Mr. Gustavsen
Mr. Bro
tord gustavsen trio, “right there” from: extended circle, 2014
Jakob bro trio, Live @ big Ears 2024
Charlie and I made our annual trek to Knoxville, Tennessee for the Big Ears Festival - the most diverse music festival, in my opinion, in the US. A small sampling of the musicians: Beth Orton, Sam Amidon, Rhiannon Giddens, Joe Henry, Marc Ribot, Herbie Hancock, Henry Threadgill, Mary Halvorson, Laurie Anderson (personal highlight),Jon Batiste, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Fred Frith (personal highlight), Roger Eno, Chocolate Genius, Adrianne Lenker, Andre 3000, Thurston Moore/John Paul Jones, and much more - really, much more. But this post is about two highlights for both of us. The Tord Gustavsen Trio from Norway (Tord on piano, Steinar Raknes on bass and Jarle Vespestad on drums) opened our festival experience - and guitarist Jakob Bro from Denmark (with Brian Blade on drums and Anders Christensen on cello) closed 2024 Big Ears for us. Is it the long, cold, snowy Scandinavian winters that produce jazz musicians who create sounds ranging from wide open musical spaces to a frenzy of intricate interactions? Two pieces to share with you — TGT’s intense sparseness and the intricate soundscape created by Jakob, Brian and Anders. Blade’s drumming is exquisite.
-Val Sampson-
“Big Ears is the one time a year we artists live the community that people think we live, and that we hold in our heads.” ”
Mr. Ribot