We sat down with the Norwegian guitarist and composer Odd-Arne Jacobsen. He recently released two albums on the same day, "Alt eller ingenting" and Lullabye for Byrdland. The albums are out worldwide and we wanted to ask Odd-Arne some questions regarding the releases.

When did you start doing music?

We’ll, I think I was around 10 years old when I started singing in Tromsø mixed choir.   I started singing soprano and then moved over to alt.

When did you start to plan the releases of "Alt eller ingenting" and "Lullabye for Byrdland"?

It must have been spring 2018. I had just released my solo “While I was crossing the bridge” that included me and my guitars.

It was a solo album with jazz guitars done on the first take. I wanted to take that sound further.

What are the instruments you used on "Alt eller ingenting" called? And why did you use only two guitars on the album?

Me and Tore-Morten used 11th strings alto guitars. You can call them a guitar version of a renaissance lute. It has a wide tone range, a poetic sound and a very special sound in general. We decided to use two alto guitars to make a great, open and naked soundscape on the record. We kind of used the silence and empty space as an own instrument. The rhythm in the songs is based on listening to each other, don't think about tempo and just make the music flow.

On this recording, I play the midrange and the basslines on the guitar and Tore-Morten handles the top range.

You have played in New York before, where did you play?

I did a session in St. Peters Church, Bessie Schoenbergs teater, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

The last gig was a solo gig where I performed my own solo material. I used a lot of guitar synths in those days.

How do you like the New York audience?

New York is an exciting city where you can watch some of the worlds “biggest” artists every day.

I loved the response from the audience and enjoyed how the audience walked up to me after the gig and told me what they experienced during my show.’

In many ways, the audience in New York and Moscow is the same kind. They like to talk to you and express what emotions they experienced after the show.

What's your plan for future touring?

We are currently working on a different project with the material from “Alt eller ingenting” and “Lullaby of Byrdland”.

What inspires you the most?

I get very inspired by painting, art, and music from all genres. And I also inspired by different people.