SJO & André Roligheten - USA-tour fall 2024

André Roligheten (b.1985) from Skien in Norway is a highly sought-after musician on the European jazz scene, best known for contributing his creative saxophone playing in Gard Nilssen’s Acoustic Unity and Supersonic Orchestra or with Friends & Neighbors, Team Hegdal, Albatrosh, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, and Susanne Sundfør.

He has won the Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannprisen) with Team Hegdal (2015), and been nominated with Acoustic Unity (2015) and Supersonic Orchestra (2020). Other awards include: EBU European Jazz Competition (2009), Young Nordic Jazz Comets 2008 (Soloist prize), Jazzintro (Young Musician of the year 2008) and “JazZtipendiat 2012“ Commissioned work for the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra.

This year he has written a comissioned piece for Scheen Jazzorkester, and we are working on a tour in USA in september!!

September 26th: North Street Cabaret, Madison, WI (US)

September 27th: Constellation, Chicago, IL (US)

September 28th: The Bop Stop, Cleveland, OH (US)

September 29th: SCFA Recital Hall, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (US)

October 1st: Rhizome, Washington, DC (US)

October 3rd: Nublu, New York, NY (US)

Travel Diary from the Tour

Scheen Jazz Orchestra - A Daring Goal Achieved

Scheen Jazz Orchestra has long dreamed of touring in the USA and has worked diligently toward this goal for several years. Touring with a 13-piece orchestra requires long-term planning for finances, concerts, logistics, and all the unforeseen challenges that may arise along the way. After 2,885 kilometers by car, six concerts from Chicago to New York, countless unhealthy meals, and many memorable experiences, this dream has finally become a reality. Scheen Jazz Orchestra has completed its first US tour! We are incredibly proud! Additionally, Scheen Jazz Orchestra is the first of Norway’s major professional jazz ensembles to have completed such an extensive tour in the USA.

Touring in the USA requires significant organization and bureaucracy. For instance, all members had to undergo a comprehensive and costly visa process, which includes a personal appearance at the American embassy and a mountain of paperwork. Good communication with the concert venues was also crucial to clarify which equipment and instruments would be available on-site and what we would need to bring with us. Here, the orchestra benefited greatly from Thomas Johansson’s network and experience from previous tours in the same region.

After a few solid days of rehearsals in Skien, we arrived in Chicago on the evening of Wednesday, September 25. We were immediately immersed in American culture, kicking things off with a classic American feast (burgers and fries). We got into the spirit of things, ending the evening with karaoke (!).

The trip started with a bit of a challenge, as our double bass was not delivered. After numerous messages, we managed to secure a borrowed bass that we used for the next two days.

On Thursday, September 26, we were set to play our first concert at Bluestem Jazz in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin. Organizer Thomas Ferrella met us and accommodated some of us in his lovely home. The intimate venue and an eager-to-play band made this a fantastic experience, and we sold lots of records.

On Friday, September 27, we drove to Chicago and the Constellation, a venue run by musician Mike Reed. Here’s a little quote from an audience member:

Hello,

Just a few words to say how much we loved your show last September 27th in Chicago. We are from Montreal, Canada, and we spent a couple of days in Chicago for vacations. We went to the Constellation without knowing your band neither Anderson’s (André Roligheten, red.anm.) music. We will follow you for sure in the future.

We regret you don’t come to Montreal during your America Tour. The people in our city are great fans of jazz, as you probably know.

Hope to see you some time in the next future.

Thanks.
Claire Fournier
Montreal

Saturday, September 28: After returning the borrowed bass, we headed off to Cleveland, Ohio, to play at Bop Stop/New Ghosts. There we were warmly welcomed by organizer Matt Lafferty and sound technician Darren Thompson, who were genuinely wonderful people. This was a very cozy club with some superfans of the band; a few had even driven 278 km from Detroit to hear us! The audience was extremely enthusiastic and bought records at a rate we’d never experienced before.

The following day, we were finally able to pick up Jan Olav Renvåg's new bass, which had been shipped to the airport there. It arrived without a case, but that was later sorted out in New York. Some band members also had the chance to visit the grave of the legendary Albert Ayler!

Sunday, September 29: We drove to Lexington, Kentucky. Some of us couldn’t resist a bit of classic Kentucky Fried Chicken indulgence (when in Kentucky, and all that). Here, we played in our first concert hall of the tour with amazing acoustic sound: the Recital Hall at the Singletary Center for the Arts at Lexington University.

Monday, September 30: We had a long travel day from Lexington, Kentucky, to Washington, DC. The trip took us ten hours, after which we finally arrived at our two Airbnb houses. We enjoyed a much-needed meal and got a taste of Washington’s nightlife, which included a surprising offer to buy a puppy for $100 on the sidewalk…

Tuesday, October 1: Several of us took the opportunity to play tourist in Washington, DC, before the concert at Rhizome. Organizer Layne Garret treated us to some food and drinks, and it was a great concert in a very cool, small venue with an enthusiastic audience! Just before us, Mette Rasmussen, Craig Taborn, and Ches Smith were playing just a few blocks away, so we caught a bit of their performance too.

Wednesday, October 2: This was a travel day to New York, where we did a bit of sightseeing, went to a jazz club, and enjoyed the city.

Thursday, October 3: We played our final concert of the tour at Nublu. This was a hip New York club and quite different from the other venues we’d played, which brought an extra level of energy. The club, run by Swede Ilhan Ershain, started a bit chaotically on a slightly cramped stage, but it ended with a fantastic concert and a jam session afterward.

During this tour, we’ve met so many amazing people. It’s been inspiring to meet all the organizers who run jazz clubs with such passion, dedicated to the importance of live music. These are true enthusiasts who genuinely care about the music. They welcomed us with warmth and even opened their private homes to us. We also met countless audience members who love the music and travel far to experience it live. They deeply value the concert experience and buy records to take our music home. Many wanted to chat with us afterward and were genuinely interested and excited about the music. Some even bought all nine of our albums. This kind of response stays with us for a long time. It’s powerful to experience how the music evolves in response to a live, engaged audience, and it strengthens our belief in the relevance of the concert format in an increasingly digital world!

Of course, presenting our Norwegian names, like Åsgeir Grong, Jon Øystein Rosland, Guttorm Guttormsen, or André Roligheten, isn’t always easy. Roligheten cleverly came up with an American version of his name, “Andre Rolington,” which he humorously introduced as a blend of Sonny Rollins and Duke Ellington, to laughter from the audience. At one of the concerts, Roligheten also introduced Guttorm Guttormsen as “The Chief,” which inspired a wonderful drawing by trombonist Erik Johannessen, who clearly has talents beyond music!

We must thank André Roligheten for the music, the Southern Norwegian Jazz Center, the Norwegian Directorate for Culture, Music Norway, the Norwegian Jazz Forum, Telemark County Council, and the Norwegian Embassy in Washington for financial support. Thanks to all the organizers and venues for their incredible efforts, and to all the musicians in the ensemble for their outstanding musical contributions. This tour left us wanting more!