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Between 2012 and 2014, Steven Van Zandt starred in Netflix’s first exclusive television series.   A co-production with Norwegian network NRK1, Lilyhammer cast the singer-songwriter-musician as Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano, a gangster making a new life in Lillehammer, Norway.  Van Zandt not only acted in, co-wrote, and co-produced the series for three seasons, but he also composed most of the show’s music.  For the first time, the music of Lilyhammer will be released on July 12 by Van Zandt’s own Wicked Cool label and UMe in two volumes – Lilyhammer: The Score Vol. 1: Jazz and Vol. 2: Folk, Rock, Rio, Bits and Pieces.  Both volumes will arrive on CD, black 180-gram vinyl, and digital platforms.  These follow up the artist’s recent, acclaimed release Summer of Sorcery, itself a follow-up to the rousing Soulfire.

The score and songs of Lilyhammer were arranged and produced by Van Zandt and recorded at his Renegade Studios in New York and at various studios in Norway while filming. It was recorded, mixed and co-produced by Geoff Sanoff and mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering.  Wishing to combine the feel of New York jazz with Norwegian folk music to underscore the story of the series, Van Zandt turned to his E Street bandmate Max Weinberg for advice.  The drummer put his pal in touch with Lee Musiker, veteran musical director and pianist for such artists as Tony Bennett, Kristin Chenoweth, Wynton Marsalis, and the late Mel Tormé.  Van Zandt and Musiker then assembled The Interstellar Jazz Renegades, a collective of musicians led by Musiker and orchestrators Stan Harrison, Raul Agraz, and Adam Hochstatter.

Volume 1: Jazz collects together 13 of the best jazz-oriented compositions from the show and features a mix of vintage standards, instrumental cues, and original songs. Van Zandt takes a page from Sinatra in his new renditions of “All Of Me,” “Ring-a-Ding Ding!” and “My Kind Of Town.”  He explains in the press release, “I figured I’ve got some of the most talented musicians in New York City so why waste them on 15 second cues.  We decided to have some fun. I’d meet Lee about an hour before the session and give him the top line melodies, basic chord changes and structure and talk about the overall mood of the piece. I wanted to try something different and get the musicians creative input and let these guys who were used to always reading their parts express themselves for a change. We would basically arrange it on the spot. I’d suggest a harmony, Lee would suggest an idea and the musicians would begin to orchestrate themselves. It was wild and extremely fruitful. After the success of the first session I knew we had a legitimate jazz album in addition to an incredible score.”

Volume 2: Folk, Rock, Rio, Bits and Pieces collects a whopping 36 tracks from a variety of genres, including the theme song and cues inspired by Norwegian folk, rock-and-roll, surf, Latin sounds, Brazilian music, and beyond.  Van Zandt plays guitar on all but one of the tracks on this album, and was inspired by artists ranging from Tito Puente and Antonio Carlos Jobim to Ennio Morricone.

“I’m really proud of ‘Lilyhammer’ and the music I created for it,” observes Van Zandt. “This was especially rewarding because it gave me the chance to finally do a score completely. This was a full commitment, I loved doing it and experimenting with sound and putting it to pictures and seeing what effect it has. It was a lot of fun, I’d love to do more of it.”

Lilyhammer: The Score arrives on July 12 as Van Zandt tours across America; the European leg begins in August, and then a final leg in the fall returns them home to the United States.  As in the past, teachers are welcome to all shows for free, and each concert will be preceded by a teacher’s development workshop explaining how to integrate Van Zandt’s music education curriculum into the classroom. For more information, visit teachrock.org.  Look for the music of Lilyhammer at the links below, and watch this preview of “My Kind of Town” right here!

Little Steven and The Interstellar Jazz Renegades, Lilyhammer – The Score Vol. 1: Jazz (Wicked Cool/UMe, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme from Lilyhammer)
2. My Kind Of Town (vocal)
3. The Night Before
4. Rumble Island
5. Sorceress
6. I’m a Fool to Want You
7. All Of Me (vocal)
8. Blue Midnight
9. The Thief
10. City Lights
11. Gloomy Day
12. Ring-A-Ding Ding! (vocal)
13. The Morning After

Little Steven and The Interstellar Jazz Renegades, Lilyhammer – The Score Vol. 2: Folk, Rock, Rio, Bits and Pieces (Wicked Cool/UMe, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme from Lilyhammer – Broadcast Version)
2. Revelation
3. African Dawn
4. Lillehammer Mourning
5. Baptism
6. Toboggan Negotiation
7. Curiosity
8. Sunset
9. Sunrise
10. Gregorian Papyperm
11. Elegy for Sally Boy
12. Grampa Lento’s Song
13. Tandoori Epiphany
14. Out of the Darkness
15. Wolf Hunt
16. Dance of the Persian Serpent
17. The Minstrel Boy (vocal)
18. Painted Angels
19. Espresso Martini
20. Stevie Colada
21. Mojito
22. Sex Ghost
23. Wired
24. Bliss
25. Jobim Paranoia
26. Out of the Clouds
27. Sylfast is Dead
28. Alex and Johnny
29. Lonely Girl
30. Killer Surf
31. Favella
32. Tommy’s Run
33. Bond of Brothers
34. Sigrid Kills
35. Ibsen Interrupted
36. Massage Tattoo