Fire! Orchestra — Arrival!
Mariam Wallentin — voice
Sofia Jernberg — voice
Anna Lindal — violin
Leo Svensson — cello
Josefin Runsteen — violin
Katt Hernandez — violin
Per Texas Johansson — contrabass and bass clarinets
Christer Bothén — contrabass and bass clarinets
Isak Hedtjärn — Bb clarinet
Alexander Zethson — piano
Susana Santos Silva — trumpet
Mats Gustafsson — baritone sax
Johan Berthling — basses
Andreas Werliin — drums
Mikael Werliin — sound
The new version of Fire! Orchestra is here!!!
After the previous experiences of “EXIT”, “ENTER” and “RITUAL” – it is all about to change now.
A new line-up – a new concept – a new sound – and a new piece: ARRIVAL!
The new acoustic line-up features a dominant focus on strings and clarinets. This creates a whole new sound situation and puts a new twist on the way of working with the music. Rehearsals, research, compositional and structural work will take place in the fall of 2017. Touring, recording (for Rune Grammofon, of course) and festival activities for 2018 are the next phase of the plan, with a totally new way of working in a large setting with the usual hub of the Fire! trio as the force at the creative center of it all.
This configuration will use the experience of the previous pieces, while letting the members of this new version of the ensemble be way more active and involved in creating something unique and evolving together.
The voices of Mariam Wallentin and Sofia Jernberg will continue to be the creative frontline, with the Fire! Orchestra working in an entirely new way, even using a cover version of Robbie Basho’s “Blue Crystal Fire”.
Lines and layers of violin poetry will ARRIVE with the energy and melodic frenzy of clarinet esthetics.
Slow modules of riff fundaments will ARRIVE with the inyourface attitude of the dedicated voices of supreme beauty.
Pointilistic piano and harmonic freedom will ARRIVE with the wild trumpet lines of high energy densities and beauty.
It is all connected. It is all about sharing. It is all part of the ARRIVAL!
The ARRIVAL of something new.
The ARRIVAL of a new sound and colour!
The ARRIVAL of the new Fire! Orchestra
Music by Fire! & Mariam Wallentin
Lyrics by Mariam Wallentin
All arranged by Fire! Orchestra
Fire! Orchestra on record
history
Born on a 3 am decision… after finishing up a trio tour in France 2011 – Fire! Orchestra came into being. A necessity it proved to be, for the members of the trio (Gustafsson, Berthling and Werliin) – and a creative and beautiful challenge for all involved.
The positive shock after trying out the first version of the Orchestra in 2012 – an extreme free jazz halleluja mayhem happening at the classic Fylkingen venue in Stockholm – rapidly turned into a serious attempt to gather all creative forces around the trio and make music – in a larger format – never heard before!
Fire!- trio- music extra extra large.
The new Fire! Orchestra wants to push the limits of what is possible when it comes to building and releasing energies and frictions within the concept of a 19- piece group.
Drums, bass and horns in focus with layers of guitars and electronics making it all exploding and imploding, songlike themes delivered by extreme vocalist – conducted by a spontaneous improvised music windmill – … and the RIFFS carrying it all —— makes this unit a unique one in creative music today.
Transforming the trio music of Fire! into a larger beast of beauty.
Creative musicians from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and France gathers in an (un)holy union of noise, free jazz, riffs, industrial noise, psych rock, improvised music and related activities.
Elements of the past meets elements of the instant NOW and the future.
Generations of experience, creativity and curiousness.
After numerous tours, in various formats, the Orchestra has now established the line up for 2015. The old pieces “Exit” and “Enter” are still up for grabs – but 2015 sees the focus on a new piece: “RITUAL”!
Premiered in April 2015 in Stockholm at the Orionteatern.
“RITUAL” is written by Gustafsson, Berthling and Werliin – together with our close collaborator : Mariam Wallentin.
Lyrics by Erik Lindegren and Mats Gustafsson
Sound by Mikael Werliin
Lights by Anders Heberling
Extreme energy and flow meets noisy slabs of poetry and fused high octane riffs.
