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Live reviews:
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"Spellbinding." (Financial Times, UK -- reviewing a 'solos in
dialogue' concert with Tord Gustavsen and organmaster Kåre Nordståga in Oslo
March 2011 - read the
entire review)
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"Gustavsen's discreet gospel roots and his musical meticulousness bring
audiences to awed silence" (John Fordham, The Guardian, UK --
reviewing a concert at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2011 - read the
entire review)
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"graceful but insistent vigour -- wonderfully full-bodied throughout" (characterizing
Jarle Vespestad and Mats Eilertsen in Londonjazz blog review of a concert at
the Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2011 - read the
entire review)
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"[P]eace and spirit are not the only elements that make this music wonderful.
There is a conscious sense of thought in the phrasing that goes off the beat
and path of melody without being on the edge. .. Tord along with Mats
Eilertsen on bass and Jarle Vespestad on drums play with this translucent
touch and each tone seems to rise with clarity into the stratosphere. The
forth member of the ensemble is silence. The space is used to surround the
sound and protect the note as the amplitude rises to normal and a few clicks
below. Yes, the audience is listening, and the music encapsulates the room
with the slow, fulfilling warmth. .. Each piece is a story that takes its
time to be told. We sit here as eager children on the lap of our elders
while being soothed and consciously comforted by the whispers of sounds that
are not boisterous, but caressing, interesting and captivating." (LeRoy
Downs, reviewing a performance in Los Angeles March 2011 - read the
entire review)
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".. probably the finest performance of the festival .. Solo seems the wrong
word for these meditations that peppered the performance. .. you realised
how special this group is: every note is given breathing space; nothing is
forced. And yet, reading that description it's easy to imagine the most
austere free jazz - but the Gustavsen ensemble never sacrifices melody. It's
always there, even when whispered. You hear it breathing down Tore
Brunborg's gentle sax, in Mats Eilrtsen's often eerie bass sounds, or in the
flirtation with silence that is JArle Vespestad's drumming. In a set full of
lullabies from the latest album, the audience experienced no lulls in
quality, and was lulled not so much to sleep, but into a delicate
sound-world of spare beauty and depth." (Alan O'Riordan, Irish Times,
reviewing a concert at the Cork Jazz Festival October 2010 - read the
entire review)
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"Het beste concert komt van het vernieuwde ensemble van Tord Gustavsen. ..
Gustavsen speelt modern, maar melodisch. De ritmiek staat strak van
ingehouden spanning. De bescheiden zangeres Kristin Asbjornsen brengt samen
met dit ensemble indringende versies van gedichten van Auden uit de bunder
Another Time. Het publiek in de bomvolle Madeira luistert vijf kwartier in
opperste concentratie en vraagt en krijgt daarna nog een toegift." //
"The best concert comes from the new ensemble of Tord Gustavsen.
Gustavsen plays modern, but melodic. The rhythms are tihght because of the
restrained tension. The modest singer Kristin Asbjornsen brings together
with this ensemble penetrating versions of poems of Auden from Another Time.
