Signe Emmeluth – ALT
Isak Hedtjärn first started playing the clarinet at the age of eighteen after studying drums and jazz, and discovered free-improvisation as a genre and method. By being mainly self-taught on clarinet he has a different view on the instrument than traditionally trained professionals. His artistry largely consists of taking risks, listening, reacting, and constantly seeking new paths. He explores technique and looks for sounds and ideas outside the instrumental or musical norms – both in the rehearsal room and the record store, in other instruments and unexpected genres. In addition to the clarinet, he has over time added the saxophone and flute to his instrument vocabulary. He mainly works in jazz and free improvisation, but also visits Swedish folk music, dance music, rock and pop. He is drawn to the intersections between genres, and the merging of different expressions. Isak lives in Stockholm and has toured with groups such as Fire! Orchestra, Viagra Boys and Maurice Louca's album Elephantine. He plays both live and on record with groups like Joakim Åhlund & Jockum Nordström, Rotem Geffen, Dennis Egberth and Marcus Price. Today, Isak works mostly with the punky free-jazz group Grismask, and Svenska Folkjazzkvartetten playing traditional violin music in a jazzy suit. He is soon releasing his first solo clarinet record, where he plays improvisations and clarinet quartets with himself.