Dag Arnesen

«Pentagon Tapes»? Stay calm! The title makes no reference to secret surveillance or lethal covert operations inside the most secretive building on the planet. This Pentagon is the Pentagon room in the abundantly fine art-supplied Reksten Collections Building in Bergen, Norway. Blessed with nice acoustics and equipped with a Steinway Grand, the Pentagon room became the recording studio where pianist Dag Arnesen, bassist Ole Marius Sandberg and drummer Ivar Thormodsæter laid down the tracks for this album in September 2016. For Dag Arnesen (b. 1950), «Pentagon Tapes» represents a welcome return to playing jazz within the modern, American-originated idiom that he has mastered so well ever since his breakthrough on the Norwegian jazz scene in the mid-70s. Not that he ever completely abandoned it, but for several years, his highly successful «Norwegian Song» concept kept him very busy interpreting folk songs and the folk-inspired music of Edvard Grieg, Geirr Tveitt and a few other composers into his own musical language.

Dag Arnesen’s musical journey began with classical piano training, drawing inspiration from beautiful Bergen’s own legacy in music, particularly through composer/pianists like Edvard Grieg.

It is not uncommon in improvisational music to see the melody primarily as a point of departure for musicians’ solos. But obviously, melodies have a power of their own. Playing a melody, letting it shine in its own right, takes skills. These skills are featured on this album.

Ole Amund Gjersvik (* 10. 1963) is a Norwegian Jazz Bassist.

Ole Amund gjersvik studied with Bjørn Ianke, Mathias Weber, Knut Erik Sundquist and Kåre Garnes; he also had lessons with Marc Johnson, Bjørn Kjellemyr and Terje Venaas.

Ole Amund Gjersvik (* 10. Dezember 1963 in Bergen (Norwegen)) ist ein norwegischer Jazz-Bassist.

Ole Amund Gjersvik studierte bei Bjørn Ianke, Mathias Weber, Knut Erik Sundquist und Kåre Garnes; er hatte außerdem Unterricht bei Marc Johnson, Bjørn Kjellemyr und Terje Venaas.