The audience in the overfilled madeira listens for 5 quarters of an hour in
the uttmost concentration and asks and also gets an encore." Johan, Bakker,
Nederlands Dagblad - reviewing a concert at the North Sea Jazz Festival in
Rotterdam July 2010
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"Gustaven's music was all about careful attention to the spaces between the
notes, and the subtlest gradation of tempo and dynamic. Despite exploring
very specific musical terrain, Gustavsen's performance was the definition of
variation—rich in emotion, texture, melody...and spontaneity." (John Kelman,
All About Jazz, reviewing a concert at the Ottawa Jazz Festival 2010 - read
the
entire review)
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"A piano style that is unique its in combination of Nordic-cool and
Mediterranean flavours that manages to be meditative yet seductive, sombre
yet full of beautiful optimism, Tord Gustavsen has managed to create a sound
that somehow marries these disparate elements and makes them extremely
accessible. The genuine emotion felt is audibly and visibly clear. ... But
what made this such an amazing show was the breathtaking synergy of the
quartet and the strength of emotions shown by each member, their
inventiveness in expressing them. That, and the sheer beauty of Tord
Gustavsen's songs." (David McLean, All About Jazz, reveiwing a concert in
Manchester October 2009 -
read the entire review)
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"...I doubt that I could ever tire of Gustavsen's luminously beautiful music,
which - thanks to the extraordinary sensitivity of his trio - manages to
bridge earthly and spiritual concerns with effortless grace." (The Age,
Australia, reviewing a concert at the Melbourne Jazz Festival May 2008)
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"Gustavsen works by building a piece as if laying blocks on top of each
other. It is the efforts he and his bandmates go to in order to fill out
this framework that draw in the listener. At the Barbican, this worked to
great effect. The group is more dynamic in concert than on record, with
drummer Jarle Vespestad and bass player Harald Johnsen contributing
well-judged and precise solos. Before a hushed audience, this group produced
jazz of the highest order." (Independent, UK, reviewing a concert at
the Barbican / London Jazz Festival November 2007 -
read the entire review)
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"Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen sometimes appeared ecstatically wired to
the keyboard as he picked out his sublimely spare yet lyrical melodies,
eased along by drummer Jarle Vespestad's flickering brushwork and Harald
Johnsen's rich-toned and ruminative double bass .. a deeply satisfying,
almost meditative, musical experience. .. entranced listeners were hanging
on every unhurried note" (The Scotsman, UK, reviewing a concert in
Edinburgh October 2007)
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"The trio languished in
subverting our expectations at every turn. Vespestad has a unique sense of
expressive minimalism, his drumming sometimes little more than the faint
sound of a heartbeat. .. Each tune - and composition is one of
Gustavsen's strengths, whether hymnal, tango or neo-classical - had an
unmistakable sensuality coursing through it. This was lyrical and
emotionally uplifting music." (The Herald, UK, reviewing a concert at
the Glasgow International Jazz Festival June 2007)
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"[T]he band’s set moved between this unique
brand of melodic sparseness and a kind of controlled swing that drives
straight into the listener’s psyche. The resulting mood was one that
effectively drew the audience into a place of great fragility and depth,
where the eyes and ears are no less than completely transfixed" (Riel
Lazarus, All About Jazz, reviewing a concert at the Montreal Jazz
Festival July 2007 - read the
entire review)
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"Theirs is some of the most persuasive music of
the past 10 years." (Eastern Daily Press, UK, reviewing a concert at
the Norfolk & Norwich Festival May 2006)
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".. every note and phrase carrying enhanced
weight and significance, every delicate nuance making a quietly emphatic
point. Vespestad's remarkable drumming commanded attention with the lightest
of touches of brush on cymbal, while Gustavsen's flowing piano lines were
bursting with creative ideas and intent." (The Scotsman, UK,
reviewing a concert at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival July 2006)
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"... a fascinating study in understatement .. an
infinite variety of small movements .. as irresistible as it is subtle."
(The Herald, UK, reviewing
a
concert at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival July 2006)
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".. a dream of a performance by a dream of a
group. .. If there is another jazz group playing this well at the moment, I'd be very surprised.
