Jazz Articles about Ketil Bjornstad

Ketil Bjorstad / Terje Rypdal: Life in Leipzig

by Budd Kopman
April 15, 2008

What a sound--a feast for the ears! Life in Leipzig presents pianist Ketil Bjørnstad and guitarist Terje Rypdal in concert at Leipzig's Opera House, during that city's jazz festival in 2005, with music that will astound those unfamiliar with these players or the manner in which they interact. This performance is a snapshot of much history at the ECM label. Rypdal was present almost at its inception, playing on fellow Norwegian Jan Garbarek's Afric Pepperbird (ECM, 1971), ...

Ketil Bjornstad / Terje Rypdal: Life in Leipzig

by John Kelman
April 10, 2008

The reward is great when a new and unusual teaming of musicians turns out to be not only artistically and critically successful, but the genesis of long term musical relationships. When ECM's Manfred Eicher proposed bringing neoclassical pianist Ketil Bjørnstad, generally rock- inflected, but stylistically broad guitarist Terje Rypdal, cellist David Darling and drummer Jon Christensen together, it seemed more incongruous than inspired. Eicher's reputation for astutely seeing potential where most would not resulted, however, in two albums from this ...

Ketil Bjornstad: Before the Light

by Glenn Astarita
December 13, 2002

Pianist/composer Ketil Bjornstad is primarily known for his new age, chamber jazz type outings on the ECM record label. This superbly recorded production is framed upon an imaginary soundtrack – composed for a film story, concerning love and so forth, as described within the liners. Bjornstad composed all these works and performs with guitarist Eivind Aarset, violaist Nora Taksdal and synth ace Kjetil Bjerkestrand.

And as those familiar with Bjornstad’s music would surmise, many of these pieces ...

Ketil Bjornstad & David Darling: Epigraphs

by Glenn Astarita
June 1, 2000

Pianist Ketil Bjornstad and cellist David Darling have been collaborating for quite awhile, namely within the group, “The Sea” yet their duet performances on the 1996 CD, The River offered listeners an enticing array of intersecting themes, sublime melodies and astute yet altogether thought-provoking interplay! With their latest effort, Epigraphs Darling and Bjornstad continue to produce somber, harmonious and imbued passages amid the often austere dialogue and introspective musings.

Essentially, the music presented here tends to mirror the now infamous ...