On eighth album Bees in the Bonnet, the Hedvig Mollestad Trio continues to blur boundaries between free jazz, proggy rock and blithe psychedelia with their signature telepathic chemistry, nuanced sonority, and uplifting spirit. Released on April 25, the album’s six adventurous tracks veer from celebratory riffage to cerebral balladry with an infectious, inclusive joy.
“A bee in your bonnet is something that you can’t stop thinking about,” explained celebrated guitarist/composer Mollestad from her coastal home near Oslo. “I wanted something that would describe the musical idea of the trio, which is what we’ve been doing for eight records.”
As a child, Mollestad would be moved literally to tears by the ostensibly dissimilar sounds of, say, Sonny Rollins and Pearl Jam – often on the same day. This genre juxtaposition, once dubbed “jazz Sabbath,” has become her trademark as a revered composer, award-winning solo artist and, since 2009, with her beloved trio (also known as HM3), formed after she received the This Year’s Jazz Talent award at Moldejazz that year. Fourteen years later, Mollestad returned to that storied fest as Artist in Residence, following the likes of Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, and John Zorn in receiving that honor. In 2019, she was also awarded the prestigious Musicians Prize at Kongsberg Jazz Festival.