Hej! How are you first of all?
Herskedal: Great, working on my commission “Maher’s History” for S. Møller Big Band in Trondheim with the Syrian oud player Maher Mahmoud as a soloist. It will have it’s premiere on thursday. At the same time I’m preparing, and very much looking forward to the Slow Eastbound Train concert.
Slow Eastbound Train is a great album, it is one of my favorite albums so far! Have you composed for all insturments in the album or everybody has done their parts?
Herskedal: Thanks, happy to hear that! Yes, I composed and arranged for all the instruments. The Producer, Erik Johannessen, had also an active role during the composition process for this music.
It sounds weird but I love when songs refer transportation (train, boat, plane…) Why did you choose the name Slow Eastbound Train? Is it really a journey to east?
Herskedal: It’s lots of inspiration from the east in the music, for me it’s a journey through the area, and it happens slow and pensive.
One of your songs named Slow Eastbound Boat and it sounds more arabesque then other tracks. It reminded me Istanbul when I first listened it. Because in Istanbul we have ferries that cross bosphorus from Europe to Asia, does slow eastbound boat really cross bosphorus too?
Herskedal: Istanbul is really one of my favorite cities in this world. Arabic and Turkish music had been – and is – a great inspiration to me. I actually was in Istanbul two weeks ago for the third time, to learn more about Turkish music. The Istanbul history is very interesting. Even the Vikings came from Scandinavia to Istanbul by boat, and crossed Bosphorus. The titles is not meant to be that specific, but it makes me happy that you get these pictures when listening to it. I want
Slow Eastbound Train to be film music, and that the listeners get their own individual pictures and stories in their heads.
Tuba’s mystic sound has always inspired me. I have read an article that says some bass sounds reminds us wild animals in nature and that influences the people because of evolutional reasons. Have you ever heard about that? What do you think?
Herskedal: I’ve never thought of it like that or heard about it. The Norwegian Fauna has more treble sounds than bass sounds I think. But I’ve always been a fan of bass sounds since I was a child. When I reach the point in my life where my voice mutated, I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get a deeper voice. But the tuba is a good replacement!
I know City Stories and Listen, but do you have plans to work with indie bands like Colin Stetson worked with Bon Iver to make more popular/ electronic music?
Herskedal: Popular/electric music is not my main mission, I’m usually aiming for the acoustically sounds, and to use old music traditions in new creative ways. But I did a lot of cooperations with pop musicians, for example I’ve recorded two albums with Jens Carelius. He wanted to use my personal sound and to be creative on stage/in studio, then it’s ok! It worked really well to his voice and guitar I think.
Do you know any composer from Turkey? I want to recommend one if you have not heard it before, Fazil Say. His Istanbul Symphony is my favorite one because it synthesises both east and west sounds. (https://youtu.be/mQ1lNL1LYlc)
Herskedal: Very much looking forward to listen to Fazil Say’s work!