Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
In Memoriam: Rodney Holmes, 1966–2026
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
Hedvig Mollestad is among the 25 artists DownBeat thinks will help shape jazz in the decades to come.
(Photo: Thor Egil Leirtrø)“Especially in the beginning, when we were kind of searching for ourselves—we were just playing music and we didn’t think too much about, ‘What are we going to make,’” guitarist Hedvig Mollestad said about her eponymous trio as she lounged in the grass outside of her Oslo apartment. “We just kind of made music and played it, and it’s kind of evolved naturally with what we were doing live.”
On stage, the group fills in the cracks between peak ’70s metal, prog and rock-oriented jazz, shifting from Sabbath-esque riffing to Mollestad’s fluid leads, propped up by Ivar Loe Bjørnstad’s truculent drumming and Ellen Brekken’s pressurized bass work.
An aspect of all the guitarist’s varied live settings has been a range of festival-related commissions, one from Vossajazz resulting in the 2020 album Ekhidna (Rune Grammofon). That record, though, expands on the bandleader’s trio—compositionally and in terms of the ensemble members she enlists—even as Mollestad sees similarities between this latest dispatch and previous efforts.
A few cuts on Ekhidna, like “Antilone,” mirror the sort of aggression her working combo has trucked in during the past 10 years. But the second half of the new disc dips into a more contemplative mode and features a lithe solo spot for the bandleader—sparsely supported by electric keys and aptly titled “Slightly Lighter.” It’s a different kind of feature than what Mollestad’s performed in more rockist settings, the tune seeming to narrate a folktale, not an action movie.
“I wish I was playing a lot more abroad, because I would like to play with people that are not Norweigian,” she said, pausing to acknowledge the pandemic’s travel limitations, the convivial community of players she’s embedded herself with at home and aspirations for the future. “Playing with Susana [Santos Silva, the Portuguese trumpet player] on Ekhidna, bringing her into that band with all the other guys—we were all having the same references. ... She came with so many other kinds of inputs and thoughts, and ways of looking at things—just because she was from another place and came from another background.” DB
This story originally was published in the November 2020 issue of DownBeat. Subscribe here.
A drummer’s drummer, Rodney Holmes gigged with everyone from Joe Zawinul and Carlos Santana to Steve Kimock and the Brecker Brothers.
Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O’Farrill, Keith Jarrett’s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.
Jul 16, 2026 1:34 PM
The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans and…
Wilson’s ability to connect to audiences helped her to win two Grammy awards and multiple other accolades. She was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022.
Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
“The love from the jazz and music community restored my faith in humanity,” Walia wrote in an online post upon his release from detention at an ICE facility.
Aug 18, 2026 2:15 PM
Indian jazz guitarist and composer Pritesh Walia has been released after being unexpectedly detained by ICE and taken…
Percussionist Poncho Sanchez was among the artists scheduled to perform at the now-canceled inaugural LA Jazz Festival.
Aug 11, 2026 12:53 PM
The inaugural LA Jazz Festival, originally scheduled to run Aug. 7–23 with dozens of events across Los Angeles’…
