Talented Artist Odd-Arne Jacobsen Talks About His New Project Admission.

Jazz and much more, Odd-Arne Jacobsen investigates intuitive new soundscapes with his latest work.

Inspired and captivating, Odd-Arne Jacobsen is one of those artists all lovers of Guitar music and Improvisation Music should listen to.

Admission, Odd-Arne Jacobsen’s latest work, marks a new chapter in this unique artist’s already incredible career. Today we had the great opportunity to interview again this refined guitarist and visionary composer and had a chat about his project.

What was the idea behind Admission?

The idea behind Admission was to manifest my compositions in a kind of form where you have a string quartet as a “picture”. By that, I mean melody line – between voices – and bass line in real-time. It is a long process to free yourself from the guitar thinking to “play music” Admission is a nice word for having access to something. After many years of searching with various effects and guitar synths, I am looking for an admission/access to what we hear here – pure guitar sound with my Gibson Byrdland.

What equipment did you use?

As mentioned, the equipment was my Gibson Byrdland via my “Pod x 3 Live” and straight into the table. Lars-Erik used some great microphones to create the wide soundscape on the recording. It’s a sound I have worked with a lot.

Where was this release recorded?

The session was recorded in Sarpsborg on 21 January, 2023, with Lars – Erik Scherpen (Turbonegro, 1349, Erik & Kriss, Harmony Drive, Hellbillies, Seigmen).

How have you become so good at improvising?

My personality as a person / musician has always been drawn to “change” things that you take for granted. A kind of DISOBEDIENCE. I played the guitar by ear in the first years, note knowledge came much later, then you get a searching, playful approach to music. I really liked changing chords and harmonizations as well as creating counterparts (improvisation) to things I heard on the radio and LPs.

Do you have any advice for other jazz musicians who want to become better at improvising?

I think much of the ability to improvise lies in “changing” taking a simple melody and stretching and bending the theme, changing the note values but still making the beats “go up” purely metrically. The metronome set on 4/4 clearly states whether you do not hit the one on the click.

Why the name Admission?

Admission is for me a kind of “application” or access to something. I hope the music with “Blue and Yellow” and “Second Story” two of my compositions gives a picture of what I am seeking access to.

Where can we hear your record?

On all streaming services and on YouTube. The release is distributed by OAJ Records and is available all over the world.