Hulbækmo & Jacobsen family orchestra releases "Hans sin Vals" from their upcoming album

Tone Hulbækmo - harp
Hans Hulbækmo - percussion
Alf Hulbækmo - harmonica
Hans Fredrik Jacobsen – flute

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Hans about the single: 

"This is a tune I've been humming, and it has gradually taken shape bit by bit," says Hans about his composition. "It's a waltz inspired by Sørlandet, mainly Sigurd Fjeldstad perhaps, and material I've primarily heard through Dad and Ånon Egeland. But it's also a bit inspired by Northern material, which I've become acquainted with through Jo Einar Sterten. I thought it could fit into the Family Orchestra, and it's written with respect and love for the tradition and all those who have carried it forward."

Tradition is important for everyone in the orchestra, drawing from the surroundings in Nordøsterdalen and their other close-knit community in Risør, where Hans Fredrik was born and raised, along with the nearby villages. However, all four members are also composers, blending their own compositions with traditional elements, collectively arranging the music. The focus and inspiration for this album are old- and village dances, performed in the unique style of the Family Orchestra. "Hans's Waltz" is highly danceable, much like the rest of the melodies on RUNDSNURRKNURR.

Tone Hulbækmo is a distinctive singer and interpreter of folk music, contemporary songs, and medieval music. Additionally, she is a composer and arranger. She revived the extinct Norwegian harp tradition and is a skilled performer on the pump organ and medieval lyre. She has received 3 Spellemann Awards (Norwegian Grammy), for her debut album "Kåmmå no" (1983), as a duo with Hans Fredrik for the children's album "Langt nord i skogen" (1988). They also received a Spellemann Award with the medieval music group Kalenda Maya in the Open Class category in 1985. She was nominated again in 2020 for the children's album "Eg kan!" In the meantime, she has released numerous solo albums.

Flutist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger Hans Fredrik Jacobsen is one of the veterans in his field, having appeared in various capacities in Norwegian music for decades. For example, he was part of the winning team in the Eurovision Song Contest as a musician in Secret Garden. In addition to his long-standing collaboration with Tone, he has been widely used as a musician on over a hundred albums with many of Norway's most prominent artists. He also has several solo albums to his name, and his latest, "Svadilja," was named one of the top 10 releases of 2022 by music critics in both Dagsavisen and Klassekampen. His previous release, "Øre," was nominated for the Spellemann Award in 2019.

From an early age, sons Hans and Alf joined them on tours worldwide. Today, they are very active musicians on the Norwegian music scene. Alf Hulbækmo is a composer, arranger, pianist, and now employed as an organist at Røros Church. He gained recognition as a Jazz Fellow at the Molde Jazz Festival in 2019, where he performed his work "Skumringsbarda" with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. He has also created commissioned works for Vinterfestspill in Bergstaden and the Nidaros Cathedral Choir. He has released the albums "Jeg går og drømmer," Alf's musical settings of poems by Nils Yttri with Siril Malmedal Hauge, and "Lillebror," a collection of interpretations of Prøysen's songs with the group of the same name.

 Hans Hulbækmo is a unique figure on the Norwegian jazz scene today – a drummer with a distinctive, open expression that has added color to bands like Atomic, Skadedyr, Moskus, Hanna Paulsberg Concept, Broen, Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra, Kim Myhr's Sympathetic Magic, and Flukten. The latter received the Spellemann Award in 2022 for the best jazz release, and he has been nominated several times for the same award, including with the group Moskus. Hans is also a composer, and in 2023, he released his first solo album, "Tilfeldig næpe," featuring exclusively his own compositions.