Being There

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Cat No: 1723517

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Release Date: 31 December 2008

Label: ECM Records

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 602517235175

Genres: Jazz

Description
Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen views â€œBeing Thereâ€� as the third instalment of a trilogy that began with â€œChanging Placesâ€� (recorded 2001 and 2002) and continued with â€œThe Groundâ€� (recorded 2004). On â€œBeing Thereâ€� the musicâ€™s priorities are maintained. The albumâ€™s title is borrowed from a tune on â€œThe Groundâ€�, intentionally stressing the continuity of the music, and also underlining its working concept, characterized by Gustavsen as â€œbeing acutely present, aware and focused in the fullness of the moment. The group has a definite direction or sound, but there are still many nuances to explore.â€� Gustavsenâ€™s clearly-delineated melodies define a large part of the groupâ€™s sonic identity, but so does the manner in which the trio approaches them. Technical flamboyance has almost no role to play in Gustavsenâ€™s sound-world: restraint is one of the musicâ€™s hallmarks. â€œOn the one handâ€�, he notes, â€œthis is a matter of discipline, but itâ€™s a discipline inspired by a love of spaces, not by some anorectic minimalist ideology. Itâ€™s about â€˜loving every noteâ€™ â€“ to phrase it as a slogan â€“ or about trying to play what youâ€™d actually like to hear rather than what you think you ought to play.â€� This â€˜holding backâ€™ allows room for other musical developments to flower naturally, one of which has been the drifting of Jarle Vespestadâ€™s drums towards the centre of the sound: the drums are, as Gustavsen says, a crucial component of the music. If this has been a tendency of performances in the live setting almost from the beginning, it is especially evident on â€œBeing Thereâ€�.
Tracklisting