The Tord Gustavsen Ensemble in quartet format has just concluded a Canadian tour of the Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal jazz festivals. A big thank you to all the people in the very appreciative audiences -- looking forward to next time in Canada. French Arte TV has published an web interview with concert excerpts from the Montreal concert on the following link: http://www.arte.tv/fr/Comprendre-le-monde/arte-journal/montreal/3299772,CmC=3306394.html
The recent album by Tord Gustavsen Ensemble "Restored, Returned" has won the Norweigan Grammy award (Spellemannsprisen) for 2009. A big thank you to the ensemble for contributing so brilliantly on the recording and in concerts. Thanks also to ECM Records for releasing the album world-wide; and to the Norwegian ECM distributor Grappa for excellent work and reliability. Lastly, thanks to all the people who listen to us; and those who still believe in the album format as a musical journey -- who sit down and listen with contemplation in a world of so much multi-tasking.
An eight minute video with selected moments from the release concert of "Restored, Returned" in Oslo, Norway November 2009 is published on the Internet on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPd_exqcFh0
An almost complete listing of concerts January through May 2010 is published on the "Live" section. The semester brings touring in Norway, Portugal, USA and Germany - plus one-offs in Bulgaria and Belgium. Summer 2010 will see a tour of Canadian festivals. More concerts for summer and second half of 2010 will follow shortly.
Following the pre-release and tours in Norway and the UK, fresh album and live reviews are quoted and linked in the critics section.
A new Tord Gustavsen album is ready for release. The long awaited session "Restored, Returned" with Tord's extended ensemble will be in stores world-wide early 2010. And a pre-release is scheduled mid-October 2009 for UK and Norway to coincide with touring (cf. Live). There will be a full scale UK tour in October; release concerts in Norway in November, and a main performance at the London Jazz Festival November.
Then, a brief preview of touring plans spring 2010:
... more details to follow shortly
In 2008, Tord Gustavsen works with somewhat more flexible line-ups - in duo, trio and quartet settings. He presented a commissioned work for the Vossajazz Festivel in Norway March 2008 that became the starting point for his new Tord Gustavsen Ensemble, featuring Tore Brunborg on saxophones, Mats Eilertsen on bass and Jarle Vespestad on drums. For the full version of the commissioned work, the ensemble also includes Kristin Asbjørnsen on sung vocals and Cecilie Jørstad on read poetry.
Autumn 2008, Tord will perform with Tore Brunborg, Mats Eilertsen, Svante Henryson, Jarle Vespestad and Rune Arnesen in different settings in Poland, Belgium, Spain, UK (cf. Live). He will do duo concerts with singer Solveig Slettahjell and with clarinetist Carl Petter Opsahl in Norway, and play with bass clarinetist Ulrich Drechsler and drummer Jörg Nichola in Austria.
Tord Gustavsen Trio will play at Melbourne Jazz Festival May 3, 2008. On our way down under we will also do a showcase concert in Singapore April 29th at the Norwegian Embassy residence.
Tord Gustavsen Trio will perform in Vancouver (Canada) February 13; in San Diego (California) February 14; and at the Portland Jazz Festival (Oregon) February 16th - cf. Live.
Tord Gustavsen Trio's 2007 album 'Being There' is voted the jazz critics' album of the year in the UK magazine 'Jazz Review'.
Tord Gustavsen Trio's 2005 relese 'The Ground' has recently reached 'gold' sales figures in Norway - 20.000 copies. This is very unusual for an instrumental album, indeed for jazz in general.
Tord Gustavsen Trio will do a full scale tour of Northern Norway late November / early December 2007. The tour will include Vadsø, Tromsø, Bodø and three more cities. The Live calendar will be updated with full details shortly.
Tord Gustavsen Trio will return to Istanbul for two concerts, September 3rd and 4th (cf. Live), marking the Turkish release of 'Being There'. The concert at the AKBank Jazz Festival in Istanbul in 2005 was a great experience, and we're really looking forward to this project.
