Hedvig Mollestad

Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen is a groundbreaking and influential Norwegian guitarist, working in a wide range of scenes and genres, being an artist with a take-no-prisoners-attitude no matter the task given. Her work with Hedvig Mollestad Trio, including 7 albums in 10 years, has led to broad international attention and interest. In 2020 she released her first solo record Ekhidna, and received a Norwegian Grammy. Her 2nd solo release, Tempest Revisited, achieved the same award, and her 2021 release with her trio was nominated in the Rock category. In 2022 she released her most ambitious work: Maternity Beat, composed for Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, and in 2023 she released a double live album with her organ trio Weejuns, featuring Ståle Storløkken and Ole Mofjell. The summer of 2023 she was also Artist in Residence at molde Int. Jazz Festival, plains 8 shows in 6 days, guesting with Snarky Puppy, and collaborating with international artists like Colin Stetson, Nels Cline (Wilco) and Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle). David Fricke from Rolling Stone says: I was immediately struck by the quality and ferocity of her guitar playing and improvisation, and the rhythmic bond of the group. Richard Williams has written liner notes for the live album from 2016 and says: There is always something wild and worthwhile happening in her solos, demonstrating a phenomenal deftness and gift for detail. The releases of her trio have been reviewed several times in medias such as New York Times, Wall Street Journal, MOJO, Uncut, Classic Rock, The Wire, Downbeat, Jazzwise, Jazztimes, Guitar World and Decibel Magazine. Following the release of Ekhidna, she was included in Downbeat’s “25 for the future”, where the article shine a spotlight on ascending artists that potentially will shape the direction of jazz in the years to come. In recent years, Mollestad has also made her mark as a composer, with several commissioned works and prestigious prizes.