Om utgivelsen
The group Marit Sandvik & Nova Onda from Northern Norway is finally out with their second album! BIRDS WILL FLY offers a wide range of colours; from jazz, pop and funk, to samba, bossa nova, maracatú, samba canção, baião, samba rock and bolero.
When they made their recording debut with the album FLOR in 2018, their repertoire consisted mainly of Brazilian song treasures, in addition to four original songs. However, while Brazil is still the common thread that ties the album BIRDS WILL FLY together, now their repertoire mainly consists of original compositions. Only two gems by Djavan and Tom Jobim have been included.
Since the release of FLOR, the band has toured Brazil (2019), collaborated with the Brazilian youth string orchestra Camarata Laranjeiras during the Northern Lights Festival in 2020, and played individual concerts and toured Norway – most recently in 2023. The music has been allowed to live, develop and mature in interaction with both Norwegian and international audiences. This inspiration has resulted in their latest release – BIRDS WILL FLY.
Front runner and vocalist Marit Sandvik has for many years been considered one of the most prominent jazz singers in Northern Norway, and has also received great international recognition. The rest of the band members are well-known names from numerous constellations within pop, rock, jazz and classical music. After working together for several years, they have developed an airy, elegant and personal interaction, where the music appears as a unique blend of down-to-earth, life-giving Brazilian rhythms and European/Nordic jazz, popular music and world music. The album BIRDS WILL FLY therefore offers both tightly arranged ensemble parts in a familiar Brazilian style, improvised jazz solos, as well as more modern genre expressions that challenge the boundaries of the Brazilian musical tradition. Brazilian and related music is world music in the best sense of the term; music that people all over the world can relate to, and music that appeals to both body and soul.
Marit sings in three languages and writes her own lyrics in two of them: Norwegian and English. From an early age, she listened to and learned songs in English and later Brazilian Portuguese, long before she understood what they were about. She just loved the sound of the words. They were…like music! Today, you can listen to music from all corners of the world and linguistic cultures without necessarily understanding what the lyrics say. The music speaks to us anyway. On this album, listeners are challenged with lyrics in three different languages – and not least with lyrics that convey a strong commitment to our planet, to nature and to the people who live here.
Recorded in Kysten Studio, Tromsø, 21st – 24th March 2025. Recording and mix by Are Bredal Simonsen / Store Studio, Bodø. Master by Martin Bowitz / Store Studio, Bodø. Coverart by Michel Diniz de Carvalho / Anew Branding, Harstad. Cover photos by Kristin Aafløy Opdan.
Musikere
Marit Sandvik - Vocals
Øystein Norvoll - Guitar
Ola Asdahl Rokkones - Saxophones
Eirik Fjelde - Piano, keys and accordion
Morten Steene - Bass
Simen Iversen Vangen - Drums and percussion
