Tord Gustavsen Trio: The Other Side

ECM Records

The Other Side sees Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen make a triumphant return to the piano trio format for the first time in 11 years, with drummer Jarle Vespestad and double-bassist Sigurd Hole. Steeped in Lutheran church music, informed by folk and classical and augmented by discreet electronics, Gustavsen combines his unhurried but hightension groove with palpable warmth. His own compositions include the stately uplift of the title track and the luminous Taste

and See, while there’s a lovely, folk-ballady narrative to Ludvig Lindeman’s Kirken, den er et gammelt

hus. He brings majestic gospelhall rolls to the hymn-like Ingen

vinner frem til den evige ro, with Hole adding haunting bass bowing to Vespestad’s percussive tapestry. Three striking Bach arrangements include Schlafes Bruder, while the chorale O Traurigkeit surges towards something akin to exaltation.