TERJE RYPDAL: THE NORDIC SOUND PAINTER

TERJE RYPDAL

Unbelievable! This musician made his first recordings more than 60 years ago. And Norwegian guitarist, composer, and producer Terje Rypdal (born August 23, 1947, in Oslo) has been one of the most important figures on the Scandinavian jazz scene for half a century. Starting out as a surf instrumentalist and psychedelic rocker, he has brought a special, often distorted electric guitar sound to modern European jazz. Fender Stratocaster player Rypdal, who is approaching his 80th birthday, has released over 30 albums of his own and has also contributed to numerous productions as a sideman. He has also made a name for himself in the field of classical music as a composer of symphonies, operas, and numerous chamber music works.

HIER GEHT’S ZUR DEUTSCHEN FASSUNG!

SOUNDSCAPER

Somehow, he’s kindred spirits with Jeff Beck, I thought when I heard the first notes of Conspiracy in 2020 – apart from his collaboration with Elephant9, Catching Fire (2024), his last major work to date. This album, recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, was also Rypdal’s first studio recording since the turn of the millennium; most recently, he had only released productions based on concert recordings with the Munich-based cult label ECM, with which he has been associated since 1971. In 2021, the label and artist celebrated half a century of collaboration. Reason enough to celebrate this very special artist again and again.

Rypdal has accompanied me musically for almost five decades. And after phases of stunned enthusiasm, fascination, amazement, the recurring feeling of security, but also irritating live encounters, I have once again set out to make the rest of the world (more) familiar with this great soundscaper. Not all of his productions impressed me right away; there were ups and downs. This realization or experience is also the result of the phenomenon of “completion mania”: as a fan, you want to own all of a musician’s recordings, either physically or digitally, or at least have heard them—and in this case, that’s quite a lot.

This comprehensive article is intended to help you get to know a truly special musician and guitarist and his artistic work. And those who already know him and/or are even fans can use this article to understand where Terje Rypdal came from and where he went. His complete works are extremely comprehensive, so the following comments on the musically very different albums are only intended as an introduction to the subject. A kind of travel guide, and subjective preferences also play a role, as can be seen in the length or brevity of the comments on some albums. I can pass on my enthusiasm for good music, but some of Rypdal’s works have to be discovered for oneself, or even fought for. In that respect, there are still a few areas in my life with T.R. that need work.

But: the electric guitarist with the singing tone, often accompanied by atmospheric sounds, rocking bands, or classical orchestras, has always captivated me. Rypdal has found the perfect balance between individual signature, personal style, and artistic range, and there is really a lot to discover in his extensive discography, from jazzy rock trios to large orchestral electronic music projects. My initial spark was Terje Rypdal’s 1975 double LP “Odyssey,” which I got my hands on when I was 15—and which turned out to be a ticket to another world. Rypdal remained more or less a cult insider tip in the 1970s, although the music from Odyssey was heard relatively often in documentaries and television plays at the time, whenever it was necessary to provide musical accompaniment for longing, loneliness, dream worlds, and mysteries.

The ECM label masterpiece Odyssey now has cult status, both in terms of European jazz and guitar playing – because the latter in particular is unique, individual, free, and boundless. After that, I kept measuring Terje Rypdal against this milestone with its many hypnotic moments, weird sounds, and cool, jazz-rock grooves, which didn’t necessarily help me as a listener and fan. And so it simply took a little longer to grasp the other emotional and musical qualities of some of his later albums. Just as Velvet Underground’s legendary 1966 banana album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, sketched out half of the alternative rock of the following decades, this guitarist from Norway and his fellow musicians laid the foundation for today’s popular Scandinavian electric jazz in the early 1970s. Pianists Bugge Wesseltoft, Ketil Bjørnstad, and Esbjörn Svensson, guitarist Eivind Aarset, trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer, guitarist Hedvig Mollestad, and bassist Dan Berglund—they have all certainly heard the music of guitarist Terje Rypdal or even worked with him.

I suspect that many fans of Odyssey will have really enjoyed Rypdal’s latest CD, Conspiracy (excluding the 2024 collaboration with Elephant9). This music is a kind of homecoming, with a little less sharpness and dynamism, but with more serene experience and perhaps also the peace of a long life.

ECM & MANFRED EICHER

In this context, ECM label boss and producer Manfred Eicher (born July 9, 1943) must be mentioned, without whom Rypdal’s and many other musicians‘ music would not have existed in this form. The same applies to Jan Erik Kongshaug (born July 4, 1944, died November 5, 2019), the sound engineer for many ECM recordings, who was also a jazz guitarist himself. In terms of string artists alone, ECM was and is probably the world’s most influential modern jazz label: names such as Steve Swallow, Steve Tibbetts, Barre Phillips, Miroslav Vitous, Ben Monder, Collin Walcott, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Marc Johnson, Bill Connors, Eberhard Weber, Pat Metheny, Mick Goodrick, Arild Andersen, John Scofield, John Abercrombie, Bill Frisell, Charlie Haden, Eivind Aarset, Egberto Gismonti, Dominic Miller, Jakob Bro, Avishai Cohen, and Dave Holland are proof of this. With Terje Rypdal’s “Conspiracy,” Manfred Eicher has once again succeeded in creating a wonderful album. Let’s hope that many more will follow.

TERJE RYPDAL BIO

Terje Rypdal was born on August 23, 1947, in Oslo, the son of a composer and orchestra conductor—and so he was exposed to music from an early age: as a child, he took classical piano lessons, then learned to play the trumpet, and taught himself to play the guitar. At the age of 15, he founded the instrumental band The Vanguards, clearly inspired by Hank Marvin & The Shadows. The band quickly became successful and had a string of hits in the following years. Suddenly, Terje was a pop star and professional musician.

