Rymden

A supergroup formed in 2018 by three revered figures from the Scandinavian jazz scene, Rymden set out to mix the theatrical energy of 1970s progressive rock with the cool, improvised slices of classic American swing and bebop music. Pianist Bugge Wesseltoft grew up in the Norwegian city of Porsgunn and played in orchestras and punk groups as a teenager, before cutting his teeth as part of influential big band Oslo Groove Company. His later collaboration with singer Sidsel Endresen and his techno-fusion outfit New Conception of Jazz also won him recognition as a boundary-destroying visionary, while drummer Magnus Öström and bass player Dan Berglund had both made their names backing groundbreaking electro-jazz maverick Esbjörn Svensson. Coming together a decade after the death of Svensson, their shared, natural musical kinship was quickly apparent and the trio set out their stall as a group of radical, melancholy jazz masters with stellar performances at the EFG London Jazz Festival and the Garana Jazz Fest in Romania. Their debut album, 2019’a Reflections & Odysseys had its roots in lounge bars and 1950s film noir soundtracks, but soon wandered off into atmospheric, elegant electronics and shuffling, lively piano rumbles. 2020’s Space Sailors traded film noir for science fiction and a dose of 1960s rock to mix the signature nuances of the contemporary Scandinavian jazz.