Tord Gustavsen Trio is invited to the jazz festival in Cluny, Burgund - France August 24 for the second (and last) concert in France this year.
Several additional reviews of the new album are now quoted on the 'Critics' pages -- both in English, French and German, including high praises from the US Billboard Magazine.
"Being There" got a great review and was featured as CD of the week in Irish Times. Click to read more UK & Ireland reviews..
"Being There" has received the "CHOC" critical award in the leading French jazz magazine Jazzman. Click to read more French reviews..
Tord Gustavsen Trio will perform under the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal 2007; July 2nd in the beautiful venue called Gesù.
Really good reviews of the new album have appeared in major UK newspapers The Guardian and Independent on Sunday, with the latter describing the completed trilogy of albums as possibly 'the most essential jazz document of the last ten year'. See the Critics section for more quotes and links.
The new release "Being There" received great reviews in Norwegian press following the pre-release in this country. Dagbladet gave a maximum 6 star review, and several main newspapers have printed extensive interviews with Tord in connection with the release. See the Critics section for more quotes and links.
Tord Gustavsen Trio is releasing its third CD on ECM Records, called "Being There" spring 2007. Norway gets a pre-release April 10th. The rest of Europe will follow in April or early May, and the US release is set to June 5th.
In Norway, there will be an official release concert in Oslo, Norway at Cosmopolite Saturday, April 14th. There will also be a concert in Trondheim May 2nd (Olavshallen), and then the trio will do a full scale tour of Germany May 3-10, ending with a festival appearance at Bury / St. Edmunds, UK. Turn to the Live section for specifics on dates and places.
Autumn of 2007 will also see touring in the UK and the USA. More one-offs at fesivals during the summer will be announced shortly.
Vocal ensemble Trio Mediæval will be featured as the main ensemble-in-residence under "Festspillene" in Bergen, Norway 2007. One of their perforamnces will be with us -- a new take on the material performed by the two trios together for the first time summer 2006 in Harstad. The project is built on compositions by Tord Gustavsen with lyrics from the writings of 13th Century Sufi mystic Jelaluddin Rumi. The two trios enter into a highly original dialogue between striking vocal 'miniatures', instrumental pieces, and improvisations. Rumi's poems shine with ancient longing and subtle passion; fuelled by a desire for true love and unification.
The concert will take place in "Grieghallen", Bergen - Norway, May 29th 2007.
Tord Gustavsen Trio will release its third CD on ECM Records April 2007. The album was recorded late December 2006, following a year of extensive touring. There will be an official release concert in Oslo, Norway at Cosmopolite Saturday, April 14th. (Mark that the previous date of March 28th announced earlier has been postponed!) There will be a concert in Trondheim May 2nd (Olavshallen), and then the trio will do a full scale tour of Germany May 3-10. Autumn of 2007 will also see touring in the UK and the USA. More one-offs at fesivals during the summer will be announced shortly, cf. the Live section.
An intense week in Poland is over -- a big thank you to all the people who came the our concerts. The tour was a very inspiring event; with full houses and great venues in five different cities. Hope to be back... Click to view pictures from the Warsaw concerts.
On short notice, the trio flew to Timisoara in Romania December 1st to perform at the Jazz Banat Festival. First time ever in Romania, this was a very inspiring encounter with an enthusiastic audience in a beatifully restored opera and theater house.
The Warsaw concert November 26 at 20:00 is now sold out. However, the promoters are organizing a second concert at 17:00, so it is still possible to get tickets in the capital city. Here's the strategic info for ordering tickets: Fabryka Trzciny, ul. Otwocka 14, ticket line: +48-22-818-60-39, 692-14-30.
We're between tours of the US this year. 2005 brought us over for 8 concerts including LA, NYC, San Francisco, DC and the Spoleto Charleston Festival. 2007 will probably see a new major US tour. This year, while focusing primarily on Europe and Australia, we'll still fly over for one exclusive performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC December 7th (cf. the Live section). This concert is organized in cooperation with the Norwegian Embassy to the US, and forms a part of their Christmas cultural program series. It is still a normal concert open to the public, and in a superb venue. So -- to all followers in the DC area -- you are very welcome, and bring your friends!
