Ganjibiri came out of a 2-day session in Taakeheimen Lydrike with Morten Øby. I had invited a bunch of trusted musicians, plus one “wild card” that only Tore Ljøkelsøy had met before. The plan was to play some long improvisational pieces with some compositional elements, and then edit it all together in some way with some classic kraut and edit-jazz records in mind.

MUH & PARRY opens the album and are partly written, partly guided improvisation with some compositional elements superimposed on top as well. These tracks actually have a fair amount of overdubs but I feel like the live feel is kept pretty intact.

ALLISONE starts with the room mics from most of the free freakouts played during the session put on top of eachother and ends with some of the quieter improvisation in the same manner. It was trying to get that big band noise wall with a smaller group.

PREACH & DIVE came out of a longer improvised stretch and is all about the energy and driving force, with PREACH oving more to the likes of Captain Beefheart and his magic band and DIVE being more in the vein of some dirty Terje Rypdal band or something.

The final tracks THIRTYTWO & GLOW came out of the concept of a double trio inspired by the notion that Ornette Coleman’s Free Jazz was recorded with the double quartet being in different rooms without hearing each other. This idea I’ve wanted to try out with a band for a long time and the last hours of the last day of sessions needed a boost of energy and this did the trick.
So we did a long stretch first with one trio (Thomas, Simen and Tore) and then the other trio (Arnfinn, Jakob and Øyvind) did an overdub without hearing what the first trio had done. Then we took turns for a while until we had a 30 minute long piece ending with THIRTYTWO & GLOW. Thomas Bergsten

Directions in Music by Thomas Bergsten.
Mostly improvised live in the studio by the group, except MUH and PARRY that has some pre-meditated/written passages by Thomas Bergsten. Additional editing, arranging and instruments by Thomas Bergsten

Recorded by Morten Øby at Taakeheimen Lydrike, additional recording by Thomas Bergstens at Ganjibiri Studios | Mixed by Thomas Bergsten except PREACH, mixed by Leon Muraglia | Mastered by Antony Ryan at RedRedPaw Masering
Produced by Thomas Bergsten | Executive production by Travassos for Trem Azul | Live photos: Julia Marie Naglestad | Design & artwork by Travassos