Saxophone player Klaus Ellerhusen Holm and bass player Roger Arntzen have joined forces and created the duo Ballrogg. Their self-titled debut-album was released in Norway in March 2007 and was met with good critics in both the Norwegian press as well as the American. With just one year gone by since the release Ballrogg is already pointing forward and is working on their next album. After touring the last year in Europe the duo has moved farther away from the American avantgard jazz to a more freely European contemporary world of sounds. Ballrogg is now focusing even more on sound and interferens and is balancing between the acoustic bass-sax-tone and fully distorted amplification.
This is what the record label Bolage says about Ballrogg debut album:
It is a true joy to hear two accomplished and daring young players interpret classics from the free jazz/ avantgarde repertoire, including works by Eric Dolphy, Jimmy Giuffre and Ornette Coleman. Three songs are composed by the band members them selves. The transparency of the duo format gives the music a rare purity, and really makes the quality of the songs shine through. Exploring yet lyrical, this music is fresh, challenging and strikingly beautiful.
Klaus Ellerhusen Holm (sax, clar) is leader of his own group Klaus Holm Kollektif, which was awarded "Yong Nordic Jazzcomets 2003". He is playing free-improvised music with the Norwegian trio Murmur and has worked with international artists such as Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Raymond Strid, Axel Dörner og Mattias Ståhl. He has been touring festivals and jazzclubs in several countries in both Europe and America.
Roger Arntzen (double bass) is known from the piano trio In The Country, who was awarded "Young Jazz Musicians Of The Year 2004" in Norway. The trio has released two albums on the Norwegian cult-label Rune Grammofon to much acclaim. He is a regular with Shining-leader Jørgen Munkeby with the quartet Chrome Hill and has teamed up with Chrome Hill-drummer Torstein Lofthus who makes two thirds of Håvard Stubø Trio. He has also worked with downtown NYC icon Marc Ribot and pedal-steel guitarist Bob Hoffnar.
Background:
The duo had its debut concert in October 2006 at the new cult-frijazz-underground-free-impro venue Sound of Mu in Oslo. Same month Ballrogg played several concerts in London, as a duo and Roger Arntzen together with musicians such as guitarist John Russel (UK), flute player Neil Metcalfe (UK), and bambus flute player Terry Day (UK). In the spring 2008 Ballrogg was touring in the east cost and northern part of the US and in the September/October 2008 Ballrogg did a 6-city tour in Europe.
Livedates
07.08.09 - Vadsø (Varangerfestivalen, Varanger Panorama), Norway
20.02.09 - Oslo (by:Larm - Oslo Kongressenter), Norway
06.12.08 - Oslo (Nasjonal Jazzscene - Victoria), Norway
05.10.08 - Utrecht (SJU Jazzpodium - U-experimental), The Nederlands

02.10.08 - Cologne (Kulturbunker), Germany

01.10.08 - Amsterdam (Zaal 100), The Nederlands

30.09.08 - Berlin (Total Art Space), Germany

25.09.08 - Stockholm (Glenn Miller Café), Sweden

24.09.08 - Stockholm (Glenn Miller Café), Sweden

03.04.08 - New York, NY (Monkeytown), USA

02.04.08 - Washington, DC (Blues Alley), USA

01.04.08 - Columbia, SC (Columbia Museum Of Art), USA

30.03.08 - Chicago, IL (The Hungry Brain), USA

28.03.08 - New York, (Goodbye Blue Monday), USA

28.03.08 - New York, (The Norwegian Seamen..s Church), USA

26.03.08 - Oslo, (Biermannsgården), Norway

06.03.08 - Oslo (Café Mono Q), Norway - RELEASE CONCERT

06.03.08 - Oslo (Bare Jazz), Norway - PRE-RELEASE CONCERT 


23.10.07 - Oslo ( [sic!] Sagene Kulturverksted), Norway


18.10.06 - London (Battersea Art Center), UK

17.10.06 - London (The Klinker), UK

15.10.06 - London (The Red Rose - Neil Metcalfe/Roger Arntzen), UK

06.10.06 - Oslo (Sound of Mu), Norway
