Tord Gustavsen Trio

The series continues on Sunday, February 19, with a long-awaited return of the Tord Gustavsen Trio from Norway, featuring Gustavsen on piano, Steinar Raknes on bass, and Jarle Vespestad on drums. Gustavsen made unforgettable prior appearances at the Athenaeum in 2008 and 2014, as well as a crystalline holiday program in 2010 with vocalist Solveig Slettahjell. A leading artist on the ECM Records label since the early 2000’s, Gustavsen’s musical vision draws together influences from Scandinavian folk music, gospel, Caribbean music, and cool jazz alike, presenting a unique universe of lyricism and subtle funkiness. His way of melding jazz history with ‘Nordic’ reflective moods and lyrical beauty has created a unique voice on today’s music scene.

BBC Jazz commented, “Gustavsen’s music is intuitive and heartfelt… truly beautiful.”  Stereophile wrote, “The qualities in Gustavsen’s music of affection and respect—for each note, interval, rolling modulation, silence, and fellow player—are perhaps as high as I have heard in improvised music. The emphasis is not on how many notes can be played, or how virtuosically, but on how much music can be made with as few notes as possible.”  DownBeat wrote, “The collective aesthetic of the ensemble is quietly spellbinding.  To Gustavsen, each note seems to hold sacred power.”