Shining (stylized as SHINING) is a Norwegian band from

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. Thirteen musicians have been a part of the band's lineup in its history, with singer, guitarist, saxophonist, and songwriter Jørgen Munkeby as its leading force and only constant member. The band is also called SHINING (NOR) to avoid confusion with the eponymous Swedish black metal band. Shining was created in 1999 as an acoustic instrumental

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

quartet consisting of Munkeby, drummer Torstein Lofthus, pianist Morten Qvenild, and double bassist Aslak Hartberg. They released their first albums '' Where the Ragged People Go'' and '' Sweet Shanghai Devil'' in 2001 and 2003 respectively. Their 2005 album '' In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster'' led the band into a more avant-garde,

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described b ...

, and rock-oriented sound, with Qvenild playing synthesizers and other electronic keyboards and Hartberg mostly using bass guitar instead of double bass. Qvenild and Hartberg both left the band before or following the release of the album, being replaced in 2005 by Andreas Hessen Schei and Morten Strøm respectively. Under this line-up, Shining released ''

Grindstone A grindstone, also known as grinding stone, is a sharpening stone used for grinding or sharpening ferrous tools, used since ancient times. Tools are sharpened by the stone's abrasive qualities that remove material from the tool through frictio ...

'' in 2007, an album going into a heavier direction and distancing itself more from jazz, incorporating elements from

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

, and 19th and

20th-century classical music 20th-century classical music describes art music that was written nominally from 1901 to 2000, inclusive. Musical style diverged during the 20th century as it never had previously. So this century was without a dominant style. Modernism, impressio ...

. During the following years, Schei was replaced by

Andreas Ulvo Andreas Ulvo (born 22 July 1983 in Kongsvinger, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer, known from cooperations with Shining, Ingrid Olava, Mathias Eick Quartet, Solveig Slettahjell & Slow Motion Orchestra, K ...

who was himself replaced by Bernt Moen, while Tor Egil Kreken replaced Strøm on bass guitar. The band included guitarist Even Helte Hermansen as a new member in 2010, expanding into a quintet. On their fifth album '' Blackjazz'' (2010) Shining became an

extreme Extreme may refer to: Science and mathematics Mathematics *Extreme point, a point in a convex set which does not lie in any open line segment joining two points in the set *Maxima and minima, extremes on a mathematical function Science *Extremop ...

avant-garde metal Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, and experimental) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde elements, including non-standard and unconventional sou ...

band with the use of growled vocals from Munkeby. During the same year, Hermansen was replaced by Sagen. Their first live album '' Live Blackjazz'' and sixth studio, ''

One One One ''One One One'' is the sixth studio album by the Norwegian band Shining, released through Universal on April 8, 2013, and Indie Recordings on June 7, 2013. Overview The Norwegian band Shining started out as an acoustic jazz quartet, but the so ...

'', released in 2013, follow the musical direction begun in ''Blackjazz''. In the following years, Lofthus (the only original member left aside from Munkeby), Løchsen, and Kreken all left the band. The two first were replaced by Tobias Ørnes Andersen and Eirik Tovsrud Knutsen respectively, while Ole Vistnes became the bassist. Shining's metal-oriented albums were received with much acclaim from both jazz, heavy metal, and more mainstream critics.

History

Acoustic albums (1999–2005)

Shining was formed in 1999 by

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

and

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where a ...

Jørgen Munkeby. Munkeby had moved to

to study at the

Norwegian Academy of Music The Norwegian Academy of Music (Norwegian: ''Norges musikkhøgskole'', NMH) is a university-level music conservatory located in Oslo, Norway, in the neighbourhood of Majorstuen, Frogner. It is the largest music academy in Norway and offers the c ...

, and was in need of a band for a concert he had already booked. Knowing no one, he looked for bandmates among his fellow students. There he found

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low bra ...

Aslak Hartberg,

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...

Torstein Lofthus and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

Morten Qvenild. Their first album, '' Where the Ragged People Go'', was released 5 November 2001. At a time when the young Norwegian jazz scene was dominated by

future jazz The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

, as pioneered by

Bugge Wesseltoft Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft (born 1 February 1964) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer, and producer, son of jazz guitarist Erik Wesseltoft. Career In 1989, Wesseltoft collaborated with the Knut Riisnæs Quartet and was soon after ...

and Nils Petter Molvær, Shining received a lot of attention by playing modern and energetic acoustic jazz. Their music especially contrasted that of Jaga Jazzist, a band of which Jørgen Munkeby had been a member since 1994. The band's

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and rai ...

and

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Col ...

-inspired sound was further developed on their second album, '' Sweet Shanghai Devil'', released by

Jazzland Recordings Jazzland Recordings is a Norwegian jazz and improvised music label based in Oslo, Norway, often associated with nu jazz. It was founded in 1996 by pianist Bugge Wesseltoft to release his "New Conception of Jazz" and operate as a standalone l ...

in 2003. Their music became freer, incorporating more elements from outside the jazz idiom, but remained entirely acoustic.

