Hymnal

Released on New Year’s Day 2017, DREAM TOGETHER found immediate praise from WFMU’s Liz Berg as “just a great album for winter” and USC filmmaker and author Alexandra Dennis-Renner writing on the day of its release “in light of a new year, I encourage everybody to snap up a copy of Bipolar Explorer's new album, "Dream Together", that dropped with the ball today. Every song on "Dream Together" is a reminder that the end of one thing is not necessarily the beginning of something new–not a hard reset–but the continuation of what was through the lens of what could be. What will be. And proof that there is always love, hope, and strength in that journey. There's something here for you and you are loved.”

The Armenian Apostolic Church has a wealth of spiritual chants known as sharakans. In the course of the centuries have grown in number. The collection of hymns in the Armenian Church is called Sharaknots (Hymnal). Our blessed holy fathers, founders of the literature of translation, along with translating the Old and New Testaments, introduced' Armenian Christian Hymnology and initiated Armenian national church music. The first sharakans were written as early as 5th century AD. Some of the most inspired and multiple talented sharakan writers, who were responsive for the composition of words and melodies combined, are St. Mesrop Mashtotz, St. Moses Khorenatzi, and Patriarchs Sahak and Partev…

On the album Opening, Tord Gustavsen reveals a fresh angle to his particularly unique trio investigations into Scandinavian folk hymns, gospel, chorale and jazz, as he introduces a different voice on bass. With a new fellow-traveller on board and its recording premiere in Lugano's Auditorio Stelio Molo, the trio discovers inspired new ways to interact with each other, using innovative approaches to sound and technique in the process. Made up in equal parts of intricately textured improvisations and understated melodic hooks, the group’s conversations bring an enticing unfamiliarity to the language the Norwegian pianist has developed over almost two decades of collaboration with ECM.