Beiggja Releases Debut Album Morning: A Nordic Jazz Supergroup Emerges

LISTEN HERE

In late winter 2024, pianist Kjetil Mulelid, saxophonist Kika Sprangers, bassist Mats Eilertsen, and drummer Per Oddvar Johansen gathered in Per Oddvar’s homey surroundings in Lommedalen. Everyone brought a few tunes and ideas, then hit “record” and let the music take shape. It turned out to be a beautiful first encounter, leading to the recording of the album Morning. Kika and Kjetil share:

- No take was the same. A 'take two' often tends to refer back to 'take one,' especially if take one sounds good. But with Mats and Per Oddvar, each take went in its own unique direction. The interplay was fantastic—it felt completely natural and organic. Even though we didn’t know each other very well yet, we were able to follow each other’s musical cues closely. You can hear that on the album—the spontaneity and curiosity.

Morning is out today on Hubro, and the group have many upcoming livedates both Norway and the Netherlands.

Kika Sprangers, Dutch saxophonist and composer, balances delicately between vulnerability and strength in her music. Her vision is to combine the two—musically expressed through a love of unconventional instrumentation and dramatic arcs built for symphonic passages or heavy silence. In the Netherlands, she’s long been recognized as one of the leading young talents in modern jazz, receiving numerous awards as a composer and bandleader for both her quintet and her large ensemble. She received the Rogier van Otterloo Award in 2021 (from Metropole Orkest) as a rising composer, and completed a two-year residency at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. Supported by the Dutch Performing Arts Fund, she recorded new music with her Large Ensemble, and in duo formats with guitarist Mikkel Ploug and pianist Kit Downes. Together, they released the albums Du blomst and Mirage in 2024 on DOX Records. At the end of 2024, she was awarded the Willem Breuker Prize and released Large Ensemble (In)finity to critical acclaim.

Kjetil Mulelid is known for his distinctive playing and compositions, blending jazz, hymns, and improvised music. Since graduating from Trondheim’s renowned Jazz Department in 2014, he has toured extensively across Europe, Canada, and Asia with his own projects. He has released several critically acclaimed albums as a solo artist, with the Kjetil Mulelid Trio, jazz quartet Wako, the duo Kjemilie with vocalist Emilie Storaas, and in collaboration with Siril Malmedal Hauge—as both a band and a piano/vocal duo. The prestigious magazine The Wire described him in 2025 as “one of Norway's finest contemporary jazz pianists,” and Jazzwise called his latest album “a modern Nordic masterpiece.” He has also collaborated with Arve Henriksen, Trygve Seim, Mathias Eick, and Sissel Vera Pettersen.

Per Oddvar Johansen is one of Norway’s leading drummers. His renowned tasteful playing is featured on over eighty albums, earning him six Spellemann Awards (Norway’s equivalent of the Grammy). He currently works with Christian Wallumrød, Vigleik Storaas, Helge Lien, Ayumi Tanaka, Trygve Seim, Mats Eilertsen, Torben Snekkestad, and many more. Fiona Talkington (BBC) on his latest solo release: “Per Oddvar Johansen has played a major role in Norwegian music for many years, working with groundbreaking figures like Helge Lien, Christian Wallumrød, and Petter Wettre. He brings his imaginative drive to everything he does, and his solo debut album Let’s Dance on Edition Records finally shines a light on a musician long deserving of the spotlight.”

Mats Eilertsen has been a prominent figure on the international jazz scene for over 30 years. He’s contributed to countless recordings and has been central to major ECM releases with Tord Gustavsen, Trygve Seim, Mathias Eick, Nils Økland, Wolfert Brederode, and Jakob Young. He has led several of his own projects, including a trio with drummer Thomas Strønen and Dutch pianist Harmen Fraanje. Their latest album And Then Comes The Night (2019, ECM Records) won a Spellemann Award and was praised worldwide. In 2022, Eilertsen received Norwegian jazz’s highest honor—the prestigious Buddy Award.

Personnel:
Kika Sprangers – saxophone
Kjetil Mulelid – piano
Mats Eilertsen – double bass
Per Oddvar Johansen – drums

Production:
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Per Oddvar Johansen at Sleaskjulet, Lommedalen.

Tour:
June 5: TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht (NL)
June 7: BIMHUIS, Amsterdam (NL)
June 8: Jazz in Duketown, Den Bosch (NL)
Sept 15: PizzaExpress, London (UK)
Sept 18: Brebl, Nijmegen (NL)
Sept 19: Stadsgehoorzaal, Leiden (NL)
Sept 20: LantarenVenster, Rotterdam (NL)