After a long stint as orchestra conductor for the Norwegian production of the musical Hair, Rypdal studied with various composers and jazz musicians. From 1966, he worked with composers Krzysztof Penderecki and George Russell, studying Russell’s composition theory “Lydian chromatic concept of tonal organization.” Further collaborations with free jazz greats such as Lester Bowie, John Surman, and Don Cherry, as well as jazz violinists Don Sugarcane Harris and Jean-Luc Ponty, followed.

With the band The Dream, he produced the album Get Dreamy in 1967, and in 1968 he recorded his first solo album, Bleak House (re-released in 1999 by Polydor): At just 21 years old, Rypdal still sounded like a British blues rocker who knew the Shadows, Peter Green, and Wes Montgomery, and was not yet quite ready to take on Jimi Hendrix, who would later become an important influence. Only occasionally did his very own signature style shine through. The soundtrack to Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” also released in 1968, is said to have inspired Rypdal to finally delve deeper into jazz and classical music.

He collaborated extensively with saxophonist Jan Garbarek, whom he had met at The Dream: in 1969, they released the joint album Esoteric Circle, followed by Afric Pepperbird in 1970 and Sart a year later (1971). This also established contact with Manfred Eicher’s label ECM, with which Garbarek was signed. In 1971, he released his ECM debut, Terje Rypdal, and in the following ten years alone, he released eight more albums, cementing his reputation as an important figure in European jazz and an exceptional musician on the guitar scene. To date, Rypdal has released 35 albums as a soloist, bandleader, or co-leader, which I will discuss further in this portrait.

TERJE RYPDAL’S ROOTS & INSPIRATIONS

Guitarist Hank Marvin, his band The Shadows, and their collaborator Cliff Richard were important influences for Terje Rypdal: „Back then, I heard the B-side of Cliff Richard’s single ‘Traveling Light,’ and the rocking guitar solo got me into this instrument. In 1962, I formed the band The Vanguards, and we started out playing Cliff Richard songs, then Elvis and Beatles songs. After that, a lot of guitarists came into my life, like Eric Clapton with the Bluesbreakers, and later Jeff Beck and then Jimi Hendrix.“

Rypdal bought records and discovered more and more fascinating music: Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, and then John Coltrane’s Meditations (1964) – an album that was very important to him and Jan Garbarek in their early quartet recordings. „When I later played with George Russell or Jan Garbarek, I tried to sound like McCoy Tyner, the pianist in Coltrane’s band, when I accompanied them. This allowed me to develop my own unique style of modal accompaniment.“

On the rock side, Jimi Hendrix came into play in 1966/67, who also toured Scandinavia regularly from an early age. Rypdal: „A piece called ‘Waterfall’ (aka ‘May This Be Love’) from his first album, ‘Are You Experienced?’, is the most important to me. But I never played it myself, even though I also interpreted Hendrix songs like ‘Foxy Lady’ and ‘Purple Haze’ with my band Dream. The guitar was always a source of sound in Hendrix songs, and not just relevant in terms of harmony or melody. The Strat could also be banged against something, there were these wild vibrato effects, and much more.“

Just under four years later, Miles Davis‘ Bitches Brew (1970) followed, featuring guitarist John McLaughlin, among others, which also made a strong impression on Rypdal. „After Jan Garbarek had established contact with ECM, we recorded our second quartet album, SART, in 1970. It was supposed to include a piece called Keep It Like That, Tight, which sounded very much like Bitches Brew. But the music didn’t fit into the Jan Garbarek Band’s concept, and ECM label boss Manfred Eicher asked me to use the piece as the starting point for my own album. That’s how I came to ECM.“

And then there was vibraphonist Gary McFarland with his 1968 album America The Beautiful: An Account Of Its Disappearance with guitarist Eric Gale and drummer Bernard Purdie, the Sex Pistols, Prince, 10CC, and others. In addition to jazz and rock, Rypdal also sees himself as strongly influenced by classical music: in interviews, he repeatedly mentioned Gustav Mahler, Ludwig van Beethoven, Edvard Grieg, Claude Debussy, György Ligeti, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Krzysztof Penderecki, and others.

Later, in the 1980s, Terje Rypdal was also a big Van Halen fan. “I was thrilled by his tapping technique and his sound, and I used his techniques in the production of ‘Chaser’ (1985). Eddie van Halen was definitely an influence, and I listened to Van Halen a lot for a while.” Terje made no secret of this during this phase, as can be heard on the three albums by Rypdal & The Chasers. More on that later.

TERJE RYPDAL INSTRUMENTS

Terje Rypdal is primarily associated with the Fender Stratocaster as an electric guitarist. In the mid-1960s, he bought his first used Strat, which was already a few years old at the time, reportedly built in 1960. „This guitar is so good! It has a great sound and could be heard on the albums ‘Odyssey’, ‘After The Rain’, and later on ‘Chaser’ and ‘Blue’,“ Rypdal said in an interview. In those early years, he used a Norwegian Telrad amp for amplification, which he still uses today alongside a Marshall Bluesbreaker combo and a Vox AC30.

His effects setup includes a Marshall Guv’nor distortion pedal (or alternatively a Boss Super Overdrive), from which the signal goes to a T.C. Electronic Sustainer and from there to a volume pedal (from Yamaha or Boss). Depending on the requirements, this controls one or two echo effect devices – usually a Roland 301 and a Boss Digital Delay. Based on what I hear, I suspect that Rypdal’s wah-wah pedal, which he used to use more frequently in the past, is located before the distortion unit; according to this, the signal chain would be: guitar, wah-wah, distortion, compressor, volume pedal, delay(s), amplifier. Rypdal once emphasized that what appeals to him about the compressor effect is the ability to turn down the volume control on the guitar without losing volume, while still being able to create different sounds. He also uses the bridge pickup of his Stratocaster relatively often, often in combination with the middle pickup of the guitar.

