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Recorded at last year's Voss Jazz Festival in Norway, Grace is the latest example of pianist Ketil Bjornstad's special ability to mix worlds of improvisation and composition, literature and jazz. Featuring several purely instrumental numbers, Grace is a suite of pieces conceived in tribute to the English metaphysical poet John Donne (1572-1631), to whom Bjornstad has already devoted one record, the 1990 The Shadow (on the Norwegian Kirkelig Kulturverksted label). Whereas that record found Bjornstad--who has also set the words of painter Edvard Munch and poet Edith Sodergran to music--putting the operatic vocal skills of Randi St
Recorded at last year's Voss Jazz Festival in Norway, Grace is the latest example of pianist Ketil Bjornstad's special ability to mix worlds of improvisation and composition, literature and jazz. Featuring several purely instrumental numbers, Grace is a suite of pieces conceived in tribute to the English metaphysical poet John Donne (1572-1631), to whom Bjornstad has already devoted one record, the 1990 The Shadow (on the Norwegian Kirkelig Kulturverksted label). Whereas that record found Bjornstad--who has also set the words of painter Edvard Munch and poet Edith Sodergran to music--putting the operatic vocal skills of Randi Stene and classically-turned viola playing of Lars Anders Tomter next to the jazz sensibilities of guitarist Frode Alnaes, bassist Arild Andersen and drummer Jon Christensen, Grace is a more thoroughly jazz-inflected session. Vocalist Annelli Drecker has a background in electro-ambient music. Here, she shares flowingly phrased vocals with saxophonist Bendik Hofseth, who like Drecker brings a warm and relaxed quality to the various interpretations of Donne's words, as sensuous as they are spiritual in nature. Much of the music exhibits the poised adagio quality that features in Bjornstad's work on ECM with cellist David Darling and the Sea Quartet. However, guitarist Eivind Aarset, Arild Andersen and percussionist Trilok Gurtu join Hofseth in ensuring there are some strong moments of driving group improvisation and freshly conceived sound-textures here, as on the seven-minute title track and "Mystery". --Michael Tucker
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Manufacturer: EmArcy
Release date: 14 October 2002
EAN: 0044001362224 UPC: 044001362224
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