Legendary trio with star guest | Oslojazz 2026
Many meaningful threads come together when the Tord Gustavsen Trio meets trumpeter and sound artist Arve Henriksen for a unique concert during the Oslo Jazz Festival 2026.
The trio has recently been described as “the best band in Norway rooted in jazz” (Norway Rock Magazine). This lyrical powerhouse of sensitivity is on a long artistic journey, in which both the repertoire and the interplay have developed organically through more than 20 years in the musical relationship between Gustavsen and drummer Jarle Vespestad.
They have released ten albums on ECM Records, received numerous critics’ awards, and have toured extensively across large parts of the world. Over the past five years, bassist Steinar Raknes has been their musical fellow traveler, leaving his mark on the whole with his warm tone—bringing a more extroverted, yet still deeply attentive style of playing.
The repertoire is built spontaneously for each concert, as a dialogue between Gustavsen’s original compositions and selected old hymn melodies, woven together through free improvisations. Individually, both Tord and Jarle have a deep musical history with one of the most distinctive stars on the European jazz scene, Arve Henriksen.
Tord has played with Arve in the project Villfarande barn together with traditional singer Kim Rysstad, while Jarle has done groundbreaking work with Arve in the legendary improvised music band Supersilent.
These threads now come together in the Oslo Jazz concert, where Arve is given a free role to challenge and expand the trio’s sonic palette with his moving lyrical voice and his unmatched sense for spontaneous composition and musical texture.
Tord Gustavsen – piano, electronics, Steinar Raknes – bass, Jarle Vespestad – drums, Arve Henriksen – trumpet, electronics
Concert starts: 20.00
Doors open: 19.00