Friends & Neighbors is a Norwegian quintet consisting of a handful of the most upcoming young jazz musicians on the Norwegian jazz scene. They play energetic and expressive improvised music. With a consistent dedication to strong melodies and beautiful themes, their music brings out a sadness and aggression that refers to the political roots of free jazz.
They play original compositions mainly written by saxophone player André Roligheten (Young Norwegian Jazz musician of the year, 2008) and drummer Tollef
Østvang. The music of Friends & Neighbors can be described as a powerful combination of free jazz and bebop. The quintet uses a traditional acoustic jazz sound, but they always try to free themselves from straight jazz music when it comes to harmony and forms. With it’s presence and personality, this band is really a fresh contribution to the Scandinavian jazz sound. Some of Friends & Neighbors´ main influences are Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp and Ornette Coleman. André Roligheten – saxophone/bass clarinet Thomas Johansson – trumpet Oscar Grönberg – piano Jon Rune Strøm – double bass Tollef Østvang – drums