Tord Gustavsen Trio will be touring in Poland in November, with concerts in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Bielsko, Chorzów, and Kalisz. The dates and places are mostly set, cf. the Live section -- although a few minor changes may occur.
Tord Gustavsen Trio's release "The Ground" won the Australian Jazz Award for best international album of the year. More info: http://www.jazz.org.au/features/95
Tord Gustavsen Trio will perform with the three sopranos of Trio Mediaeval in a world premiere collaboration concert in Harstad, Northern Norway, June 28.
Back home from an inspiring encounter with Australian and Korean audiences January 2006, we are very pleased to find some really moving reviews following our concerts. Several quotes are presented in the Critics section (live reviews are placed at the bottom of the page, cd reviews at the top). Or: click to read the full-length piece from Melbourne daily The Age by journalist Jessica Nicholas.
Tord Gustavsen Trio and internationally acclaimed string orchestra TrondheimSolistene (Trondheim Soloists) will perform together for the second time in Stavanger, Norway, February 22nd 2006, at Stavanger Konserthus. The collaboration was initiated at the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival September 2005, with all new arrangements by Tord Gustavsen. We're really looking forward to doing it again..
--> Click to read a presentation of the project in Norwegian.
After playing an almost packed Oslo Concert House main hall November 2005, we are pleasantly surprised that another major Oslo venue has invited us to perform already in February 2006: The trio will perform at "Rockefeller" February 21. Full listing of confirmed concert dates for spring 2006 will be available very soon...
Tord Gustavsen Trio and internationally acclaimed string orchestra TrondheimSolistene (Trondheim Soloists) played together for the first time at the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival September 2005, using arrangements and compositions by Tord Gustavsen. Both the trio and the orchestra are eager to repeat this project -- and we are open for bookings. Scandinavian bookings are made through Musikkprofil -- world wide bookings through the appropriate booking agent for your territory or directly via Tord Gustavsen Music (cf. Contact Info).
--> Click to read a presentation of the project in Norwegian.
Tord Gustavsen Trio will be back in Australia January 2006 for concerts in Sydney and Melbourne. Our first encounter with Australian audiences at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz in 2004 was really great -- hope to see some of you again!
We will play in City Recital Hall for the Sydney Festival January 15, and in the Melba Hall in Melbourne January 17. On our way home we will probably also play in Seoul and Tokyo. More information about concerts in 2006 will be published soon on the "Live" section of this web site.
Tord Gustavsen Trio will do its first performance ever with a string orchestra at the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival in Norway September 28th 2005. The Trondheim Soloists (TrondheimSolistene) is among the finest chamber ensembles in Norway; we're really looking forward to hearing their sound with our music. Arrangements will be by Tord Gustavsen.
The trio's concert at the Lichfield festival (UK) July 2005 received an exellent review in The Independant.
Tord Gustavsen Trio is scheduled to play the main philharmonic Concert Hall in Oslo, Norway (Konserthuset) November 7th 2005. Numbered seats; be sure to order in advance -- tickets are already available.
The Tord Gustavsen Trio can be experienced live at a number of European festival 2005, along with the Spoleto USA festival in Charleston, SC June 4th. Among the European performances are Istanbul (Turkey); Vienna (Austria), Manchester, Brecon, Snape and Lichfield (UK); Kongsberg, Bodø, Bergen and Lillehammer (Norway). Turn to the Live section for details.
Several new album reviews in English, French, and German have been posted on the web site today -- cf. Critics. The Ground has been really well received in publications like Süddeutsche Zeiting, New York Times, Time Out New York, Oxford Times, Jazzman France, Stereophile USA, JazzTimes, Billboard Magazine, etc.. -- and slaughtered in the Danish Jazz Speciel..
The trio will celebrate the French release of 'The Ground' with a Paris concert at the 'Café de la Danse' May 26. This is the only scheduled France concert this year, so don't miss it! Click for more info and reservations.
