Sky Music Terje

Since his earliest solo recordings on ECM, composer and guitarist Terje Rypdal has been a musical shapeshifter, equally comfortable in the genres of modern jazz, contemporary classical, and even rock, integrating them seamlessly whenever he felt it necessary. Recorded in 2003, Melodic Warrior is a 45-minute tone poem performed by the guitarist with the Hilliard Ensemble (who commissioned it) and the Bruckner Orchester Linz conducted by Dennis Russell Davies. It provides limpid vocal settings of Chippewa, Navajo, Pima, and Papago texts, adorned by widely varying orchestral textures and embellished by Rypdal's electric guitar, which alternately, swoops, soars, hums, roils, and crackles in concert with, and in contrast to, both the Hilliards and the orchestra.

Once you hear the plangent cry that swoons us into “Darkness Falls,” you know you’re in Rypdal territory.

Guitarist and composer Ahmad Mansour has been active on the New York and European music scenes for over two decades, performing and recording with established players such as Marc Copland, John Taylor, George Mraz or Marc Johnson and countless younger talents, with a dozen CD releases as leader, spanning the gamut of modern guitar and compositional styles.

Prudence was one the most important bands on the Norwegian prog scene in the '70's, which included the likes of Aunt Mary, Junipher Greene, Titanic, Popol Vuh (Ace), Ruphus, Folque and HØST. They fused rock with old party/dance music from Trøndelag and (on their last album) sang in their local dialect, and thereby created a rock style dubbed Trønderrock.