“My guitar sound is probably very influenced by the English scene. However, what is known as the ‘typical Rypdal sound’ came about by chance,” Terje Rypdal said in an interview with journalist Angela Ballhorn in 2002. „At the time of ‘Afric Pepperbird,’ I had a Rickenbacker guitar and wanted a better vibrato system. And the sustain was so short! I had also started playing the flute at that time to get more melodic ideas, and with this instrument I could finally play the long notes I was looking for … I then took my echo device from the Vanguards era out of the corner and another guitar, namely my old Stratocaster… I hadn’t really changed anything else, I still had the same effects pedals as before, but nevertheless the lines I played had changed. So the first time this sound came about was in the studio, at work.“

In photos from 1967/68 with the band The Dreams, Terje can be seen with a 3-pickup model from Rickenbacker and a black, SG-like guitar. Rypdal is said to have used a Gibson L-6S on two tracks from Odyssey. Photos from the early 70s also show him with a Gibson SG Pro with P90 pickups, Bigsby vibrato, dot fretboard, and the ugly plastic cover under the four controls. However, he mainly used the Stratocaster. In an interview with Vintage Guitar magazine, he said: „I also tried out and played Telecasters, even for a relatively long time with The Vanguards. I also played the Stratocaster for the first time during that period… back then, we performed a live version of (The Beach Boys‘ 1966 song) ‘Good Vibrations’ with The Vanguards. But during that phase, I also tried Gretsch guitars, Epiphones, Hagstroms, a Rickenbacker 325, and all kinds of other things.“

From 1977 onwards, Rypdal experimented with the Roland GR-100, GR-500, and GS-500 analog guitar synthesizers, which he used on albums with Barre Phillips (Three Day Moon, 1978), Miroslav Vitous, and Jack DeJohnette, as well as in his collaboration with cellist David Darling (EOS, 1984). The credits for Terje Rypdal: Waves (1978) list the bandleader’s instruments as “guitar, RMI keyboard computer, Arp synthesizer, Mini-Moog, 4, 6, and 8-string bass, drums.” Here he also used a ring modulator as a guitar effect (on “The Dain Curse”).

In a photo from 1978, Rypdal can be seen with a blonde Music Man Sabre electric guitar with a maple neck, Leo Fender’s further development of his own successful Stratocaster model. In the mid-80s, he also had Music Man amps in his live gear. In 1991, Rypdal played at the Molde Jazz Festival with his band The Chasers. At that time, he was using a new 8-string Fender guitar.

In an interview with journalist Frode Barth in 1996, Rypdal revealed a few more details about his sound: „While working on ‘Whenever I Seem To Be Far Away’ (1974) and then on ‘After The Rain’ (1976), it became clear that With an overdrive pedal, a volume pedal, and an old echo machine, my sound was suddenly there. Today, I use different delays, but I still use the old tape echo machines. And for amplifiers, I use an old Marshall 50-watt combo—the bigger Marshalls just don’t sing like the 50-watt models. I still play my old Telrad tube amplifier, which produces a warm and clean sound. I used my 1960 Stratocaster for a long time on the ECM recordings. Now I use a 1962 vintage reissue model, but it sounds a little too sharp in the bridge position, so I haven’t used it much in the studio. And I also have a Squier Stratocaster with DiMarzio pickups, which is my favorite at the moment. With all Strats, I usually play the bridge pickups, or a combination of the bridge and middle pickups.“

Other than that, there was little spectacular to discover about him from that time on. In an interview with Morten Mordal in 2000, Rypdal mentioned a Gibson Artisan Les Paul, a Gibson SG, a Gibson Acoustic O-Model from 1923, and a Gibson J-45 Acoustic from the 1960s, which he still plays occasionally. According to his own statements, he owned about twelve Strats from various manufacturers at the time, including an eight-string model, one made of spruce by a Norwegian guitar maker, and the aforementioned Squier, the ’62 Vintage Reissue purchased in 1984, and his beloved 1960 Fender Stratocaster. The Strats were sometimes white, sometimes red, and in the 2000s there was also a very striking model with a gold pickguard, then again a red Strat with gold hardware, which he brought with him to a gig at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge club in 2012, among other places. At that time, his other setup was as follows:

TC Electronic Sustain Equalizer
Zwei Boss Super Over Drive SD-1
Boss FV-50 Volume Pedal
Boss Digital Delay DD-3T
Boss Digital Delay DD-7
Fender Twin Reverb 2×12-Speaker
Fender Blues DeVille 4×10-Speaker

Terje Rypdal’s gear concept was established relatively early on and has changed little from the 1970s to the present day.

TERJE RYPDAL SOLO RECORDINGS

Over the course of his solo career spanning almost sixty years, Terje Rypdal has recorded more than 30 albums under his own name and/or as co-leader or equal band member.

TERJE RYPDAL: BLEAK HOUSE (1968)
Terje Rypdal: Guitar, Flute, Vocals
Jan Garbarek: Tenor-Saxophone, Flute, Bells
Christian Reim: Organ, Piano
Terje Venaas: Bass
Jon Christensen: Drums
Tom Karlsen: Drums
plus 12 piece Horn-Section

Bleak House, recorded with an opulent big band between October 7 and 22, 1968, is Terje Rypdal’s first album under his own name, with music that gave little indication of how this artist would develop over the next three to five years. The first track, a restrained clean blues with vocals, ties in with the guitarist’s two previous bands. Or did Rypdal still want to become a pop star? This is followed by “Wes,” clearly referring to the American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery (1923–1968), who had become a pop star shortly before his untimely death, not only with his brilliant “Road Song,” but also and above all with light cover versions of Beatles hits such as “A Day In The Life” and “California Dreaming” by The Mamas & Papas. The young man who had just been surfing, singing into his flute, soloing like Peter Green, and producing psychedelic noise with blues-free Hendrix ambitions with The Dream, could also do things differently. Although his jazz approach here is swinging, it is very idiosyncratic in terms of tonality and phrasing. And one track later, in “Winter Serenade,” completely different vibes can be felt—Coltrane-esque walls of horns, abstract guitar noises, a somehow open ending. The title track of the album is more restrained, although the initially well-behaved guitar then rocks out, intonated slightly sharp, especially in the bendings – this was before the invention of the tuner. This diverse album, which for me represents the axis of Rypdal’s career, ends very easy listening, with acoustic guitar, vocals, and flute – because then the vehicle turned in a slightly different direction.

