Jørn Simen Øverli - Karuzela

An expressive musical and poetic journey through Poland with the Karuzela group, featuring singers Jørn Simen Øverli, Tora Augestad and Joanna Lewandowska-Zbudniewek.

Welcome to a Polish universe where God serves strawberry ice-cream and forgives, scratches his crown, is asked to not forget the people and to give them less fatiguing mountains to climb to calm their beating hearts. Learn about the amusing use of masks during the masquerade, the gems among all the beautiful words, joyous moments behind the façade, grey hugs full of sadness and tight-fitting suits in the country that is the father and the mother and heaven and hell on earth. Here heads are full of emeralds and the palms of the hands are like flowers. The man in the moon rises early and hides the moon hanging above the rooftops so that wives will kiss their husbands instead of trying to catch the moon. Around love rain knocks on the door, and there the devils thrive, while the Madonnas climb aboard the carousel of life with brushstrokes by Rafael and live life to the full while horses’ hooves kick out. 

This CD offers fantastic Polish poetry and music written over the last 50 years, but it is also a shortcut to learn more about the Polish people. It has many of their most important songs. You cannot read it on the faces of the people from Poland, but this is something they know and carry with them everywhere.

Jørn Simen Øverli has long worked on "translating culture" through song poetry. His CD "Den Røde Bussen" (The red bus) which recreated Solidarity songs from Poland was released in 1986. Many Norwegian record buyers have learnt to appreciate him through this CD and his impressive work with songs by the Russian Vladimir Vysotskij. In the Karuzela group Jørn Simen is joined by the Norwegian singing talent Tora Augestad and well-known Polish artist Joanna Lewandowska-Zbudniewek. Jørn Simen and Tora Augestad have always wanted to work on something together, and in 2009 they went looking for songs in Poland. They contacted Joanna, who included Grzech Piotrowski, who has arranged her songs and played saxophone with her for years. He has also played extensively with bass player Sebastian Wypych. Tora and Jørn Simen invited two of their favourite Norwegian musicians Espen Leite Skarpengland and Pål Hausken to join – and this is Karuzela:

Vocals: Joanna Lewandowska-Zbudniewek, Tora Augestad and Jørn Simen Øverli
Acoustic guitar: Jørn Simen Øverli
Accordion: Espen Leite Skarpengland
Saxophone and duduk: Grzech Piotrowski
Double bass: Sebastian Wypych
Drums: Pål Hausken

The lyrics have been recreated in Norwegian by Jørn Simen Øverli. The CD was recorded in Kulturkirken Jakob in February this year, mixed in Studio Nordraak by Martin Abrahamsen and produced by Erik Hillestad.

Jørn Simen Øverli discograpy at KKV
1986: Den røde bussen – En sangreise gejnnom Polen ( The red bus) // FXCD 64
1989: Levende bandasjer (Living bandages) // FXCD 89
1992: I min fars hus… (In my father’s house…) // FXCD 113
1996: Russland Hus (The Russia House) // FXCD 166
2001: Sannehten og løgnen (The truth and lie) // FXCD 239
2003: Pengenes oppmuntrende virkning (The encouraging effect of money) // FXCD 263
2005: Prøysenvisene som forsvant (The forgotten songs of Alf Prøysen) // FXCD 294