Track Listing

1. Tears Transforming
2. Being There
3. Twins
4. Curtains Aside
5. Colours Of Mercy
6. Sentiment
7. Kneeling Down
8. Reach Out And Touch It
9. Edges Of Happiness
10. Interlude
11. Token Of Tango
12. Ground

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28499 in Music
• Released on: 2005-01-31
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Album Description
'The Ground' is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Changing Places, the most successful ECM debut of the last decade! With 'Changing Places', young Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen not only captured the imagination of the world's jazz critics but immediately secured a huge international following. BBC Radio 3's Late Junction named the album 2003's `Record of the Year'.

Gustavsen's trio was already known from touring the globe backing popular singer Silje Nergaard, but it was the universality of the pianist's writing, the melodic hook-lines of his pieces and their deceptive simplicity, as well as a sense of easy, lilting groove that has helped the music speak to a vast audience.

Although Gustavsen's sound, with its emphasis on quietude and contemplation, partly reflects Scandinavian directions, the trio is the least "Nordic" of all ECM's Norwegian groups. Its big influences are from early jazz, gospel music, the blues, Afro-Caribbean music, and from such singers as Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. These earthy influences, filtered through a European sensibility also touched by impressionist composers gives the Gustavsen Trio its unique cachet.

'The Ground', as its name implies, is yet more earthy than it predecessors and its blues influence nearer the surface. The sound is mellow, caressing, sensual. The melodies are strong and simple - once heard they remain in the mind. The music's clear structure allows Gustavsen, bassist Harald Johnsen and "expressive minimalist" drummer Jarle Vespestad plenty of space for improvising that is always restrained, subtle and tasteful.

Recorded 2004

Personnel: Tord Gustavsen - (piano), Harald Johnsen - (double-bass), Jarle Vespestad - (drums)

Customer Reviews

Takes you away...
I'm not a big jazz fan but heard Tord Gustavsen on Late Junction and was blown away (or more wafted on a gentle breeze). This is an incredible album of soulful, controlled and wistful piano playing which will appeal to anyone looking to escape for an hour or so.

Beautiful music
This is very restrained, cool piano jazz, and very much in the "less is more" ECM vein.

It is very accessible, having memorable melodies, and fairly straightforward -somehow european sounding- harmonies,and for this reason may not appeal to the Jazz Police. However all normal people, looking for something tranquil, yet not soporfic should love this beautiful music.

Chilled out Jazz
I was fortunate enough to hear the trio play much of this music live at the Lichfield Festival. Two friends who are not great jazz fans enjoyed it as I did. The music is immensely approachable without being bland. It is subtle and inventive and highly atmospheric. I was intrigued to hear Tord Gustavsen introduce numbers such as 'Colours of Mercy' as hymns. The atmosphere they generate, both live and on disc is something close to contemplative worship. I strongly recommend this unusual and highly distinctive music.