Conductions, free improvisations, burst of spontaneous horns, bizarre slide instrument activities, keyboard frenzy, abstract electronic infusions, roaring guitar mayhem and voices from heaven and hell meets in an outburst like nothing else never ever heard.
Ritual.
It is all about sharing. It is all about the mystery. The Ritual. The moment, the stage, the music, the life.
Extreme riffs being the hub on the wheels of the Orchestra – moving it all forward and in any directions desired.
The story of Fire! continues…. What started as a trio by an invitation, by legendary organizer and creative personality Conny Charles Lindström in Stockholm, is now full ON in two separate projects:
Fire! – the trio (since 2009
Mats Gustafsson – saxes, keyboards and electronics
Johan Berthling – electric bass
Andreas Werliin – drums and electronics
&
Fire! Orchestra (since 2012)
Mats Gustafsson – baritone and slide sax, conduction
Johan Berthling – el bas
Andreas Werliin – drums
Mariam Wallentin – voice
Sofia Jernberg – voice
Anna Högberg – alto sax
Mette Rasmussen – alto sax
Lotte Anker – soprano and tenor sax
Jonas Kullhammar – braithophone, slide and bass sax
Goran Kajfes – cornet and slide trumpet
Niklas Barnö – trumpet
Mats Äleklint – trombone
Per-Åke Holmlander – tuba
Hild Sofie Tafjord – french horn
Andreas Berthling – electronics
Finn Loxbo – guitar
Julien Desprez – guitar
Martin Hederos – keyboards and violin
Mads Forsby – drums and electronics
Mikael Werliin – sound
Basically the whole creative music scene in Swedish and parts of the Danish and Norwegian – with help from both the Dutch, Australian and French scene has been joining the different versions of the Orchestra the past 3 years, including a.o. Loney Dear, Arno De Boer (The EX), Joe Williamson, Per Texas Johansson, Oren Ambarchi, Will Guthrie, Joachim Nordwall (iDEAL), Johan Holmegard(Dungen), Christer Bothén, Thomas Mera Gartz, Raymond Strid, Paal Nilssen– Love, Sten Sandell, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Elin Larsson, Simon Ohlsson (Silverbullit), Thomas Öberg (Bob Hund)….. they have all turned the Orchestra into what it is now and will be in the future!!!
The members of the Fire! Orchestra 2015 – share a background in as various groups and project such as:
Soundtrack of Our Lives, Tonbruket, Mariam the Believer, The Thing, Tape, Doglife, Nacka Forum, Goran Kajfes Subtronic Orchestra, Spunk, Acapulco, Swedish azz, Oddjob, Je suis, Fe- mail, Paavo, Pombo and many many others – combining jazz, free jazz, improvised music, rock, garage, psych, contemporary music and many other genres and subgenres…
please make up your own genre and mind – listen freely – don’t buy our labeling attempts…
labeling sucks.
This is only the beginning. Of sharing and creating… the mystery with and of the Fire! Orchestra!
And yes —- we are aware of certain musics, activities and doings by the Sun RA Arkestra, Charlie Haden Liberation Orchestra, GL Unit, JCOA, Pierre Dörge New Jungle Orchestra, ICP Orchestra, Globe Unity Orchestra and related formations – we thank you all for inspiration!
FIRE! Orchestra 2014
Mariam Wallentin, Simon Ohlsson, Sofia Jernberg (voice), Niklas Barnö, Magnus Broo, Goran Kajfes, Emil Strandberg (trumpet), Mats Äleklint (trombone), Per Åke Holmlander (tuba), Anna Högberg (alto sax), Mats Gustafsson, Elin Larsson (tenor sax), Jonas Kullhammar (bass sax), Martin Küchen (baritone sax), Fredrik Ljungkvist (baritone sax, clarinet), Christer Bothe´n (bass clarinet, guimbri), Andreas Söderström, Sören Runolf, David Stackenäs (guitar), Sten Sandell (synthesizer and harmonium, piano), Martin Hederos, (organ, keyboards), Joachim Nordwall (electronics), Johan Berthling (el bass), Joel Grip, Dan Berglund (bass),Andreas Werliin, Johan Holmegard, Raymond Strid (drums)