Together with Tore Brunborg and Jon Christensen, Ketil Bjørnstad has made an irresistibly evocative album. These three musicians suit each other. Brunborg and Bjørnstad communicate beautiful melodies in perfect interaction while Christensen's cymbals colour the landscape. Remembrance is a recording which has room for reflection and is without a doubt a new highlight in Ketil Bjørnstad's impressive discography.

The New York based quartet Mostly Other People Do the Killing is one of the freshest US bands around at the moment.
On their latest album Forty Fort, they emerge more confident and together, but at the same time more playful than ever before. With a saxophone, trumpet, bass and drum line-up, the band presents forceful and swinging tunes with spectacular solos and sections of fri improvisastion filled with great commitment and large doses of humour. Warmly recommended!

Standards and Vanguards was one of last year's most pleasant Norwegian CD surprises. Released on Grappa and with composer/pianist/writer Helge Iberg as tour guide and interpreter, this recording takes the listener on a journey through a selection of "standards" presented in new and unusual harmonic versions. Iberg has teamed up with Elin Rosseland who received Radka Toneff's memorial prize at last year's Oslo Jazz Festival. Her musical qualities are still a well kept secret for the general public. This CD is well worth listening to over and over again.

In the 70s two electric bass players hallmarked their own individual and easily recognizable sound. Jaco Pastorius inspired a whole generation of bassists playing fretless electric bass in groups such as Weather Report. In contrast Eberhard Weber chose a more lyrical and melancholy approach with his self-designed electric double bass. Weber, whom many will recall as Jan Garbarek's regular bassist and from ECM recordings with amongst others Gary Burton and Pat Metheny, had a group called Colours in the 70s. The group made three albums, Yellow Fields, Silent Feet and Little Movements, which have been re-released by ECM on a box set. The compilation gives a fresh retrospective on the first years of European melodic jazz. Solid performances by amongst others saxophonist Charlie Mariano (who passed away in 2009) and Norway's Jon Christensen, who played on the first of these recordings.

Norwegian bassist Mats Eilertsen released Radio Yonder in November. This is Eilertsen's fourth release as a leader, and he has put together a new band with Tore Brunborg, Thomas Dahl and Olavi Louhivouri for the occasion. With the exception of a-ha's Hunting High and Low, Eilertsen has composed all the music on Radio Yonder, and this great band brings the tracks to life with vitality and lyricism. And Hunting High and Low works surprisingly well as a jazz cover!

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