JAZZTHING.TV report

 

SWR2 Impuls with Luigi Lauer. Podcast

 

She has impressive technical skills, but she’s also emotionally engaging and honest. And she’s a charming lyricist (all in English, by the way) who writes about love’s joys and difficulties with a clear eye and a poetic ear....Red is vibrantly recorded, and it presents Tytingvåg’s voice with startling clarity. You can hear the timbres of each instrument, and the recording has a wonderful sense of space.
Joseph Taylor, GOOD SOUND! 

 

She wanted to „go her own way“, a way on which she would never stop asking questions and learning – this is the motto of singer/songwriter Randi Tytingvåg, who likes to use an understatement to describe herself simply as, a „story-teller“. The Norwegian artist studied jazz singing in London, and with her band, interprets her own songs in the most excellent and elegant jazz tradition.
JZ: What inspires you for your lyrics? Some of them seem to be taken straight from life...
Tytingvåg: There’s a story behind every one of my songs. Something that happened to me only, or some one that I know. Or something that I hear or read. It has to be  a theme that really gets to me, something that makes me furious or sad. I call it the "emotional trigger" – something that makes me want to take action. Then I try to make something personal out of it, without getting „private“...a very important difference!
Carina Prange, Jazzzeitung -5- 2009

 

...a perfect bastard of jazz, cabaret, chanson and songwriting.  ... Tytingvåg’s enormous vocal diversity really comes into its own: now clarinet-like, purring like a cat, then with a sighing passion, and then with transparent reflection...
This noisy quirkiness in every dynamic facet, it’s already called „Red“ with a capital „R“, still sounds like it’s climbing organically out of strings and keys, not out of a computer. And it is foiled again and again by clear lyrical oases, like in the fantastically etherial ballad "Why": a folky pastel with trickling piano and a meshwork of unidentifiable floating particles. To all this, the lyrics may seem somewhat sparse; but they pack an enormous punch...
Stefan Franzen, Jazzthing November 2009

 

Soft, smooth, with a pleasant profundity, this is how Norwegian singer Randi Tytingvåg presents herself on ,,Red". The result is a catchy yet fresh, multifarious, and wonderfully instrumented amalgamation out of folk, tango and chanson, enriched with an admittedly very carefully dosed pinch of jazz. No matter. This album is great anyway.
Volker Doberstein, JazzPodium November 2009

 

...this young lady from Norway has just presented a bewitching album with „Red“, an album with huge emotional depth.

The color "Red" is a very grateful theme. Not only in paintings and literature, but also in music, there’s a lot that can be developed to it. Randi Tytingvag shows this in a beguiling way on her new work. To her, "Red" is a symbol for vitality, and the Norwegian is particularly fond of telling her stories with colors and pictures.  Musically, Tytingvag has not yet made a style commitment. It almost seems as if she is still testing what she can really do with her voice, which is full of character and sometimes pleasantly coquet, and sometimes it seems that she is surprised herself at how good it sounds.

The highly versatile instrumentation of her band is also quite striking. There’s cello and accordeon, but also Fender-Rhodes keyboard, chimes, plus numerous electronic effects .

Some tracks are jazzy, some would be wonderful for dancing the tango, and others are simply timeless Norwegian chansons.
Randi Tytingvag is not only a new voice, but a unique voice, one that takes you into a world where you want to stay for a veeery long time. 
Matthias Wegner, Deutschlandradio Kultur 22.10.09 / Radiofeuilleton

 

Audiophile Pop-CD of the month
Impressive jazz-folk-tango-electronic-cocktail of excellant sound.
Claus Dick, Audio 11/2009

 

At any rate, Tytingvåg blows the genre „jazz“ far, far away – happily dipping into folk, rumba, chanson and bossa nova. Jumping styles in perfect time, she is accompanied by a gleeful orchestra that radiates at least as much enthusiasm as its singer. The color of these 11 songs is very clearly red – how else can you visualize pure energy.
Rhein Neckar Zeitung 09.10.2009

 

Even when they’re not covering standards, many nordic singers still sound standard today. Not so Randi Tytingvåg from Stavanger. Just the way she wrenches a heartfelt Marilyn Monroe out of Cole Porter’s classic „My Heart Belongs To Daddy“, Chapeau! It sounds like Tom Waits stranded in Maghreb. And in her own compositions this amazing lady creates an irritatingly imposing mix of jazz, folk, cabaret, ballad, tango and ambient.
Detlef Kinsler, Journal Frankfurt