On Rune Grammofon (2005–2007)

2005 saw a complete transformation of Shining's music with the release of their third album, '' In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster'', where progressive rock and metal were blended in with the experimental jazz heard on ''Sweet Shanghai Devil''. Munkeby's

woodwind instruments Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

were accompanied by the Akai EWI, electric guitars and synthesizers, and Aslak Hartberg's double bass was largely replaced by electric bass. Drum machines were also used on the album, as well as a wide range of less common instruments such as the accordion,

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

church organ Carol Williams performing at the West_Point_Cadet_Chapel.html" ;"title="United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel">United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel. In music, the organ is a keyboard instrument of one or mo ...

, clavinet and

celesta The celesta or celeste , also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five- octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music box ...

. Shining had now signed with

Rune Grammofon Rune Grammofon is a Norwegian record label founded in 1998 by Rune Kristoffersen. Rune Grammofon's reputation for lovingly issued experimental electronic music, jazz, and improvised music by Norwegian artists has grown over the years with its ar ...

, a record label that specializes in experimental and improvised music. They had also developed a new approach to recording albums. Whereas their previous albums were all recorded with the whole band in front of a couple of microphones, they now recorded parts of songs at different locations. Working with producer Kåre Christoffer Vestrheim, these parts were then mixed together in the studio. Munkeby has stated that Motorpsycho was the main inspiration to move to a more rock-centric sound, and that the album was strongly influenced by

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonical ...

. The move proved to be successful. ''In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster'' was well received by critics, both in Norway and internationally, and was included in the ''best new music'' section on Pitchfork. It would also go on to win the Alarm Award for best jazz album in 2006. Pianist Morten Qvenild Left Shining between the album's recording and release. Replacing him was Andreas Hessen Schei. Bassist Aslak Hartberg would later be replaced by Morten Strøm for their fourth album, ''

''. On ''Grindstone'', released on Rune Grammofon January 2007, Shining refined the style developed on ''In the Kingdom of Kitsch''. The compositions were tighter and on a whole the music was harder, although the album featured several softer tracks as well. Apart from metal, classical influences were displayed more overtly and elements of

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference aris ...

and

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

were introduced. As its predecessor the year before, ''Grindstone'' won the Alarm Award for best jazz album in 2007.

Armageddon concerto (2007–2010)

In October 2007 Shining toured Europe as support for the

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy pa ...

black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw ( lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an em ...

band Enslaved. The concerts usually ended with the two bands doing a cover version of King Crimson's ''

21st Century Schizoid Man "21st Century Schizoid Man" is a song by the progressive rock band King Crimson from their 1969 debut album ''In the Court of the Crimson King''. Often regarded as the group's signature song, it has been described by sources such as Rolling Ston ...

''. After seeing a video of one of these covers, the programme committee of

Moldejazz Molde International Jazz Festival (MIJF) or Moldejazz (established 1961 in Molde) takes place annually in July, and is known as one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe. It was initiated by the local Storyville Jazz Club. Since 1964 it has r ...

commissioned the two bands to write and perform a 90-minute work together. The resulting work ''Nine Nights in Nothingness – Glimpses of Downfall'', often referred to as ''The Armageddon Concerto'', was first performed at Moldejazz 19 July 2008. The concerto consists of nine movements, five of which were composed by Jørgen Munkeby and four by

Ivar Bjørnson Ivar Skontorp Peersen, best known by his stage name Ivar Bjørnson (born 27 November 1977 in Etne), is a Norwegian composer/guitarist for the progressive black/ viking metal band Enslaved. Biography Bjørnson is, along with Grutle Kjellson, ...

of Enslaved. Inspired by

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern peri ...

, doomsday cults, and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

, the music describes the end of the world, a following post-apocalyptic environment and finally a new beginning. Musically the different movements draw inspiration form a wide range of sources, most notably

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century" ...

Olivier Messiaen, and John Coltrane, but also

Sunn O))) Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") is an American experimental metal band formed in 1998 in Seattle, Washington. The band is known for their distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, drone, bl ...

and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

. As the first performance of ''The Armageddon Concerto'' since Moldejazz 2008, Enslaved and Shining were the main headliners at the 2010

Roadburn Festival Roadburn Festival is an international music festival held in Tilburg, Netherlands every April since 1999. It was set up as a spin-off from the Roadburn music blog founded by Jurgen van den Brand and Walter Hoeijmakers. Originally focused on stone ...