TERJE RYPDAL: TERJE RYPDAL (1971)
Arild Andersen: Bass, E-Bass
Bjørnar Andresen: Bass
Jon Christensen: Percussion
Eckehard Fintl: Horn, Oboe
Jan Garbarek: Clarinet, Flute, Sax
Tom Halversen: Keyboards, E-Piano
Inger Lise Rypdal: Vocals
Terje Rypdal: Flute, Guitar, Vocals
Bobo Stenson: Keyboards, E-Piano

For me, this self-titled album is the guitarist’s second solo debut after Bleak House from 1968, because it is here that he first strikes out on his own musically. After surf, beat, psychedelic, and Hendrix enthusiasm, George Russell, free jazz, and new music, the time had come: at the age of 24, Terje Rypdal released his first ECM album under his own name, on which the very concrete beginnings of what defines him to this day could already be heard. And it began, very much in keeping with the spirit of the times, with a Bitches Brew-esque riff and guitar chords reminiscent of John McLaughlin’s parts with Miles Davis. But then Rypdal went further – his own way, with atmospheric sound settings, airy arrangements, sad licks, and dark chords. Nordic blues was born! Great, previously unheard music with idiosyncratic guitar parts, exaggerated bendings, sawing distortion, panning effects, extreme studio reverb, and sound constructs and noises that had never been heard from guitarists before.

And again and again, Bitches Brew comes through, but also the more abstract, soul-free European avant-garde, far removed from Miles Davis‘ funk-jazz-soul-rock crossover… Cool! And then, in track 5, it gets bluesy again, but also very different from what we know. His big, anthemic melodies weren’t born yet—or the kids were kept hidden because the bitchy one-groove policy plus short phrases still dominated as the flagship of the electric jazz family. The line-up for the sessions on August 12 and 13, 1971, at Arne Bendiksen Studio in Oslo was also clearly inspired by the great innovator and his game-changing masterpiece.

With the number ECM 1016, “Terje Rypdal” was the sixteenth album released on the Munich label. The successful collaboration with producer Manfred Eicher and engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug, which had already been established with Jan Garbarek, was now to become fundamental for Rypdal’s solo productions. Many of this cult label’s great productions were created in just two days in the studio. This was, and still is, absolutely realistic from an economic point of view.

1973 TERJE RYPDAL: WHAT COMES AFTER (1973)
Barre Phillips: Bass
Sveinung Hovensjø: E-Bass
Terje Rypdal: Guitar, Flute, Vocals
Jon Christensen: Drums, Organ
Erik Niord Larsen: Oboe, English Horn

From the very first notes of these recordings from August 7/8, 1973, it is clear what has changed: Sveinung Hovensjø on electric bass carries the music with a stoically repeated lick, while his colleague Barre Phillips on double bass adds another color to the mix with his bowed parts. Rypdal’s chord breakdowns and seemingly aimless melody lines still come across as very edgy in the first track, “Bend It.” But then everything flows, rocks, escalates, only to fall back into the cool atmosphere of the opener. Barre Phillips‘ soloistic function is interesting, especially in the bowed parts. His position within the music, the arrangements, and the band was taken over by French horn player Odd Ulleberg on the following album, Whenever I Seem To Be Far Away (1974), and then by trombonist Torbjorn Sunde on Odyssey (1975). In terms of sound spectrum and timbre, the instruments mentioned are not so far apart – there is always this creaky warmth in play.

What Comes After delivers dark, warm, and ultimately hopeful music. The Dark Side Of The ECMoon.

TERJE RYPDAL: WHENEVER I SEEM TO BE FAR AWAY (1974)
Sveinung Hovensjø: 6-String Bass, Bass,
Pete Knudsen: Keyboards, Mellotron, E-Piano
Terje Rypdal: Flute, Guitar, Vocals
Jon Christensen: Percussion,
Christian Hedrich: Viola
Odd Ulleberg: French Horn, Horn,
SDR Symphony Orchestra

Rypdal & bandmates with a large orchestra. Odyssey is already evident in the first two tracks of the album, Silver Bird Is Heading For The Sun and The Hunt, which is reminiscent of Carla Bley, but here the contrast between the timbres of the two ensembles is even more dominant. Horn player Odd Ulleberg once again clearly takes the position in the arrangement that would almost make trombonist Torbjørn Sunde co-leader on the next album. Sveinung Hovensjø is also fascinating on the crisp 6-string bass. In the nearly 18-minute title track, “Whenever I Seem To Be Far Away” – subtitled “Image for electric guitar, strings, oboe, and clarinet” – Rypdal and the orchestra face each other head-on. New music, somehow unplugged, somehow soundtrack-like, somehow Bruckner. The rock factor is on standby here, but it should come back…

TERJE RYPDAL: ODYSSEY (1975)
More about this groundbreaking album in the following chapter.

TERJE RYPDAL: AFTER THE RAIN (1976)
Terje Rypdal: Guitars, Flute, Keyboards
Inger Lise Rypdal: Vocals

Exactly one year after the fantastic band energy boost that was Odyssey, a duo album followed with singer and wife Inger Lise Rypdal. Terje Rypdal himself can be heard here on various electric and acoustic guitars, as a flutist and soprano saxophonist, but also as a pianist, keyboardist with electric piano, string ensemble, and on tubular bells. The music here is beatless, and in the aftermath of Odyssey, After The Rain feels like just before sunrise after a long night. Tired, happy, and too eager for life to fall asleep. In “Now And Then,” you can hear the guitarist in a duo with himself on the acoustic guitar, and the following ‘Wind’ is the shortest track on the album at just under a minute and a half—with flute solo, supported by a large, deep surround sound. This is followed by the longest piece at 06:06 minutes: “After The Rain.” Rypdal plays distorted electric guitar against harmonious string sounds, whose surprising twists and turns are sometimes introduced by the soloist, then seemingly pursued, always searching – for what? There is little music that touches me so existentially, that kicks something into gear, that tells me I should live much more, that I must implement what I think, that I must feel, forget, discover, practice, enjoy, do. And see and feel the essential – that’s what this is about musically – that’s what Rypdal has always been about. Minimalism can certainly mean maximum expression. A fantastic album.