.. what strikes you perhaps most of all is firstly how tastefully they have chosen their influences
(Gustavsen's piano playing has a very strong gospel-jazz lilt) and, secondly, how they have now truly outgrown
them. The Tord Gustavsen Trio sounds like no one but itself." (The
Indenpendant, UK, reviewing a concert at the Lichfield Festival July 16
2005 - read
the entire review)
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"As evenings of quiet intensity go, they don’t come much more quiet or intense than a set by the Norwegian pianist Tord
Gustavsen .. he placed beautifully crafted, delicate melodies over the subtle drum rhythms of Jarle Vespesad and the bass of Harald Johnsen
.. At the end, one feels cleansed, refreshed and renewed.." (The
Times, UK, reviewing a concert in Birmingham October 2005 - read
the entire review)
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"In
a .. complete and glorious concert, he mainly played original pieces from
his two recent sublime discs, Changing Places and The Ground. He stroked and
caressed the keyboard, a slight, hunched figure immersed in the rolling
chords and notes he coaxed from themiddle register of the piano, rarely
moving to the flashy end of the keyboard. Sometimes his melodies seem to
indicate other songs and glimpses from the past, haunting with nostalgia and
knowing but always reassuring and infused with tenderness and ecstasy. .. in
the centre of the stage sat one of the most extraordinary drummers ever to
visit these shores. Vespestad slid over his small kit, using silence as if
it were notes and sound. A few beats of mallets across his skins was a
simple entry to the majestic Where Breathing Starts and his Zen-like smile
and brush swipe across a cymbal was the perfect end to a unique concert."
(Michael Rofe / The Australian, reviewing a concert at Sydney
Festival January 15th, 2006)
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"One could ..
describe the way Gustavsen's jewel-like melodies seem to dance across a
shimmering surface while tapping into a deep well of emotion. Or the way he
compels you to listen more and more closely by retreating further and
further towards silence.
One could point to the unerring lyricism with which Harald Johnsen's bass
anchors the rich harmonies, or wraps around Gustavsen's piano lines to
create parallel, contrapuntal conversations.
And one could marvel at the miraculously understated approach of Jarle
Vespestad, who is not so much a drummer as a close-up conjurer, able to
build and maintain an irresistible, groove-laden momentum with almost
imperceptible rhythmic gestures.
In the end, though, the profound emotional impact of this music has very
little to do with technique. And, ravishingly beautiful as Gustavsen's tunes
are, one gets the impression that he and his colleagues could play a TV
jingle and cast the same sensory spell. This is the point where words start
to seem inadequate, and feelings and responses come into play. In fact,
perhaps the most meaningful way to describe this trio's music is in terms of
its effect on the listener.
Tuesday night's concert at Melba Hall was an intensely moving experience.
Gustavsen, in particular, radiates such a palpable sense of openness and
trust - in his colleagues, in the free-spirited flow of the music, and in
the audience - that it's impossible not to respond. And there's a subtle but
powerful optimism at work that makes his compositions feel like an angel's
embrace, or a reassuring hand on one's shoulder.
Even more deliciously, there's an unmistakable glow of sensuality
coursing through each tune - often hovering seductively beneath the surface,
but occasionally propelled by the trio into a tension-filled torrent that
produces an exhilaration so complete that it might almost be called ecstasy.
(Jessicha Nicholas / The Age reviewing a concert in Melbourne January
17th, 2006 -
read the entire review)
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"Together they
conjure impressionistic narratives. Stylistically, they allude to whispers
of tango, latin, blues and funk. They hover around these styles, flirting
and teasing with them but never owning them. Always lyrical, seductive and
wistful the themes of works such as Twins and Still There are ignited by
chromatic inclinations. Gustavsen toys with the intensity of the
chromaticism until the energy dissipates into more palatable and candid
harmonic schemes.
The work of this trio is about the generation of colours. In this, the
contribution of Vespestad is crucial. His signature use of tympani mallets
at some points and two different mallets at the same time give the familiar
drum set a rhythm make over. The pulse is never spelt out – there is an
unconscious yet conscious pulse that threads. The synchronicity and the
seamless baton between the musicians borders on the extraordinary and this
is what makes the experience compelling. With beauty at the forefront,
Gustavsen's piano is the protagonist of these tales. He extracts the essence
of his music like an alchemist." (Xenia Hanusiak / Melbourne Herald Sun
reviewing a concert in Melbourne January 17th 2006)
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"Gustavsen's music is often soft, but always intense.
... Even when he hits harder, Gustavsen is always evolving melody that serves the story. That story is about inner discovery, and Gustavsen can get there by whispering, or by rhythmic repetition that becomes
incantatory. ...
