Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen


Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen is a Norwegian musician. She is known for a series of album releases and collaborations with musicians like Jon Eberson, Jarle Bernhoft and Hilde Marie Kjersem.

Career

Thomassen is a graduate from the Norwegian Academy of Music, and collaborates in a variety of rock and jazz bands, including her own Hedvig Mollestad Trio, Thomassen Trio, Bronco Busters, Songs and Sweet Potatoes, and VOM. She also has a central role in the bands of Jarle Bernhoft and Hilde Marie Kjersem, and has performed within Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. Thomassen was awarded "The young jazz talent of the year" at Moldejazz in 2009, and showed up on a gig within Jarle Bernhoft Band at the 2011 Kongsberg Jazzfestival. When she released her debut solo album Shoot! leading her own trio, the music bears little resemblance to what she plays within Jon Eberson Group and the bands of Hilde Marie Kjersem and Jarle Bernhoft.

Hedvig Mollestad Trio

Hedvig Mollestad Trio consists of Hedvig Mollestad, Ellen Brekken and Ivar Loe Bjørnstad. The trio has received numerous appraising reviews internationally, for both their studio albums and live performances. Their music is inspired by 70s heavyrock, but creates a peculiar musical mixture of ingredients like free jazz, prog and psychedelia. On its website the band describes their own music as "Outgoing & progressive instrumental rock". Since the trio's formation in 2009, HM3 has played many concerts and jazz festivals in both Norway and abroad and they have toured in Europe, Malaysia, Japan and the USA. In reviews of two of the band's albums, All About Jazz critique John Kelman states:
... With its diversity of feel and breadth of aural landscapes, it's a record that may well engender some internal fist-pumping, but Hedvig Mollestad Trio's compelling writing and take-no-prisoners approach to playing show it clearly has plenty more to offer than much of the musical space it occupies...

Prizes and honors

Hedvig Mollestad Trio

;Within The Cumshots
;Within Jarle Bernhoft
;Within Jon Eberson Group
;Within Trondheim Jazz Orchestra
;With Hilde Marie Kjersem
;Within "El Doom & The Born Electric»