PÅL THOWSEN, JON CHRISTENSEN, TERJE RYPDAL, ARILD ANDERSEN: NO TIME FOR TIME (1977)

Bass, Producer – Arild Andersen
Cover [„Tide“ Painting] – Sidsel Paaske
Drums, Percussion, Producer – Jon Christensen, Pål Thowsen
Engineer – Tore Tambs Lyche
Guitar, Producer – Terje Rypdal
Photography [Front Cover] – Finn Krogvig
Recorded 1976 At Arne Bendiksen Studio

Interesting: I discovered this presumably extremely rare record not in a discography but only on Amazon Music. It features a project by drummer Pål Thowsen, who (supported by his colleague Jon Christensen) performs very rustic jazz rock together with bassist & producer Arild Andersen and guitarist Terje Rypdal (also credited as producer). The opener is really rough, and after two drum tracks, there’s a song fragment with guitar fragments. Then another drums-only track, followed by something really wild, with Terje R. freaking out over creaky upright bass licks: “P.T.” Three more drummer compositions conclude this weird work.

TERJE RYPDAL: WAVES (1978)
Terje Rypdal: Electric Guitar, RMI Keyboard Computer, ARP Synthesizer
Palle Mikkelborg: Trumpet, Flugelhorn, RMI To Piano Ring Modulator
Sveinung Hovensjø: 6 & 4-String Electric Bass
Jon Christensen: Drums, Percussion

Right from the first beats, it becomes clear that something has changed in these recordings from September 1977: the technology! And apart from the electronic beat, the very positive mood of the first track, “Per Ulv,” with its major chord progressions, is unusual. “Karusell” sounds different, because Terje Rypdal’s fragile spatiality and blues are present again. But as already mentioned, the technology has been upgraded: Rypdal seems to have used a phase shifter here, or the pickup’s intermediate position on his Stratocaster in combination with controlled picking at different positions is deceiving – you can also approximate this sound analogously, simulate it by hand. Later, a ring modulator-like sound can also be heard on the guitar, possibly also a distortion pedal with an octaver.

One more thing about the harmonics: for me, Terje Rypdal’s music, especially in quieter passages, often feels as if bass notes and harmonies meet by chance, then walk a little way together before turning away from each other again. It’s as if the two were in an on-off relationship, with encounters and repeated distancing. Palle Mikkelborg’s flugelhorn plays along with this game here. Improvisation? Composition? Both?

Track 3 is called “Stenskoven” and is based on a composition by Mikkelborg. A completely different world. Here, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Carla Bley had come around the corner with a Brecht/Eisler songbook. It’s interesting how much the great ECM house drummer Jon Christensen holds back here, or rather, how much he has been mixed into the background. I miss the energetic playing of Svein Christiansen.

The title track of the album floats back into Rypdal’s universe, which for me will always belong to Sveinung Hovensjø, whose bass playing on four- and six-string instruments had an enormous influence on this music between 1974 and ’78. There were only four albums – “What Comes After,” “Whenever I Seem to be Far Away,” “Odyssey,” and “Waves” – but they were among the best.

The album continues with “The Dain Curse” and ends with “Charisma,” an anthemic track that loses its way a little when Rypdal and Mikkelborg battle it out and Jon Christensen fails to counter them. “Charisma”? It’s almost irritating that the track with this title has the least charisma, leaving this ambivalent album to fizzle out somewhat. A matter of taste.

TERJE RYPDAL: DESCENDRE (1979)
Terje Rypdal: Guitar, Keyboards, Flute
Palle Mikkelborg: Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Keyboards
Jon Christensen: Drums, Percussion

And Then There Were Three was the title of Genesis‘ ninth studio album, released in 1978. Terje Rypdal also reduced the size of the band for this studio session in March 1979. Jon Christensen (drums, percussion), Palle Mikkelborg (trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards), and Terje Rypdal (guitar, keyboards, flute) only substitute the low notes in a few places, and then primarily via the bass drum. Jon Christensen is more present in the mix overall. What is still there is the harmonic depth and Rypdal’s expressive lines – but the bass counterpoint, the low lines that carry everything above them, which could repeatedly reinforce but also reinterpret, are missing. In places, the music has lost an important facet. I really miss Sveinung Hovensjø’s brilliant bass lines here.

TERJE RYPDAL / MIROSLAV VITOUS / JACK DEJOHNETTE: DTO. (1979)
Terje Rypdal: Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer, Organ
Miroslav Vitous: Double Bass, Electric Piano
Jack DeJohnette: Drums

Dream team! This album was recorded in June 1978, just under three years after Odyssey, and I hear clear parallels in terms of mood and concept—only here, the old concept was implemented with different instrumentation. ECM producer Manfred Eicher and his brilliant engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug played a significant role (as they did on most Rypdal recordings). The voices (and moods) of Odyssey bassist Sveinung Hovensjø and trombonist Torbjørn Sunde are taken over here by Miroslav Vitous, who plucks, strokes, and challenges his double bass and also contributes piano parts. And drummer Jack DeJohnette performs energetically, precisely between Svein Christiansen and his successor Jon Christensen. Yes, and Terje Rypdal takes care of the rest on electric guitar, guitar synthesizer, and organ. OK, the very deep, supporting rock element is missing here, but the old idea has been further developed—and there was also room for experimentation. Much more concise than on Descendre. An intense album!

