New Bugge Wesseltoft

While the Norwegian jazz scene has been pursuing its own course for decades, the period of 1996-1997 represented a significant watershed, a milestone where an entirely new kind of music emerged, linked to jazz but distanced considerably—some might say completely, but they'd be mistaken—from its roots in the American tradition. Three seminal and groundbreaking albums were released within a year of each other: trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær's Khmer (ECM, 1997); noise improv group Supersilent's 1- 3 (Rune Grammofon, 1997); and, beating the others by a year, keyboardist Bugge Wesseltoft's aptly titled New Conception of Jazz (Jazzland, 1996). All three explored the integration of electronics, disparate cultural references, programming, turntables and—especially in the case of Supersilent, the most avant-garde of the three— noise, to create aural landscapes that were innovative, otherworldly and refreshingly new.

In the 25 years since Bugge Wesseltoft founded Jazzland Recordings, he has engaged in numerous group projects and collaborations such as New Conception of Jazz, duos with the likes of Sidsel Endresen, Henning Kraggerud and Henrik Schwarz, one-off projects such as Trialogue, Bugge and Friends, and OKWorld! And of course, the super-trio RYMDEN. However, it is in his solo material that we can glimpse the true soul behind the effervescent and mercurial mind of one of the most influential and important Norwegian musicians of an entire generation.

Which brings us to Norwegian Grammy-winning pianist and composer Wesseltoft's latest for his own Jazzland label. Halfway between the lounge lizard irony of Dimitri from Paris and the lyrical quartet settings of Dave Brubeck or the acoustic Herbie Hancock, Sharing is one of those mould-breaking sets that tend to outlast the vagaries of musical fashion.

RYMDEN – A super group of three major minds in European music history captured live. The music of RYMDEN is based on 3 elements: melancholic & atmospheric songwriting, dramatically charged rhythms & virtuosity of jazz playing of the highest level. Here we see these elements come to the fore in three live editions of tracks from their acclaimed runaway success, "Reflections and Odysseys". On "Live On Earth" - a digital-only release - the raw dynamics of these electrifying performances, alongside their reimagining and reinvention of the source material, creates an entirely new Rymden experience for new listeners, and a perfect memento for fans who have caught them on their extensive touring during 2019.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the greatest rock band, rediscover their song played by the jazz scene. A selection of the most beautiful covres, from "Satisfaction" to "Paint it Black", by Sharon Jones, Luther Allison, Ann Peebles, Shemekia Copeland…