Norwegian guitarist Hedvig Mollestad has become a national treasure of our time, and everybody wants a taste of her, from the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra and Colin Stetson to Jon Balke, Mats Gustafsson, Paal Nilssen-Love, and Nels Cline.Did We Really? documents Mollestad’s collaborative work with the Norwegian modern jazz quartet Cortex – trumpeter-composer Thomas Johansson, sax player Kristoffer Berre Alberts, double bass player Ola Høyer, and drummer Dag Erik Knedal Andersen. Cortex and Mollestad had a short tour in November 2024, and reconvened in late February 2025 and early March 2025 to record the joint album at Amper Tone Studios in Oslo.
Did We Really?is titled after one of the two pieces Mollestad wrote for this album. Johansson added six more pieces. Mollestad integrated organically with Cortex’s sound and dynamics, which updates the rich legacy of the American avant-garde jazz from the 60s and 70s, and of Don Cherry, in its own special way. Forget Mollestad’s Led Zeppelin-tinged heavy killer riffs, or pyrotechnical prog-rock solos à la Mahavishnu Orchestra, and think of her as a clever and refined guitarist from the atmospheric school of Terje Rypdal, and at times even the melodicism of Jon Eberson. Mollestad took part in the tribute project to Rypdal, Sky Music, with Bushman’s Revenge guitarist Even Helte Hermansen.
Did We Really?is not a collision of forces but an inspired collective of forward-thinking musicians where the sum is bigger than its parts. Mollestad’s sustained guitar lines introduce an edgy intensity and raw power to Johansson’s thoughtful themes and to Cortex’ slow-cooking improvisational strategies. The clearly emphatic dynamics of this ad-hoc quintet always serve the music; they are more open, rely less on addictive grooves, and flirt with complex, soulful textures of modern jazz that meet a subdued version of fusion. Mollestad’s title piece distills this emphatic approach in an open, emotional manner, with a beautiful, reserved, and concise solo guitar, while Johansson’s «Snap» suggests a more powerful and intense approach. This too-short album ends with Johansoon’s sensual melody of the infectious groove of «Hymans Porch», introduced by Mollestad and Alberts, and flirting gently with Ethiojazz.
Eyal Hareuveni
Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen (guitar), Thomas Johansson (trumpet), Kristoffer Berre Alberts (saxophones), Ola Høyer (double bass), Dag Erik Knedal Andersen (drums)