 

CD Of The Week at RADIO 1

  

HR2 Kultur: CD Of The Week october 12. - 17. 2009
...Just because you don’t know how to pronounce her name doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get to know this young Norwegian singer, especially if you appreciate well-made songs far beyond the mainstream. Style and genre don’t interest this 31-year-old from the coastal city of Stavanger. She takes a little of everything that fits: jazz, folk, tango, vaudeville, chanson and electronic. She forms quiet songs from all this, singing little stories about people and their dealings with each other. "Red" is the name of her third CD: in Norway she climbed the charts long ago. Maybe now she’ll find an audience in the rest of the world, she certainly deserves it!
Gregor Praml, HR2 Mikado

 

Chansons from the North! Her repertoire of folk, jazz and cabaret can hardly be described as anything else. On "Red" the 31-year-old convinces with music that sounds like Leonard Cohen and reminds you of Astor Piazzolla.
Freundin 23.09.2009

 

A fine CD, recommended for open ears and sharp minds.
Nordische Musik

 

Album Of The Week
Randi Tytingvåg is definitely a singer who can hold her own with the likes of her celebrated colleagues, Silje Nergaard, Beady Belle or Rebekka Bakken. She has a voice you recognize immediately, unique, expressive, full of nuance. There are lots of good music-makers who play superbly and deliver perfect productions, but only a few manage to touch the soul.
Lounge.fm

 

At some point we’ll have to find an answer to the question as to what it is, exactly, that drives Norwegians to jazz: Silje Nergaard, Rebekka Bakken, Hanne Hukkelberg and now Randi Tytingvåg. This 31-year-old is far ahead of her rivals however, having the vision to see beyond her own back yard. On "Red", classic vocal jazz melts with tango, folk and world music; Tytingvåg and her musicians play with utmost sophistication and deliver with the highest degree of finesse.
Weser Kurier

 

Piano, accordeon, bass, and drums along with Randi Tytingvåg's crystal clear, delicately haunting voice are the forces that are driving her third album, "Red". She tells all kinds of little stories here, stories written by life, showing a highly perceptive sense of observation and fine feeling for language.
5 points. (from 5 possible points).
Ulf Drechsel, Deutschlandradio Kultur 30.09.2009

 

She has established herself as one of the finest female jazz singers in Norway (five stars).
Svein Andersen, Aftenposten 31.08 2009

 

RED SUITS HER
" Randi Tytingvåg has launched this as an "all or nothing at all project " - a record that will show if she deserves a place amongst the great jazz singers. After having heard the first tracks of the album the answer is YES.
... We have known for a long time that Randi Tytingvåg is a brilliant singer. On this album she demonstrates that she is also a first class songwriter. She has developed a genre knowledge that takes her music to new hights. 
... The album stands out as a strong concept even though it contains variations and different elements. This is her master piece."
Geir Flatø, Stavanger Aftenblad 02.09 2009 5 Stars

 

"I get a lot of good feedback on the new album by Randi Tytingvåg. I have great faith in her. She has a voice you can identify immediately; original and full of feelings. There is a lot of good musicians making well produced correct jazz, but only a very few touches your soul. Tytingvåg does, says Dagobert Böhm...
Leif Tore Lindø, Stavanger Aftenblad 04.09.2009  

 

"Randi Tytingvåg is a major role model and does important contribution to
many other young jazz musicians. Yesterday Stavanger Jazzforum opened
the fall season launching the artist Randi Tytingvåg and her album RED
that was released on the 17th of August. Tytingvåg celebrated with good
reason. She has received overwhelmingly good reviews.
Randi Tytingvåg is an important contributor both as a singer and composer,
and also as a teacher. We are very proud to present her (..), says producer
Tone Christoffersen."
Elisabeth Krey Jenssen, Rogalands Avis 04.09 2009 

 

"Tytingvåg has established herself as one of our finest female jazz vocalsts of the new generation." (6 stars).
27.08 2009, Per Ivar Henriksbø, Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen, Norway

 

...unique and solid... (5 stars).
Terje Mosnes, DAGBLADET, Norway 26.08 2009

 

Randi Tytingvåg is a strong name from Stavanger. Her lyrics are unique and her vocal expressions very strong. The music is influenced by both cabaret, gospel and Kurt Weill, and Billie Holiday and Tom Waits are important inspirations sources.(..) All the songs are rooted in stories from real life, the singer tells us. You needn´t know more to enjoy this album.
Roald Helgheim, DAGSAVISEN, Norway 22. August 2009

