Iver Kleive was born in the Norwegian town of Skien in 1949. He grew up in a musical family and followed in his father's footsteps to become an organist par excellence. Iver Kleive is active in all musical genres as a performer, composer, arranger, producer and conductor.THE ORGANIST
In 1972 Iver graduated as cantor from the Oslo Conservatory of Music. From 1973-76 he studied at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Munich, Germany, where he passed his Solistenprüfung as the best
student. Since then he has held positions as church organist in and around Oslo. His first public organ recital was held in Oslo in 1978, after which he has given several solo organ performances, and performed at most of the major music festivals. On several occasions he has been a soloist with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (not only with the organ, but also on synthesizer), the Norwegian Broadcasting Orchestra (where he was also engaged as a pianist for 10 years), Stavanger Philharmonic orchestra and Trondheim Philharmonic Orchestra.
Terje Rypdal was born to a musical family on August 23rd, 1947 in Oslo, Norway. His father was a clarinetist and conductor of a military band in Oslo. Terje studied piano from age 5-12, trumpet at age 8, and guitar at age 12-13 (self-taught). He was a teen guitar hero in the group Vanguards (1962-7), which was a sort of Norwegian take on the British Shadows and the American Ventures. He planned on studying electrical engineering at the Technical University in Trondheim, Norway, but left to pursue a career in music. He studied musicology at the University of Oslo; he attended the Music Conservatory in Oslo (later named the Norwegian State Academy of Music) from 1970-2. He served as orchestra leader in the pit band of the Norwegian production of "Hair" back in 1970 or 1971. He studied composition under composer Finn Mortensen, with further study in composition under jazz composer George Russell. In fact, Terje performed with Russell and Garbarek from 1969-71, and released several albums with them (see discography). He also formed a band named Dream (1967-69), which was a blend of Hendrix-styled psychedelia and blue-eyed soul and power pop all-in-one; they released one album entitled "Get Dreamy". Terje's only recording released in his own name PRIOR to his to-be long association with Manfred Eicher's wonderful ECM label was entitled "Bleak House", and was a very interesting grab bag of all the many styles that Terje was to embrace later in his career (jazz, pop, contemporary composition, fusion, and even a bit of bossa nova thrown in!
Knut Reiersrud and Iver Kleive have taken their musical expedition back to Odense Cathedral, St. Knud for the third time to record a visionary and heaven defying album. This, the 3rd album of a trilogy (thus far) that began in 1991 with “Blå Koral” (Blue Choral), followed up by “Himmelskip” (Heaven Ship) and now with “Nåde over nåde” (The Mercy of All Mercies).
When “Blå koral” was released many experienced it as an aural revelation. What was totally new and surprising back in ’91, was that the combination of church organ and blues guitar could actually work unheard wonders in many variations and colors; at the same time demonstrating the acoustic powers of the cathedral’s inner space.
As with their earlier albums, old psalms and folk tunes stand solidly in the foundation of the CD. But this time Reiersrud and Kleive have maximized the aural landscape’s dynamics and 3 dimensional qualities. Contrasts have been magnified and the mighty acoustics of the Odense Cathedral were fully taken advantage of under the able ears and hands of recording engineer Alf Christian Hvidsteen.
Reiersrud used 8 different guitars on the recording and Kleive made the absolute most of the Marcussen organ’s kingdom of sound. The album contains 12 awe inspiring cuts (listed below) and can be downloaded here after November 6th. Come and get … “Nåde over nåde” - The Mercy of All Mercies” … at least the CD!
TOP