TERJE RYPDAL / MIROSLAV VITOUS / JACK DEJOHNETTE: TO BE CONTINUED (1981)
Terje Rypdal: Electric Guitars, Flute
Miroslav Vitous: Acoustic and Electric Bass, Piano
Jack DeJohnette: Drums, Voice

Two and a half years later, in January 1981, this supergroup of new jazz met again in the studio: Miroslav Vitous, Jack DeJohnette, and Terje Rypdal varied the instrumentation somewhat, but otherwise continued almost seamlessly from the previous album, only with even more energy. Sometimes this music reminds me of Bowie’s quiet tracks from “Heroes” and “Low,” and a production by db, Brian Eno, and Terje Rypdal would certainly have been more than just interesting… The Vitous composition “Mountain In The Clouds” sounds very different here than on the bassist’s original album—it runs out of steam a bit in the echo chamber. But then the three show that they can also rock out with pulsating energy – and then lose themselves again in creative, atmospheric playfulness. Fascinating musicians.

DAVID DARLING / TERJE RYPDAL: EOS (1983)
David Darling: Cello, 8-String Electric Cello
Terje Rypdal: Guitars, Synthesizer, Casio MT-30

David Darling and Terje Rypdal—who wouldn’t think of a sensitive encounter between two refined minds? Recorded in May 1983 at Oslo’s Talent Studio, the album starts with “Laser,” an extremely hectic guitar solo with the most horrible sound I’ve ever heard from Rypdal. The liner notes say “electronic guitar,” not “electric guitar” – I don’t know exactly how Terje Rypdal, in his synth phase at the time, processed the sound of his Stratocaster. This is followed by “Eos,” the 14-minute title track of the album, which starts with long, atmospheric cello sounds and wide spaces. At times, it is unclear which instruments are producing the atmospheric soundscapes. From the middle of the piece onwards, a longer, hymnal Rypdal solo can be heard, with a warm, almost low-pitched guitar tone that sounds like a wah-wah pedal has been turned down. And suddenly he is gone again, disappearing behind floating clouds of cello and synth. Track 3 is called “Bedtime Story” and is a truly touching duo between the two musicians. “Light Years” is the only composition by David Darling on this album, and from then on, the two musicians seem to have finally found each other. Fantastic finale: “Adagietto.” Great album—from the second to the last note.

TERJE RYPDAL: CHASER (1985)
Terje Rypdal: Guitars, Keyboards
Bjørn Kjellemyr: Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass
Audun Kleive: Drums, Percussion

There’s no question that Terje Rypdal had listened to Van Halen before recording this album in May 1985 at Rainbow Studio in Oslo – at least that’s what you might assume from the first track, “Ambiguity.” “And then Morricone,” whispers the following track, “Once Upon A Time,” to me. This is followed by “Geysir,” a rocking collaborative composition and/or improvisation by bassist Bjørn Kjellemyr, drummer Audun Kleive, and Terje Rypdal. With “A Closer Look,” we return to the old, quiet planet T.R. for just under five minutes. This is followed by “Ornen,” a subtle country trip. The title track, “Chaser,” sounds very much like EVH himself again. But everything ends quietly. Very quietly.

TERJE RYPDAL: WORKS (1985)
ECM-Compilation

TERJE RYPDAL & THE CHASERS: BLUE (1986)
Terje Rypdal: Guitars, Keyboards
Bjørn Kjellemyr: Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass
Audun Kleive: Drums, Percussion

With the same lineup as Chaser, Blue was recorded a year and a half later, in November 1986—with the old album title as the new band name. Bjørn Kjellemyr seems to have moved further into the foreground, contributing beautiful melody licks on upright and electric bass, but also plenty of supporting, driving foundation elements. The collective is equally convincing in the collaborative composition “Kompet Går,” the second track on the album, which exudes tremendous energy without rocking away Rypdal’s trademarks. The next highlight of this great album is “I Disremember Quite Well” with touching, very vivid bass lines in front of Rypdal’s synthesizer soundscapes. And then there’s the joint composition/improvisation “Og Hva Synes Vi On Det”: what a combination of space and sound, of abstract soundscaping and emotion, without working specifically with melody or harmony! This happens even more concretely, intensely, and beautifully in “Last Nite” and “Blue,” which then really lives up to its name in the middle section and demands blues licks, only to glide back into a world that most blues songs would probably wish for…

I can’t quite reconcile the title “Tanga” and its associations with the music heard here, which is almost marching briskly by Rypdal’s standards, then abruptly dissolves into very idiosyncratic, reverberating guitar licks. “On Bare” reconciles just as abruptly from the first note and draws the listener into the space, which is enriched with more delay effect than usual, or rather, is created in the first place. You get the feeling of being caught in a vortex, in a downward spiral that slowly but surely pulls everything into nothingness, repeatedly interrupted by short “orchestra hits” – the memory of “Owner Of A Lonely Heart,” recorded by Yes and producer Trevor Horn in 1983, remains bearable.

TERJE RYPDAL & THE CHASERS: THE SINGLES COLLECTION (1988)
Terje Rypdal: Guitars
Bjørn Kjellemyr: Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass
Audun Kleive: Drums, Percussion
Allan Dangerfield: Keyboards, Synclavier

The team of bassist Bjørn Kjellemyr, drummer Audun Kleive, and guitarist Terje Rypdal, which had already proven itself on two Chasers albums, was joined by Allan Dangerfield in August 1988. Is the latter responsible for the much more positive musical mood here? More positive, but not necessarily more intense. The first track, “There Is A Hot Lady In My Bedroom And I Need A Drink,” sounds like a mix of 80s mainstream rock-pop and Bobby Womack’s “Breezin’”—at least, this melody fragment is picked up several times by electric guitar and bass. And the album title is, of course, a humorous allusion, possibly to the CD best-of reissue craze of the time. Of course, there were no singles by The Chasers. But maybe the gentlemen gathered here were singles themselves…

