Following his critically-lauded and distortion-saturated collaboration with rock players in Lumen Drones comes the next fine album from Norways Hardanger fiddle master.

His new band makes a quieter but richly creative musical proposal. All the musicians are well-known in diverse contexts. Mats Eilertsens elegant bass has been heard on ECM recordings with Tord Gustavsen, Trygve Seim, Wolfert Brederode and Jacob Young. Hakon Stene is a Norwegian contemporary classical percussionist of distinction. Harmonium player Sigbjorn Apeland collaborated with Okland previously on Lysøen - Hommage a Ole Bul. And new music saxophonist Rolf-Erik Nylstrom has played extensively with Frode Haltli in the trio Poing.

On Kjolvatn most of the music is from Oklands pen but each band member contributes his unique perspective to the arrangements. As Nils says: Over the years I have moved between a wide range of genres from classical violin to Balkan folk, rock, jazz, free improvisation and Norwegian folk music. Ive always composed my own material inspired by all these expressions. In early baroque music another musical style I let myself be inspired by it was common to have sketches as the basis for making new music. In this band we work with methods influenced by this.

Kjolvatn was recorded at the Ostre Toten stone church outside Lena, in Norways Oppland county. The church, long noted for its excellent acoustics, also factored into the music-making here.