The band Gurls has taken Norway by storm. The trio's debut album Run boy, run has been described as "Jazz for the people" by both DN and NRK. - People think that the desire for pop is something new, but it's always been that way, says Ellen Andrea Wang.
/ 17/12/2018 / Kristian Dugstad– What is it about new jazz people's willingness to go pop, asks Torgny Amdam, host of the TONO podcast Making Music.
The young, up-and-coming trio Gurls are guests on the December edition of the podcast, which is released today, Thursday. The three trained jazz musicians have quickly found their way from small club stages to Oslo Spektrum, where they warmed up for A-ha in February. In other words, jazz and pop can be said to go hand in hand in this success. But the "will to pop" is not a new trend.
– You kind of think it's something new, but it's always been that way. They haven't necessarily flagged it, but almost all the teachers at the music academy have been to the Grand Prix at one time or another, says bassist Ellen Andrea Wang.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5oca7RUVnHbRvlNTeyU0Ri?si=qjTaXXYVREmFnLreev4m1A
Jazz students are often encouraged to compose and write their own music, Wang says. It's only when you start writing that you discover what musical direction you want to take.
– Even if you have learned an American jazz standard tradition, it may not be the music that lives inside you.
Listen to the full episode of Making music with Gurls on iTunes and Spotify.
You can also download the episode as audio file here.