Jazz Articles about Helge Norbakken

About Helge Norbakken

Album Review

Daniel Herskedal: Movements of Air

Read "Movements of Air" reviewed by Geno Thackara

by Geno Thackara
April 18, 2025

Quick--when you think of instruments that sound airy, what comes to mind? Piccolo, mandolin, some kind of synthesizer or possibly the theremin? Most of us would take quite some time before guessing the tuba. It takes some imagination to look past its conventional low lines and thumps, but Daniel Herskedal is just that kind of thinker. Even if the tuba's role in jazz commonly involves features or solos, it is rare to hear any player handle it with such gentleness ...

Album Review

Jon Balke: Siwan: Hafla

Read "Siwan: Hafla" reviewed by David Bruggink

by David Bruggink
August 14, 2022

A large appeal of ECM Records has always been its encouragement of cross-cultural collaboration. Across countries and genres, listeners and critics alike have reveled in records from Codona (1979) to Le Pas du Chat Noir (2001), Chants, Hymns and Dances (2004) and Arco Iris (2011). There is joy in seeing musicians from diverse backgrounds come together to have their compositions treated with ECM's trademark recording quality. Norwegian composer, keyboardist, and percussionist Jon Balke's Siwan project, now in its third incarnation, has seen multiple arrangements ...