PRESS
they weave a rich tapestry that pays homage to their influences while crafting a narrative all their own – songplode
The band comes together with a synergy that isn’t forced, but made. It is not a collaboration but a conjoined expression they are able to nail so well. – indiemusicflix
Hakklomana , uma faixa que nos permite sair totalmente de nossas rotinas caóticas para nos levar a uma atmosfera única de um jazz groove envolvente, sofisticado, de uma guitarra que traz sensações profundas nos ouvinte, nos coloca de cara para nossos sentimentos, em conexão com nossas emoções, uma faixa que tem muita personalidade e energia. –indieoclock.com
El álbum abre con "Einn til Sjö", una pieza que, con su ritmo dinámico y atmósfera inmersiva, establece el tono del disco. Las guitarras eléctricas llevan el protagonismo, creando paisajes sonoros complejos que parecen contar historias sin palabras. -musicaenpalabrasar
Le trio norvégien The Leif a récemment révélé Det er en egen lomme, un album instrumental qui invite à une exploration sonore aussi surprenante qu’envoûtante. Mélangeant jazz, rock et pop, cet album de dix titres se distingue par sa capacité à transformer des idées musicales simples en compositions riches et complexes. - iggy magazine
We have been i Sleaskjulet, Lommedalen, Bærum, Norway to record our third full-lenght album. It will be out 23 October under the title Det er en egen lomme at 20.032 Records, the day before we celebrate the release at Kafé Hærverk in Oslo.
Daniel, a tune from our first release, was featured in the beautiful surf-documentary Icebox
Our second release, an EP called But You Move On, was released September 2020 at Kafé Hærverk
We played new material online during the Corona pandemic. Watch the concert HERE
...but the "wind-warped instrumental rock jazz," as the two call their music, is by no means just a noise, but a typical case for adventurers and, to a certain extent, a phonophone sarcasm, when tenderness and effervescence have to be changed from a creative point of view - Musikreviews.de
... a very gentle interaction between two electric guitars in a thoughtful relaxing way - Unfretted.com
Arne Raanaas' photos from t release party for our first album (2018)
About
The Leif was established in Oslo in 2015 by the two guitarists Magnus Tenge and Tellef Øgrim. The duo became a trio when drummer Per Oddvar Johansen joined in 2020. Their instrumental music is original, melodic and fermented in jazz and rock.
By 2024 we had fully realized that what we had was a musical kitchen of our very own, a power plant of creativity or, if you will, a frequency we could tune in to. Being in The Leif had become a way of life as well as a playground of our own. The title of our third full-length release thus ended up being Det er en egen lomme, which approximately translates to the he English There is such a thing as your own pocket. Listen
Our second full-length album, recorded in March 2021, deemed lost forever after a hard disk died, then resurrected by way of a magician called André Bakkehaug, was RELEASED April 14 2023, comprising music we loved to write and love to play, and would like you to listen to.
The band's second release, an EP/short album titled But you move on, containing exclusively original material, was released digitally on September 25 2020, on all platforms, featuring the fabulous Per Oddvar Johansen on the drums.
Production: The Leif, Anne Danielsen (editing), Audun Borrmann (mixing), Sverre Erik Henriksen (mastering)
– You hold the levers and when a screw loosens and a nut disappears into the air then another holds on and gets everything on rails again before a new nut loosens and you spin around but you move on before a new screw loosens .... etc (Fan 24. after listening to our upcoming music)
Visit the live stream from the release party at Oslo's Kafé Hærverk 19 October HERE
Kruttverket, Oslo 2023
Det er en egen lomme,
album October 2024
Discography
2024: Det er en egen lomme
2023: Then There
2020: But you move on
2018: The Leif
Magnus Tenge and Tellef Øgrim's fertile tune-writing increased after they joined forces in The Leif. As their repertoire grew, the duo developed a natural inclination towards melody, rooted in a jammy jazz sprinkled with a pastoral feel. Some of their tunes even evoke post-1970s nostalgia. While their first album was strictly a duo affair. With the EP But you move on Per Oddvar Johansen, a renowned drummer known for his keen sense of sound and highly personalized musicianship made the band a trio. Although the band has no set rules for selecting tunes, listeners can expect to be treated to a unique blend of musical influences and a sound that showcases their exceptional chemistry as a group.
The Leif (Debut album 2018)
But you move on (EP 2020)
Then There (Album 2023)
The Leif's story
For a long time, they were merely two neighbours, each with an incurable guitar addiction. They had both played in bands all their lives, for almost 80 years altogether. Tellef mostly in jazz, rock and improvisational groups, while Magnus more solidly belonged in rock music. When they met for the occasional dinner with friends in the neighbourhood, the talk went mostly about music, guitars, amplifiers and effects. Maybe the occasional “do you prefer 0.10 or 0.09 gauge strings” question. In the end, there was no way around the unavoidable, and they went down into Tellef’s basement with no more of a commitment than to jam for a while. After months of intense experimenting and songwriting, it became clear that the two guitar players had more in common musically than they had thought. Several café concerts in Norway and Sweden and then half a year of intense work with the duo’s debut album made the two electric guitarists into a closely interacted, poetic, melodic rock-jazz duo with a setlist of instrumental compositions. Even if it sometimes can get loud, it is not an aim in itself. The Leifs ambition is to leave their listeners with the notion that an evening with the duo’s self-styled “Americana (Nordicana?) jazz music” or “wind-warped, instrumental rock-jazz” (both authentic stamps left by listeners) was worth leaving the couch for. In Mai 2018 Simlas produksjoner released the duo’s album digitally, on vinyl and CD. September 2020 saw the follow-up album But you move on distributed digitally. About the name Magnus’s middle name is Leif. Tellef is an old combination of the names Tor and Leif. Hence the band name. Except also that the word Leif sounds almost like the English word for the period between birth and death of an organism. Somewhat.
