berliner Festspiele
(2005). They have released four studio albums. Their debut album, "Speed/Balkan/Boogie" from 1995, is a live recording from two concerts held at Moldejazz 1994 with members from Grammy winning Bulgarian female vocal group Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares
and two Bulgarian folk musicians.
Their fourth studio album, "Surfin' USSR", was awarded an open class Spellemannspris (Norwegian Grammy equivalent) in 2008. It was released on Mike Patton
's Ipecac label.
The band has collaborated with several Norwegian orchestras, such as the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (KORK)
, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, and Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra. Farmers Market have also collaborated with Michael Brecker
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
band founded in 1991. They started out as a free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
quintet sprung out from the conservatory in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, but now incorporates a wide variety of genres, such as jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and—most significantly—Bulgarian folk music. Humorous arrangements, virtuosity and odd time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s are characteristic to their style. Multi-instrumentalist Stian Carstensen
Stian Carstensen
Stian Carstensen is a multi-instrument Norwegian musician.-Biography:Carstensen was born in Eidsvoll. He started as an accordion player at the age of 9. He first learned from his father, and later from a classical player which he attended for 4 years. During this time he played in Norwegian TV,...
is a sort of front figure, though guitarist Nils-Olav Johansen performs most of the lead vocals.
The band's original saxophonist Håvard Lund left the group in 1995, and they looked to Bulgaria for a replacement. Trifon Trifonov joined the band after auditioning by telephone.
Farmers Market has performed at several international jazz festivals, such as Kongsberg Jazzfestival
Kongsberg Jazzfestival
Kongsberg Jazzfestival is an international jazz festival held annually in Kongsberg, Norway since 1964.-Artists:Several worldwide great artists have visited Kongsberg during this festival; international stars including Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Nigel Kennedy and Pat Metheny have...
(1993, 1995, and 2009), Moldejazz
Moldejazz
Molde International Jazz Festival takes place annually in July, and is known as one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe. It was initiated by the local Storyville Jazz Club...
(1994, 2003, 2004, and 2010), North Sea Jazz Festival
North Sea Jazz Festival
The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam...
(Amsterdam, 2004), and Berliner Festspiele
Berliner Festspiele
The Berliner Festspiele arts center brings together a variety of arts and culture events under one roof each year in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in West Berlin in 1951. Throughout the year, festivals, program series, and individual events enrich the cultural scene of the city...
(2005). They have released four studio albums. Their debut album, "Speed/Balkan/Boogie" from 1995, is a live recording from two concerts held at Moldejazz 1994 with members from Grammy winning Bulgarian female vocal group Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares
Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares
The Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir is an internationally renowned World Music ensemble that blends traditional six-part a cappella repertoire with modern arrangements. It is most recognized under their contribution to Marcel Cellier's Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares project...
and two Bulgarian folk musicians.
Their fourth studio album, "Surfin' USSR", was awarded an open class Spellemannspris (Norwegian Grammy equivalent) in 2008. It was released on Mike Patton
Mike Patton
Michael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
's Ipecac label.
The band has collaborated with several Norwegian orchestras, such as the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (KORK)
Norwegian Radio Orchestra
The Norwegian Radio Orchestra is a Norwegian orchestra affiliated with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation . Its principal base is the Store Studio at the NRK headquarters in Oslo....
, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
The Stavanger Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra from Stavanger, Norway. The SSO gives concerts primarily in the Stavanger Konserthus...
, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, and Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra. Farmers Market have also collaborated with Michael Brecker
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
.
Members
- Håvard Lund, alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
(–1995) - Trifon Trifonov, alto saxophone and clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
(1995–) - Stian CarstensenStian CarstensenStian Carstensen is a multi-instrument Norwegian musician.-Biography:Carstensen was born in Eidsvoll. He started as an accordion player at the age of 9. He first learned from his father, and later from a classical player which he attended for 4 years. During this time he played in Norwegian TV,...
, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, kavalKavalThe kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout Azerbaijan, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, southern Serbia , northern Greece , Romania , and Armenia...
, gaidaGaidaThe gaida is a musical instrument, aerophone, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag.The gaida, and its variations, is a traditional musical instrument for entire Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East....
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pedal steelgitar, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and vocals - Nils-Olav Johansen, guitar and vocals
- Jarle VespestadJarle VespestadJarle Vespestad is a Norwegian jazz percussionist.He graduated from the Toneheim Folk High School and Jazzlinja...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Finn Guttormsen, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Discography
- Speed/Balkan/Boogie – 1995
- Musikk Fra HybrideneMusikk Fra HybrideneMusikk Fra Hybridene is the second album of the Norwegian free-jazz band Farmers Market.-Track listing:# Lé Mysteres Des Guitares Grand Prix# How High The Loch # Balkan Boogie...
(Music From The Hybrids) – 1997 - Farmers Market – 2000
- Surfin' USSR – 2008