Dhafer Jousuf

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.

"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."

"Dedication" finds Germany's renowned double bassist alone in the studio. For this recording, Dieter Ilg preferred not to pre-plan or pre-determine anything, but rather to create music in the moment in an intimate dialogue with his instrument. The idea might seem challenging but the results are totally compelling: Dieter Ilg's solo album is a homage to people who have left their mark on him, to some fellow musicians, and to the strong imperatives that have made him the man and the musician he is. "Dedication" is a manifesto for the freedom of jazz and at the same time a declaration of the special affection he feels for his low-frequency friend and companion.

Born December 14, 1970, vocalist Anna Maria Jopek is a native of Poland, and grew up listening to her native folk music. She studied classical piano at the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, and briefly participated in jazz studies at the Manhattan School of Music. She was a contestant in the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest, and is a recipient of the Michel Legrand Award. Her nearly dozen recordings have reached gold and platinum status in Europe. She prefers not to be pegged as strictly a jazz singer, though the influence of Keith Jarrett is quite prevalent in her music.