Track 2 is called “Sprøtt” and rocks along technoidly for 4:33 minutes, contrasted by a very conventional Hammond interlude and a rock ‘n’ roll guitar solo, again with a subtle Eddie van Halen touch. “Mystery Man” starts off very quietly, somewhat reminiscent of “A Whiter Shade Of Pale.” This is followed by two rock compositions by keyboardist Allan Dangerfield, the cryptic “U.’N.I.” by Rypdal, then another rocker by Dangerfield, “Coyote,” which dissolves into really beautiful spheres with a bowed bass. This is followed by three Rypdal tracks: “Somehow, Somewhere” once again features a soft, surf-like, twangy clean guitar in the foreground, perhaps reminiscent of Rypdal’s first instrumental bands. “Steady” then jazz-rocks very mechanically over a stoic bass lick, over which Rypdal then screws a solo that at first sounds like Holdsworth ambitions, but then takes a turn. Terje! The anthemic “Crooner Song” concludes this album with a typical guitar solo over an 80s fusion-style creaking bass, which wafts through the room with extreme reverberation. There’s no question that Terje Rypdal, at the latest with The Chasers, must be considered the inventor of 3D jazz. This band remains a great episode in his career.

TERJE RYPDAL: UNDISONUS FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA; INEO FOR CHOIR AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (1990)

Rypdal in his classical music phase. He has probably been involved with compositions for classical ensembles and orchestras throughout his career – now he is in a position to produce this music as well. These two orchestral works – Undisonus (Op. 23) For Violin and Orchestra (composed 1979-1981) was recorded in September 1986 at St. Peter’s Church, Morden, London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and violinist Terje Tønnesen, Ineo (Op. 29) For Choir and Chamber Orchestra (from 1983) was recorded in November 1987 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, with The Rainbow Orchestra and the Grex Vocalis Choir – Terje Rypdal can only be heard as composer and recording supervisor.

TERJE RYPDAL: Q.E.D. (1993)

Q.E.D. ,Quod Erat Demonstrandum Opus 52 for electric guitar, flute, clarinet, bassoon, 2 French horns, piccolo trumpet, 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, fretless bass/contrabass, gran cassa – what a title! – and Largo Opus 55 for electric guitar, string ensemble and gran cassa‘ were recorded in August and December 1991 at Rainbow Studio. In addition to Terje Rypdal (g) and Bjørn Kjellemyr (b), the Borealis Ensemble dominates here with strings, brass and woodwinds.

RYPDAL & TEKRØ: THE RADIOSONG (1994)
Terje Rypdal: Guitar, Keyboards
Ronni Le Tekrø: Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
Dag Stokke: Keyboards
Morty Black Skaget: Bass
Audun Kleive: Drums

A very strange fusion of weird metal guitars, wild shredding, free jazz rock, and avant-garde progressive sound. And then, bang, it’s followed by a melodic pop fusion number. And then a ballad in the inimitable Ricky King style, which mutates into a Satrian mating soundtrack. A very colorful mix, in which even the tracks that sound a bit like Rypdal don’t really sound like Rypdal, because the atmosphere is missing, the sound ingredients sound like pop keyboard and the guitar saws. But who knows: maybe someday I’ll love this album too. ;-) The photo in the CD booklet with two very angry-looking guitar guys shows that Terje Rypdal and Ronni Le Tekrø didn’t take their joint project too seriously.

JOHN SURMAN / KARIN KROG / TERJE RYPDAL / VIGLEIK STORAAS: NORDIC QUARTET (1995)
Karin Krog: Vocals
Terje Rypdal: Guitar
Vigleik Storaas: Piano
John Surman: Clarinets, Saxophones
Recorded August 1994

After “Traces,” an opener with spoken vocals and guitar solo, things calm down a bit—and you recognize the duo Terje Rypdal and Karin Krog, and then pianist Vigleik Storaas and saxophonist John Surman join in. But then: what warm, distinctive voices! Somehow, Karin Krog (vocals) and John Surman (soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet) are kindred spirits, I think as I listen to their duet “Unwritten Letter.” Terje Rypdal brings himself into play very soulfully in the following track 3, “Offshore Piper,” now as Surman’s next duo partner. This is followed by “Gone To The Dogs,” a strange number with a Velvet Underground rhythm guitar, saxophone lines reminiscent of Jan Garbarek, and a cheerful harmony piano—you just wait for Pat Metheny to come around the corner with a beautiful solo.

TERJE RYPDAL: IF MOUNTAINS COULD SING (1995)
Terje Rypdal: Electric Guitar
Bjørn Kjellemyr: Bass
Audun Kleive: Drums, Percussion
Øystein Birkeland: Cello
Lars Anders Tomter: Viola
Terje Tønnesen: Violin

An interesting lineup: the classically ambitious composer Rypdal on his way back to being a band musician. This album begins in an extremely cheerful and harmonious mood with “The Return Of Per Ulv,” only to plunge into the utterly gloomy “It’s In The Air” after 5:01 minutes, followed by the string section feature “But On The Other Hand,” which then mutates into a menacing, minimalist soundtrack with oppressive bass tones in the middle of the piece. Typically Rypdal-elegiac is the title track “If Mountains Could Sing,” followed by an orchestral monster with rock guitar and wild drums: with “Private Eye,” you really don’t know where the train is going at any moment. It continues seamlessly into the extremely calm “Foran Peisen” with a very restrained bass solo by Bjørn Kjellemyr. “Dancing Without Reindeers” then brings together all the moods mentioned so far – the chamber music, the cheerful, the rock – only to paint oppressive abysses again in track 8, “One For The Roadrunner,” with electronically distorted ring modulator electric guitar. And then comes the extremely harmonious, almost idyllic contrast with “Blue Angel,” which, with its reverberating snare drum and Mike Oldfield melody, is already kitsch-compatible. What a rollercoaster ride! In “Genie,” it becomes clear to me that it is bassist Bjørn Kjellemyr who holds the tracks on “If Mountains Could Sing” together—as he does in the finale, “Lonesome Guitar,” which he carries wonderfully. Above it all is Terje R.’s clean slow-surfer Strat, which conjures up atmosphere with very few notes, then he goes into distortion and celebrates another restrained, touching solo in the highest registers. “Lonesome Guitar” is the strongest and most intensely successful piece on this album, which strikes me as somewhat disjointed, with recordings from January and June 1994.