 

You put this CD on, and from the very first second you can’t help being thrilled by that crystalline clear voice...
Listening tips: "Red or Dead", the very special version of Cole Porter’s classic "My Heart belongs to Daddy" and the emotional "Why" – one of the most beautiful songs of this autumn.
Nico Steckelberg, Hoerspiegel.de

 

On „Red“ we find harmonic ballads like „Red or dead“ and „Song for Alice“, dramatic pieces with instrumental fireworks of trombone, accordeon, clarinet, cello, saxophone, chimes, piano and  distinctive percussion work („Quiet noise”, „Mr. Barn“, „Cohesion“) along with befitting cover versions („My heart belongs to daddy“). With this, Randi Tytingvag has accomplished a timeless work, not only for hardcore jazz fans.
CDStarts.de

  

No one had ever heard of her over here, but now she’s stirred up quite a buzz with her new CD „Red“: Norwegian Randi Tytingvåg. With a mixture of folklore, electronic and a touch of jazz, she creates her very own worlds of sound – not only as a singer, but as a composer. Her style is   willful, but catchy. It’s a fresh wind, blowing down out of Scandinavia.
Ulrike Kukula, WDR3 Resonanzen

 

...a self-confident artist, whose approach successfully combines tame downbeat moments with intelligent bar acrobatics.  ...the quintessence may very well be based on jazz, but it moves over, when necessary, for folk, avantgarde, chanson, as well as South American (!) rhythms. When Ms Tytingvag sings she appears so worldly-wise that you can hardly guess her real age of early thirties. She’ll certainly get respect for not only that, but for the fact that "Red", with all of its facets, doesn’t have a single flaw.
Sellfish

  

A convincing example of new jazz music which has left the ivory tower of swing and bebop.
Kulturnews 11 2009

 

Somewhere between Tom Waits, Astor Piazolla and Cole Porter, the thirty-one-year-old musician creates a tremendous wealth of melodies and harmonies that could easily fill several concept albums.
Mane Stelzer, MELODIVA CD Tipp November 2009 

  

...unbelievably multifaceted, sometimes cuddly, sometimes a glamourous/cool way to sing.
Andreas Lüschen-Heimer, Treff 19.11.2009

 

Die norwegische Sängerin und Komponistin Randi Tytingvåg zeigt sich, in Begleitung ihrer überaus virtuosen Mitmusiker, als Gemeinschaft ebenso herausragender Individualisten, wie auch als innig verbundene Gruppe, die sich mit einem Blick versteht und sich nicht scheut, mit ihrer eigenen Kreativität zu kokettieren. Geradezu leidenschaftlich leben sie den Gesang, die Tonfolgen, die Griffe in Tasten und Saiten. Randis lyrische, vitale, oft getragene Mischung aus Jazz, Folk, Klassik, Tango, Klezmer und Cabaret begleitet stets ein leichter US-amerikanischer „touch“. An das Land der Fjorde und klaren Seen erinnert, neben Randi Tytingvågs tiefgründig strahlenden Augen, die wunderbar sanfte, helle und klare Stimme. So entstehen ruhige Songs für offene Ohren und einen wachen Verstand, in denen sie kleine Geschichten über Menschen und deren Umgang miteinander erzählt, stets bemüht, über den eigenen Horizont hinaus zu blicken und daher umso mehr die Seele zu berühren. 
palatia jazz 

 

Die Seele der Zuhörer berührt.
Ständige überraschende musikalische Wendungen verbunden mit einer charmanten Moderation sorgen für einen spannenden zweistündigen Jazzabend.
Markus Kleymann, WN Kreis Coesfeld 27.04.2010

 

Bad Wildungen. Mehr als 200 Zuhörer erlebten am Sonntagabend in der Wandelhalle  einen "Shootingstar" der europäischen Popmusik... Die Songwriterin war emotional "ganz nah dran" und in der Musik "mittendrin"... Die imponierenden Möglichkeiten ihrer wandlungsfähigen Stimme und deren Wirkung auf ihr Publikum verstärkte die Sängering mit Mimik, Gestik und einer intensiven Körpersprache... Der Beifall wollte nicht enden.
Waldeckische Landeszeitung 28.04.2010