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Tord Gustavsen Trio: Seeing
by Konstantin N. Rega
It is difficult to create a big or stirring sound with a small group of musicians. However, Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen and his trio offer an expansive, sophisticated and diverse sound on their album Seeing. With its meditative qualities, the album follows in the footsteps of the trio's previous releases, such as The Other Side (ECM, 2018) and Changing Places (ECM, 2003). However, it also broadens the group's sonic character in subtle but impactful ways. A wonderful blend of original ...
Continue ReadingTord Gustavsen Trio: Seeing
by Mike Jurkovic
A moving stillness undergirds and empowers Seeing, pianist Tord Gustavsen's tenth triumph for ECM. From the scraping arc through the first mood shift of “Jesus, Make Me Still" it is possible to lock in on the blue gospel vibe and shut the door to the cluttered details and emails of the day. And never mind song titles like the above or “The Old Church," “Beneath Your Wisdom" or “Nearer My God, To Thee." For three guys from the ...
Continue ReadingTord Gustavsen Trio: Changing Places
by Jeffrey Allen Chelsky
I never tire of listening to the masterful Tord Gustavsen in his various incarnations, this time with his trio composed of bassist Harald Johnsen and drummer Jarle Vespestad, Changing Places has been out since 2003 and seems new every time I play it. I listen and it is as if the world slows down and fades into the background. Like so much of Nordic jazz (which you should try if you have not had the pleasure--in addition to Norway's Gustavsen, ...
Continue ReadingTord Gustavsen Trio: Opening
by Peter Jones
Tord Gustavsen's first three piano trio albums sold in unimaginable quantities, made him an unlikely star in his native Norway, and established him internationally. He became the living embodiment of the ECM sound—quiet, contemplative, solemn, spacious. In fact, so spacious, that at gigs one would sometimes wait a seeming eternity for the arrival of the next tinkling arpeggio, the next scrape of a fingernail across the snare drum, or growling bass slide. Minimalist it most certainly is, but putting this ...
Continue ReadingTord Gustavsen Trio: Opening
by David Bruggink
After 2018's stellar The Other Side, Tord Gustavsen again graces listeners with a trio format. On this outing, ecologically-minded double bassist Sigurd Hole is replaced by ECM newcomer Steinar Raknes. A prolific recording artist with everything from dusky alt-country and americana to post-bop and free jazz to his name, Raknes introduces new flavors to the trio's palette. Gustavsen, along with stalwart percussionist Jarle Vespestad, proves to be an ideal collaborator with Raknes' diverse musical background. Opening begins even less conspicuously than ...
Continue ReadingNorwegian Digital Jazz Festival 2020, Part 1
by Mark Sullivan
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Norwegian Digital Jazz Festival Sentralen Oslo, Norway November 6-17, 2020 With the physical 2020 festival cancelled, the Big Ears Festival has turned its attention to broadcasting filmed and live streamed concerts, under the moniker “Sites & Sounds From Big Ears." Many of the shows have taken place in the Knoxville area, but for this ambitious series of filmed concerts they have turned to Norwegian ...
Continue ReadingTord Gustavsen Trio: The Other Side
by David Bruggink
In spiritual parlance, “the other side" often refers to a realm beyond death. Tord Gustavsen is no stranger to integrating music to religious practice, performing frequent “Musikkmeditasjon" concerts in Norwegian churches. It would be reductive, however, to describe his music in New Age terms. Gustavsen is a master composer and improviser, and The Other Side is introspective music performed with sublime subtlety, always keeping one eye trained on the avant-garde. This marks Gustavsen's first trio recording since Being ...
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