On August 21, the concert hall at Paliesius Manor will be awash in Scandinavian jazz. We invite you to hear the Tord Gustavsen Trio and their newest album, “Seeing”!

Norwegian pianist and composer T. Gustavsen, alongside his trio, quartet, and alternative ensembles, tours extensively across the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, the Benelux countries, and his native Norway. He has appeared at major festivals in various other countries across multiple continents and has earned numerous critics’ awards.

T. Gustavsen’s music is constantly evolving, captivating listeners with memorable melodies, subtle rhythms, musical spaces, intriguing textures, and a harmonious blend of gentleness and depth. The musician states that he clearly feels that “self-expression and creativity emerge naturally, without alienation or stagnation, when done through a vigorous search for connection with one’s roots—with the groundedness and sensuality I find in the hymns, spirituals, and lullabies I grew up with.”

He has released many albums with various ensembles. The 2014 ECM Records release “Extended Circle” marked the conclusion of two trilogies—three albums recorded in a classic piano, double bass, and drum trio format. These were followed by a second trilogy recorded in expanded ensemble and quartet formats. In 2016, T. Gustavsen released a strikingly original alternative trio album, “What was said,” with Afghan-German singer Simin Tander, offering fresh interpretations of ancient Norwegian hymns and Sufi poetry in the remarkably beautiful Pashto language. In 2018, it was time again for the instrumental trio—a new approach to the classic format that first brought T. Gustavsen’s music to a wide international audience. The long-awaited new trio album, titled “The Other Side,” was released by ECM Records in 2018: its music looks to the future, characterized by openness and invention, while connecting with the tranquility and grounded sensuality typical of T. Gustavsen’s highly successful earlier trio albums. The latest music once again reflects the paradoxically rich-sounding simplicity of the Nordic blues that so many people fell in love with on T. Gustavsen’s debut album, alongside open, impressionistic harmonic landscapes and a clear, overarching hymnal and meditative mood. The album also featured three striking reworkings of J. S. Bach chorales in dialogue with T. Gustavsen’s original compositions. In 2022, a new trio album, “Opening,” was released, with double bassist Steinar Raknes joining the group. He introduced a solid, sensual musical foundation and virtuosic solo playing, elevating the trio to a whole new level.

The new album “Seeing” completes the trilogy of trio albums released since 2018. This is already the tenth album released under T. Gustavsen’s name by ECM Records—an achievement that will be celebrated with concerts and on-stage talks in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Norway, and beyond. The album has been widely praised in early reviews. Nick Lea of the online magazine JazzViews stated that it is a “wonderfully focused recording from T. Gustavsen… At certain moments, the playing seems to reach the pinnacle of perfection: everything comes together at exactly the right time, creating musical climaxes that give you goosebumps.” Jazztrail noted that it is a “poetic performance, featuring technically surprising skills… Immersing yourself in the melodies, chords, and rhythms of ‘Seeing’ makes you feel lighter—it is a recording full of exceptional musical mastery, restraint, and openness.”

Pianist Tord Gustavsen, alongside his trio and expanded ensemble, has released ten critically acclaimed albums on ECM Records. Before launching his solo career, T. Gustavsen had already been a vital part of the Norwegian jazz scene for several years. His playing became a cornerstone in projects featuring singers such as Afghan-German Simin Tander, Norwegians Solveig Slettahjell and Kim Rysstad, and Iranian Mahsa Vahdat. He performs with many innovative Norwegian musicians, including Nils Petter Molvær, Arve Henriksen, Tore Brunborg, Trygve Seim, and Nils Økland. In creative collaborations, he values not only individuality but also listening to others with the utmost attention, making it a truly special experience to hear T. Gustavsen both as a soloist and as an ensemble member. By harmonizing jazz history with contemplative “Scandinavian” moods and lyrical beauty, T. Gustavsen emerges as an intriguing voice on today’s music scene.

Tord Gustavsen and his ever-evolving ensemble perform around the world, appearing at major festivals and concert halls in Australia, the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Poland, Turkey, Japan, Korea, and the Scandinavian countries. He has received numerous awards, including a Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannsprisen), CHOC critics’ awards (France), the Bell Award for Best International Jazz Album (Australia), Stereophile magazine’s (US) Recording of the Month, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (Germany), and the 2010 NOPAs Musikkpris for the best Norwegian jazz composition. He has been commissioned to write pieces for Vossajazz, the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, the Oslo Jazz Festival, the Oslo International Church Music Festival, and the Nidaros Cathedral Choir. T. Gustavsen was also included in the list of the world’s 30 most important pianists in the 2025 DownBeat Critics Poll, and in 2024, the French Jazz Academy named him European Musician of the Year.

The kind of prominent minimalism represented by drummer Jarle Vespestad has almost no parallel in the drumming world—yet, however distinctive, his playing remains deeply rhythmic. His lyricism and the highly sensitive interplay that has developed over many years between him and T. Gustavsen are essential elements of the group’s musical texture. J. Vespestad also performs with major Scandinavian groups Farmers Market and the Silje Nergaard Band, and until 2008 he was a member of the innovative project Supersilent.

Steinar Raknes is a double bass virtuoso known for the powerful sound of his instrument and alternative double bass pizzicato styles inspired by the African kora and American fingerpicking techniques. To expand the sound of the double bass, he also uses electronic devices, creatively employing guitar pedals and loopers. S. Raknes is acclaimed for his work as a composer and musician in the award-winning jazz trio Urban Connection, as well as for collaborations with artists such as Chick Corea, Michael Brecker, Bobby McFerrin, and Ola Kvernberg. After completing his Master of Arts at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in 2001, he played in numerous ensembles, including The Core, the Ola Kvernberg Trio, Skáidi, and the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. As a double bassist and vocalist, S. Raknes created the project STILLHOUSE. He has also spent several years working with Sami yoik music, beginning with a long-term collaboration with the brilliant yoik performer Inga Juuso. Together with her successor, Sara Marielle Gaup, he now plays in the duo Arvvas.