ECM has a long history with Norway and Norwegian musicians. Spanning more than 50 years, with the Arne Bendiksen/Rainbow studios and exciting contemporary musicians being at the heart of many important productions. That legacy is not just history, it is an ongoing documentation of new music being made; exploration of what music can be and the vision of opening up to new ears.

We are proud to say that Norwegian musicians are still in the forefront here, and the band Time Is A Blind Guide is a prime example of this. An ensemble that includes violin, cello, double bass and piano is strictly speaking only a viola away from being a classic string quintet. The difference is of course Thomas Strønen, who with delicate drumming and warm cymbals colors the songs and pulls them over the border into jazz. The band has become one of the favorites in the newer part of the ECM catalog. On their third album Off Stillness released last year, we once again hear the group's pulse as a whole, where each instrument dynamically slides in and out of the soundscape in beautiful, folk music-like melodies, driven on by Strønen's rhythm.

The album received fantastic reviews, but there is no better way to experience the music than to be in the same room as it!

Time is blind guide - Thursday 23. April

The composer and saxophone player Hanna Paulsberg was a few weeks ago awarded the European Jazz Musician of the Year-award at the prestigious Académie du Jazz awards in Paris. She has published many records through her career, but not yet on ECM. Still, the connections are many and two years ago she was asked by Oslo Jazz Festival to make a concert around the classic album Belonging by Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen, marking its 50th anniversary. The concert was a huge success hailing Paulsberg's approach which was warm with her own distinctive, individual touch on the material.

It is a great pleasure for us to return to this milestone with an extended concert version that explores more of the timeless melodies by the great Jarrett/Garbarek/Danielsson/Christensen.

Belonging 50 years - Hanna Paulsberg - Saturday 02. May

Link list:

https://victoria.ticketco.events/no/nb/e/time_is_blind_guide

https://victoria.ticketco.events/no/nb/e/hanna_paulsberg__sanger_om_aa_hoere_til

https://www.academiedujazz.com/

Photo (c) CF Wesenberg