By Alan O'RiordanAfter almost a decade working in larger ensembles, Tord Gustavsen has made a return to the trio, the format in which he first made his name. Based on this performance, it’s also the format that allows the ECM artist’s genius to shine most brightly. Opening the evening is ‘O Traurigkeit’, one of the pristine interpretations of Bach’s choral music that appears on Gustavsen’s new album, The Other Side. Elsewhere, an as-yet-untitled tune becomes, between piano and bass, a kind of 21st-century chamber piece — soulful, yet cerebral; playful, but controlled. In Gustavsen’s hands, it’s a mine of musical inspiration as rich as that upon which the great American jazz tradition rests.

Source: Irish Examiner October 29, 2018 14:37 UTC