, where Enslaved were the

artist in residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

Heavy metal (2010–2017)

Shining's fifth album '' Blackjazz'' was released 18 January 2010 on

Indie Recordings Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

. The album's title is meant to describe Shining's sound, which on ''Blackjazz'' became even harder and more intense than ever before. The instrumentation was also far simpler than on the two previous albums, with Jørgen Munkeby focusing on guitars and saxophone. This has made the album's sound closer to how they sound live, as songs from previous albums needed to be simplified for live performances. According to Munkeby, a big inspiration in the development of the Blackjazz genre, was his work with In Lingua Mortua in 2006/2007. To quote Munkeby: " Lars' refreshing blend of an impressive intellectual display and direct raw power has been a big inspiration for me. Lars is a true pioneer. He was the first person to invite me to play sax in a black metal setting, and in so doing, contributed strongly to SHINING's later development of the Blackjazz genre." Shining's collaboration with Enslaved is also a clear influence on ''Blackjazz''. The album's first single, ''Fisheye'', is a newer version of the seventh movement of ''The Armageddon Concerto'', and the vinyl edition of ''Blackjazz'' includes a studio version of the concerto's first movement as a bonus track. ''Blackjazz'' ends with a cover version of ''

'', featuring guest vocals by Enslaved's

Grutle Kjellson Kjetil Tvedte Grutle, better known as Grutle Kjellson (born 24 December 1973 in Sveio, Hordaland, Norway), is the bassist and vocalist of the Norwegian progressive black metal band Enslaved. Together with Ivar Bjørnson, they are the founding ...

. The band's releases since ''Blackjazz'' have continued in a similar style, albeit often with more concise songs. '' Live Blackjazz'' contains material from ''In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster'', ''Grindstone'', and ''Blackjazz'' performed in the style of the band's then-most-recent album. ''

'' continues the industrial metal/jazz hybrid of ''Blackjazz'', but with much shorter songs and less avant-garde influences; none of the album's nine songs reaches the five-minute mark. ''

International Blackjazz Society ''International Blackjazz Society'' is the seventh studio album by Norwegian avant-garde metal band Shining. It was released on October 23, 2015 through Spinefarm Records. The first album of the band without original drummer Torstein Lofthus, i ...

'' continues in the same vein, but the songs are somewhat longer, and many of them are linked continuously. The band's recent metal works have continued to receive critical acclaim from jazz, metal, and mainstream publications.

''Animal'' (2017–present)

A new single released on 11 September 2017, titled "Everything Dies", saw the band abandoning the jazz elements of their previous albums. The single "Animal", released on 10 August 2018, followed the same musical direction; both titles are present on their album ''Animal'', released on 19 October 2018.

Members

; Current members * Jørgen Munkeby –

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

(1999–present), flute, clarinet (1999–2007),

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

(2004–present),

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of th ...

(2010–present) * Ole Vistnes -

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...

(2015–present) * Simen Sandnes –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

(2020–present) ; Former members * Morten Qvenild –

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

(1999–2004), keyboards, synthesizers (2004) * Aslak Hartberg –

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

(1999–2005), bass guitar (2004–2005) * Andreas Hessen Schei – keyboards, synthesizers (2005–2006) * Morten Strøm – bass guitar (2005–2008) *

– keyboards, synthesizers (2007–2008) * Even Helte Hermansen – guitar (2007–2010) * Bernt Moen – keyboards, synthesizers (2008–2012) * Torstein Lofthus – drums (1999–2014) * Knut Løchsen – keyboards, synthesizers (2012–2014) * Tor Egil Kreken – bass guitar (2008–2015) * Tobias Ørnes Andersen –

(2014–2019) * Håkon Sagen – guitar (2010–2019) * Eirik Tovsrud Knutsen – keyboards,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis ...

(2014–2019)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

* '' Live Blackjazz'' (2011)

Other works

* Nine Nights in Nothingness – Glimpses of Downfall (2008) : A 90-minute ''Armegeddon Concerto'' composed and performed with Enslaved, commissioned by

Awards

*2006: Winner of the Alarm award, album '' In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster'' *2007: Winner of the Alarm award, album ''

'' *2007: Nominated for Spellemannsprisen, album ''Grindstone'' *2007: Nominated for

StatoilHydro Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian state-owned multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger. It is primarily a petroleum company, operating in 36 countries with additional investments in renewable energy. ...

talent scholarship at by:Larm, album Grindstone *2010: Received the

A-ha A-ha (usually stylised as ''a-''h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ...

scholarship *2011: Won the Spellemannsprisen, album '' Blackjazz'' *2013: Received the

Statoil Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian state-owned multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger. It is primarily a petroleum company, operating in 36 countries with additional investments in renewable energy. ...

scholarship

References

External links

* {{Authority control Norwegian avant-garde metal musical groups Norwegian experimental musical groups Norwegian progressive rock groups Norwegian black metal musical groups Norwegian jazz ensembles Free improvisation ensembles Jazzland Recordings (1997) artists Musical groups established in 1999 1999 establishments in Norway Musical groups from Oslo Rune Grammofon artists Spinefarm Records artists