The Ground entered no. 8 and climbed to no. 7 on the US Billboard Traditional Jazz Charts in its second week; very rare for a European cd..
The May 2005 issue of JazzTimes presents Tord Gustavsen in an in-depth feature article. Click to read an excerpt.. The magazine also gave a very favourable review of 'The Ground' (cf. Critics)
Following release concerts in Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium, the trio now sets off for two gigs in Japan and a ten days' tour of the USA in April. Several major cities are included in the tour schedules, among them New York City, San Francisco and Tokyo -- you'll find the concert nearest to you if you consult the Live section.
The new trio album has received overwhelming reviews in several major German magazines and newspapers. Piano News writes: "Mit The Ground, dem zweiten Werk dieses formidablen Trios, wird der 35-jährige Pianist Gustavsen den Ruf als eines der hoffnungsvollsten und eigenständigsten Jazztalente seiner Generation weiter festigen können, so viel scheint sicher." Click to read more German reviews..
The new trio album receives an excellent review in the major UK magazine JazzWise. Stuart Nicholson writes: "Somehow this group draws you into its music, and each piece is a musical journey within the totality of the album itself. When the album is over you realize the extent to which this group has probed into the very heart of musical meaning. .. There really is not a piano trio in the whole of jazz that sounds like Gustavsen’s." The record has also received praise in The Observer, The Guardian, The Wire, The Indepandant, and several other UK publications. Click to read more English reviews..
As did also the debut "Changing Places", the new trio album "The Ground" has received the "CHOC" critical award in the leading French jazz magazine Jazzman. Click to read more French reviews..
In its second week, the new trio album "The Ground" climbed to no. 1 on the official Norwegian album sales charts (VG-lista). Quite overwhelming; and very unusual for an instrumental cd.. Great reviews have appeared in major Norwegian newspapers, and now we're also seeing the first reviews from French and British press (cf. Critics).
The trio has recorded its second album for ECM Records, called "The Ground". Even though the session was done early in 2004, release is not happening until 2005. Dates are set between late January and early February in the different territories; in Norway we have January 24th. Great reviews have appeared in major Norwegian newspapers this week (cf. Critics).
The release will be followed by concerts in Norway, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Japan, Bulgaria and USA during the spring; and in the UK in July and October (cf. Live)
Tord Gustavsen Trio will do two concerts in Japan in April; one in Tokyo at the jazz club Pit Inn, and one at the Expo Ground in Nagoya (cf. Live). For tickets and more updates about the Japanese concerts, use the following contact info.
Following up the release of the second trio album "The Ground", we will be touring the US from April 20 until around April 30th. New York City is already confirmed for April 21 (Merkin Hall), and we'll probably end the tour in San Francisco. We'll visit Washington DC, Baltimore, Seattle and LA, too (cf. Live). Additional dates dates may still enter the list -- promoters interested in negotiating any remaining dates may address ECM's New York office, attention Sarah Humphries, e-mail: sarah.humphries@umusic.com
Tord Gustavsen Trio was invited to play at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz outside Melbourne, Australia October 2004. The trio did three concerts; October 29th, 30th and 31st; with great crowds every night. Really responsive audiencess -- thank you all!
Coinciding with these performances, our distributors in Australia and New Zealand offered an exclusive pre-release of the trio's second ECM album "The Ground" (cf. above). The rest of the world will have to wait until January/February 2005 -- maybe even a little later for the UK and the USA.
Following up the 14 gig tour in February 2004 visiting Germany, Denmark, Switzerland and Austria, the trio toured the UK with 9 concerts in April and May, including a concert in London recorded by BBC Radio 3. Several sold out houses, great audiences, and good vibes… Reviews are found on the ’Critics’ section.
Now, our UK agent Olwen Richards is already making plans for a second tour, scheduled for October 2005. The time slot is already starting to fill up, but there may still be available dates -- use the info in the 'Contact Us' section to approach the booking agency.