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Bugge Wesseltoft

Early Years Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft was born February 1st, 1964 in Porsgrunn and raised in the neighbouring city of Skien, around 100km south-west of Oslo. Jazz music filled Bugges world from an early age by virtue of his Jazz guitarist father, Erik Wesseltoft. Bugge started practicing on the piano at age 3, and by the age of 7, he had begun taking lessons, but after a short time he stopped these, instead choosing to learn by himself. Bugge played tuba and the bass drum in his schools marching band, where he met Audun Kleive who gave him further insights into the world of jazz. Beginning with a punk band, Bugge has played in bands from around the age of 16. At that time he was also meeting with friends to jam at home in the basement, playing different kinds of material. Through his fascination with electronic sounds, Bugge soon bought his first synthesizer and electric piano. His growing fascination with electronic sounds culminated in his purchase of a synthesizer and an electric piano. In 1984, Bugge joined his father in Oslo to start preparatory school in music. However, once again Bugge avoided the constraints of a formal musical education, and chose self-education as his musical path; to this day he has not had any formal musical education. Growing up By the late 1980s in Oslo, Bugge became involved in different projects in the Norwegian pop/rock scene, and in some Norwegian jazz groups like U and Z, Et Cetera and Oslo Groove Company. Bugge was also in The Talisman Group from 1988. It was during this time that he became recognised as a talented pianist, and in 1989, he played for the first time with the Knut Risnæs Quartet at the trendy Oslo Jazzhouse. Shortly afterwards, Arild Andersen and Jan Garbarek made contact with him. Playing Among the Stars Having joined Arild Andersens band in 1990, Bugge participated in Sagn, Arild's commissioned work for Vossa Jazz. He was also part of the recording of this work for ECM (Bugge would appear again with Arild in the recording of Arv, ECM, 1994.) In the same year, he also participated in performing Jan Garbarek's commission for the Molde International Jazz Festival, Molde Canticle, and in its subsequent recording that appeared on Garbareks album I Took Up The Runes, ECM 1990. Bugge became more and more involved with the best musicians on the Norwegian jazz scene at that time.

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6
Album Review

Rymden + KORK: Rymden + KORK

Read "Rymden + KORK" reviewed by Gareth Thompson


The Norwegian Radio Orchestra (aka KORK) performs each year at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. By contrast, it has also twice provided backing to the Eurovision Song Contest in Norway. Intriguing then to find them linking up with Bugge Wesseltoft, leader of Rymden and a pianist-composer whose work is both learned and accessible. Both parties create music that hammers at the spine, whilst also tingling it. The name of Wesseltoft's trio means “outer space" or “universe," whereas KORK is an ...

3
In Pictures

Jazz Lent 2022 in Maribor, Slovenia

Read "Jazz Lent 2022 in Maribor, Slovenia" reviewed by Ziga Koritnik


A collection of photos from a few concerts presented at the Festival Lent in Maribor from June 29, 2022 to July 1, 2022 featuring Rymden: Bugge Wesseltoft and Dan Berglund, Magnus Öström; KUTU: Hewan Gebrewold, Haleluya Tekletsadi, Théo Ceccaldi, Akemi Fujimori, Valentin Ceccaldi, Cyril Atef; Santrofi: Emmanuel Ofori, Dominic Quarchie, Robert Koomson, Emmanuel Agyeman, Nobert Arthur, Bernard Gyamfi, Emmanuel Blankson, Prince Larbi and many others. ...

6
Album Review

Bugge Wesseltoft: Be Am

Read "Be Am" reviewed by Gareth Thompson


In a 2008 interview, Bugge Wesseltoft spoke of his despair at seeing civilians suffer throughout history, unable to protect their families and children from wars. He also noted that watching such events unfold from the safety of his Norwegian homeland was painful. Wesseltoft had recently released his superb album IM (Jazzland Recordings, 2007) which found him on reflective form at the piano. Come the pandemic of 2020, Wesseltoft was caught in a similar climate of fear to those ...

15
Album Review

Rymden: Space Sailors

Read "Space Sailors" reviewed by Gareth Thompson


Outer space and cosmic jazz have long been a match made beyond heaven. The latest act throwing their hat into Saturn's rings is the excellent Norwegian band Rymden, featuring keyboardist Bugge Wesseltoft. The trio has clearly boned up on Sun Ra and Lonnie Liston Smith, but rockier influences are present too from the likes of Hawkwind, The Doors, Soft Machine, even Throbbing Gristle, with Marc Moulin's acid jazztronics in there as well. Closer to home, you can hear ...

10
Album Review

Rymden: Reflections And Odysseys

Read "Reflections And Odysseys" reviewed by Tyran Grillo


Reflections & Odysseys gifts to the listening world the debut of pianist Bugge Wesseltoft's new trio—called Rymden—with bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Öström. The rhythm section, best known as part of e.s.t. (led by the late Esbjörn Svensson), serves Wesseltoft with fresh purpose, at once grateful for what came before and eager to chart maps ahead. It's a dual aesthetic embodied not only in the album's title, but also in its approach to crafting sound as a realm in ...

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Festivals Talking

Jazzkaar Interviews: Bugge Wesseltoft

Read "Jazzkaar Interviews: Bugge Wesseltoft" reviewed by Martin Longley


Your scribe witnessed the Nordic supergroup Rymden three times during 2019, illustrating how much this new constellation (in Norwegian, the word means 'space,' as in cosmic space) has expanded almost uncontrollably since making their debut. Even as an abstract concept, the combination was tantalising in the extreme. Purely acoustic piano and electronically distressed keyboards from Bugge Wesseltoft, combined with the bass and drums of Dan Berglund and Magnus Öström, previously two-thirds of the Swedish e.s.t. Those Rymden appearances ...

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Jazzin' Around Europe

AkBank Jazz Festival 2019

Read "AkBank Jazz Festival 2019" reviewed by Francesco Martinelli


AkBank Jazz Festival Istanbul, Turkey October 18-25 2019 I arrived in Istanbul during the world-wide outrage that followed the United States pull-out from Syria and the consequent military intervention by Turkey. The new humongous airport looked rather empty compared to the crowded spaces of the old one; the trip to city centre was long in kilometres but on a rather free road, and the light traffic made for a transfer that was not longer ...

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Concerts

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Rymden + KORK

Jazzland Recordings
2023

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Be Am

Jazzland Recordings
2022

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Space Sailors

Jazzland Recordings
2020

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Reflections And...

Jazzland Recordings
2019

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Bugge Wesseltoft:...

Jazzland Recordings
2015

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