Rymden

Rymden is a Norwegian jazz group formed in 2017 and active since then. It consists of pianist and keyboard player Bugge Wesseltoft, bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Öström.

Background

The trio brings together three musicians with long connections in Scandinavian and European jazz. Wesseltoft is an award-winning Norwegian pianist and a major advocate of European jazz as a distinct art form. Berglund and Öström also have a long shared history with him through the groups New Conception of Jazz and e.s.t. (Esbjörn Svensson Trio), with the three musicians developing parallel musical paths from the mid-1990s.

Those earlier projects help shape Rymden’s approach, which combines atmospheric and melancholic writing, strongly defined rhythms and highly developed jazz improvisation. The group’s music also draws on modern jazz, Bach, film music and rock, while remaining rooted in Scandinavian jazz. Wesseltoft’s Jazzland platform and label is part of his wider role in the development and promotion of modern Scandinavian jazz.

Style and context

Rymden presents a piano-trio line-up, with Wesseltoft on piano and keyboards, Berglund on bass and Öström on drums. The trio’s sound reflects the members’ work in projects that have helped define a fresh, experimental direction in contemporary European jazz and have reached audiences across clubs, concert halls and major festivals.