HEDVIG MOLLESTAD
Genres: Jazz Related Rock, Eclectic Fusion • Norway

Hedwig Mollestad Thomassen is a Norwegian guitarist, composer, and improviser active in both the hard rock and jazz scenes. She leads her own trio with bassist Ellen Brekken and drummer Ivar Joe Bjørnstad, and has collaborated with jazz and rock artists. Thomassen was born in Ålesund, Møre og Romsdal, Norway in 1982. She began playing guitar at the age of ten on her mother's nylon-string instrument. While she had no "formal" musical education to speak of, her learning ground was her father's extensive jazz and rock & roll record collection. Still in high school, she translated a biography of Jimi Hendrix for a school project. She immersed herself not only in his groundbreaking work, but also in the guitar styles of everyone from Jimmy Page to Sonny Sharrock, from Fred Frith to Pete Cosey, from John McLaughlin to Carlos Santana. Before forming her trio, she collaborated with a wide swath of musical read more...