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Trygve Seim: Helsinki Songs
by Mike Jurkovic
Before revealing its more inert, contemplative rewards, Norwegian saxophonist Trygve Seim opens Helsinki Songs, his sixth disc for ECM as a leader/co-leader, with the rolling, pop-ish dance of “Sol's Song," sounding immediately recognizable, like a well-known theme song to some long gone sitcom or movie. Written mostly in the grand Finnish capital, Helsinki Songs' eleven ethereal compositions quietly reflect the moody, autumnal characteristics of their surroundings. To serve the songs and their heightened sense of time and space, ...
read moreTrygve Seim: Rumi Songs
by Mark Sullivan
Norwegian saxophonist Trygve Seim may lack the marquee status of countryman (and fellow ECM artist) Jan Garbarek. But he is no less adventurous, and has recently been popping up all over on 2016 ECM releases: on Mats Eilertsen's Rubicon; with Sinikka Langeland and the Trio Medieval on The Magical Forest; with Iro Haarla and symphony orchestra on Ante Lucem; and now on his own Rumi Songs. Seim composed his first settings of the poetry of 13th century poet and mystic ...
read moreTrygve Seim / Andreas Utnem: Purcor: Songs for Saxophone and Piano
by John Kelman
Since emerging on the label with his own large ensemble and as part of the collaborative, more improv-heavy group The Source, saxophonist Trygve Seim has been a leading voice in the second wave of Norwegian artists who look to legacy ECM musicians like Jan Garbarek, Arild Andersen and Terje Rypdal as touchstones, but possess unmistakable voices of their own. Albums like the superb Sangam (2005) spotlighted Seim's distinctive compositional approach, taking the unorthodox instrumentation of Edward Vesala (with whom Seim ...
read moreTrygve Seim / Frode Haltli: Yeraz
by John Kelman
On the surface saxophone and accordion together might seem unusual, but it's really a perfect combination. Both are reed instruments driven by air--one blowing, the other compressing or expanding a bellows. Saxophonist Trygve Seim and accordionist Frode Haltli have been collaborating for some time, notably in the saxophonist's ensemble responsible for Sangam (ECM, 2004). Despite no shortage of acumen, Seim's a self-avowed improvisational ascetic whose primary focus has been detailed composition and the integration of controlled improvisation within more formal ...
read moreTrygve Seim: Sangam
by Dennis Hollingsworth
Trygve Seim is a Norwegian saxophonist whose first recording, Distant Rivers received very positive press in 2001. Sangam, which means “coming together" in Sanskrit, is his second release as a leader. It is an apt title, as this recording demonstrates a vast combination of styles. The instrumentation alone gives the music a unique quality. Accordion, bass saxophone, contrabass clarinet, cello, string ensemble, tuba, french horn, trombone, clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, and drums converge to create a flowing, ethereal picture that ...
read moreTrygve Seim: Vanguard of a New Wave
by John Kelman
When saxophonist/composer Trygve Seim emerged on the international scene in 2000 with his critically- acclaimed debut disc, Different Rivers, it was clear that yet another fresh voice had emerged from the infinitely deep wellspring of Norwegian talent that ECM label owner/producer Manfred Eicher has been drawing from for over 30 years. But whereas so much of the music coming from that part of the world revolves around a rich improvising tradition that fits tongue-in-groove with Eicher's “music of the moment" ...
read moreTrygve Seim: Sangam
by John Kelman
Sangam , or “confluence" in Sanskrit, is sometimes interpreted as “the meeting point of three rivers," an appropriate title for young Norwegian saxophonist/composer Trygve Seim's second album as a leader, where he comfortably and seamlessly blends elements of jazz, contemporary composition, and various folk traditions. It's also a fitting reference to Different Rivers (ECM, '00), a much-lauded d?but recording that introduced Seim to a broader international audience and is a clear antecedent. Lastly, it also works as a pointer to ...
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