Another reason that Gustavsen's music feels like one fabric is the integral role played by drummer Jarle Vespestad. On quiet numbers, Vespestad is willing to recede to the lightest splashes with brushes, or to the softest murmurings with mallets. But he is also a full participant when the music sweeps upward. Even when Vespestad is cutting loose, he comes from within the music, rather than imposing himself upon it.
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Tord Gustavsen is more than a promising new talent. He is already capable of providing a performance experience that is fascinating, affecting, and
complete." (JazzTimes Internet edition, read the entire
review)
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"And even at its most splintered, the music remained intensely lyrical.
... Each player was given space to be heard separately; not in a cliché solo, routinely thrown in after so many bars, but as something genuinely arising from the progression of musical ideas. Harald Johnsen's work on bass epitomised this kind of intelligent exploration. There was nothing glib, either in his playing or the sound of his instrument. Barely amplified, it made all the clicks and thunks a proper double bass occasionally does as he crafted solos utilising the full range of the instrument.
The performance of each piece was so seamless that, apart from a single drum solo, the only applause came at the end. The audience was quieter, and concentrated harder than any 'classical' audience I've encountered
too.But the applause, when it came, was rapturous." (Music &
Vision reviewing a concert in Bristol April 29th 2004, read the entire
review)
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"It's music that can
convey more by implication than many another occasion will with fireworks or
dancing bears, and the tunes, including the parting hymn, will likely stay
longer in the mind." (The Glasgow Herald reviewing a concert in
Glasgow May 13th 2004)
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"Here jazz is
deconstructed and then reconstructed into a beautiful new sound. Magical."
(Oxford Times reviewing a concert in Oxford May 9th 2004, read the entire
review)
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"In a set remarkable for its musicality and expressivity, their self-imposed dynamic
range ... drew you into to their music in the same way you instinctively lean forward in softly spoken
conversation.
Gustavsen is a pianist of poetic cast, a lucid soloist with a sure sense of melodic structure and an often astonishing lyrical imagination. With bassist Harald Johnsen and drummer Jarle Vespestad, who followed the precise contours of his compositions with unflappable taste, they created music rich with inner meaning and
nuance.
You won't hear a more elegant or aesthetically rounded concert all year"
(The Observer reviewing a concert in Bristol April 29th 2004, read
the entire
review)
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“Groove-based,
extremely subdued and even sexually evocative, the music of Norway's Tord
Gustavsen Trio was some of the most beautiful and certainly the quietest.
This was about mood and feel, brought to life by the astonishing precision
of drummer Jarle Vespestad, whose contribution is defining without being
prominent. An extremely accomplished pianist, Gustavsen mostly just danced
lightly around his glistening little melodies, underpinned by rhythms that,
although not unusual in themselves, were fascinating because of the way they
were stated.” (Sidney Morning Herald reviewing a concert at the
Wangaratta Festival of Jazz October 31st 2004)
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"But
Tord Gustavsen's Norwegian trio is about less, not more. I have never heard
a drummer play so little - and with such emotional impact - as Jarle
Vespestad. In fact, all three players have a miraculous ability to pull you
deeper and deeper into their orbit by leaving more and more space, until
what you hear is almost nothing more than a memory.
The lightness of Gustavsen's touch and the luminosity of
his melodies can make this music almost unbearably beautiful. But there are
also unexpected flashes of the blues, along with a remarkable ability to
coax even the most delicate, lullaby-like sway into an unmistakeable - and
irresistible - groove.
But
while the joyful fervour of gospel bubbles beneath the surface of this
trio's playing, the overall mood is one of quiet restraint and extraordinary
tenderness. There is an uplifting, almost hymnal quality to Gustavsen's
writing, and in the hands of these three exceptional players, each tune
resonates with the grace and subtle optimism of a wordless prayer.” (The
Age - Melbourne, reviewing
a concert at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz October 31st 2004)
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Tord
Gustavsen Trio at Merkin Hall, New York City April 2005
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