TERJE RYPDAL: SKYWARDS (1996)
Terje Rypdal: Guitar, Flute
Terje Tønnesen: Violin
Paolo Vinaccia: Drums, Percussion
Christian Eggen; Keyboards, Piano
Jon Christensen: Drums
David Darling: Cello
Palle Mikkelborg: Trumpet, Flugelhorn

With Skywards, Terje Rypdal came even closer to heaven than to classical music or a kind of folkloric euphony. His guitar skills shine through at times, especially in the 15-minute sinfonietta Out Of This World, which consists of solo features on trumpet, guitar, and piano, accompanied only rudimentarily by drums and/or keyboard soundscapes. Somehow, many parts of this album seem inorganic and edited; you hear more collage than interaction. That has its charm, too, but it prevents the music from really getting going; nothing flows. It’s like many new music concerts, where only the champagne flows during the intermission. Relationship status of the pieces among themselves/to each other: It’s complicated.

RYPDAL & TEKRO: II (1998)
Terje Rypdal: Guitar
Ronni Le Tekrø: Guitar, Vocals
Dag Stokke: Keyboards
Morty Black Skaget: Bass
Audun Kleive: Drums
Steinar Krokstad: Drums

The two gentlemen come across as somewhat more mature and somehow more serious than on the fun compilation “Rypdal & Tekro.” But only in parts, because then they indulge in such dark death metal massacres that they force a grin onto your face. Just like various electro beats and the keyboard sounds borrowed from Michael Cretu and Sandra, which don’t even sound enigmatic here, but are more suitable as a lulling soundtrack for ZDF’s night program. On the other hand, Terje and Ronni repeatedly show on “II” that they are great guitarists – no matter whether they’re crooning or thrashing. Seen and heard in this light: a really crazy album! Sympathetic head shaking.

KETIL BJØRNSTAD / JON CHRISTENSEN / DAVID DARLING / TERJE RYPDAL: THE SEA II (1998)
Ketil Bjørnstad: Piano
David Darling: Cello
Jon Christensen: Drums
Terje Rypdal: Guitar
Recorded December 1996 Rainbow Studio, Oslo

Pianist Ketil Bjørnstad’s quartet set with cellist David Darling, guitarist Terje Rypdal, and drummer Jon Christensen is almost a stereotype of an ECM release. His ten originals all set an introspective and mostly somber mood, their themes are less important than the atmosphere that they form, and the individual solos of the musicians are less significant than the ensemble sound. The general mood is a bit sleepy and the development from song to song is quite slow, although there are a few fiery and rockish solos from guitarist Rypdal. But overall, there is little on this well-played set that rises above the level of stimulating background music.

TERJE RYPDAL: DOUBLE CONCERTO: 5TH SYMPHONY (2000)
Normunds Šnē: Conductor
Riga Festival Orchestra
Ronni Le Tekrø: Electric Guitar
Terje Rypdal: Electric Guitar
Aufnahmen vom Juni und August 1998

Double Concerto / 5th Symphony (ecm) are two orchestral works recorded by the Riga Festival Orchestra, with Terje Rypdal and Ronni Le Tekro (from the heavy metal band TNT) on electric guitars. Rypdal’s neo-impressionistic approach is most expressive when his sad guitar in quiet passages is contrasted only by deep-sounding strings and wind instruments. Crazy sounds, gripping dynamics, and only occasional, somewhat annoying uptempo passages characterize the music of Europe’s greatest sound painter, whose guitar roots lie somewhere between Jimmy Page, Wes Montgomery, and Jimi Hendrix.

ARILD ANDERSEN / PATRICE HÉRAL / TERJE RYPDAL / MARKUS STOCKHAUSEN: KARTA (2001)
Markus Stockhausen: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Arild Andersen: Double Bass
Patrice Héral: Drums, Percussion, Live Electronic
Terje Rypdal: Electric Guitar

For this recording, Markus Stockhausen expanded his live trio with bassist Arild Andersen and drummer Patrice Héral to include Terje Rypdal – most of the compositions were created jointly. The recording from December 1999 at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio thrives on Arild Andersen’s extremely close bass lines, which give this music depth and substance. Markus Stockhausen’s instrumental restraint is contrasted by Rypdal’s distorted guitar melodies, which often sound as if he had added them to the trio’s music later. The participants don’t really come close to each other on this recording. “Karta,” a word from Sanskrit, means “higher power.” Let’s hold it responsible for that.

TERJE RYPDAL: SELECTED RECORDINGS (2002)
ECM-Compilation

RYPDAL & TEKRØ: THE RADIO SONG (2002)
Terje Rypdal: Guitar, Keyboards
Ronni Le Tekrø: Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
Dag Stokke: Keyboards
Morty Black Skaget: Bass
Audun Kleive: Drums

The third joint work by Rypdal & Tekro. “The Radio Song” is the only Rypdal album that I haven’t gotten my hands on yet. It’s now being offered for 65 euros. And what I’ve heard of it on Open Spotify varies between electro-pop with pitched or autotuned vocals, atmospheric jam numbers, wacky instrumentals with Beatles flair, and piano songs and melodies that would enchant grandmas. And the fact that the radio play-like metal hit at the end of the album is called “Countryman” and, after a hard-hitting minute, throws a few fingerpicking guitars into the soundscape fits this album just as well as it did its two predecessors from 1994 and ’98. I’m liking these two weird guys more and more.

TERJE RYPDAL: LUX AETERNA (2003)
Bergen Chamber Ensemble
Kjell Seim: Conductor
Åshild Stubø Gundersen: Vocal
Iver Kleive: Organ
Ivar Kolve: Percussion
Palle Mikkelborg: Trumpet
Terje Rypdal: Guitar

This recording by Rypdal, Mikkelborg & Co. with the 18-piece Bergen Chamber Ensemble was made on July 19, 2000, at the Molde Jazz Festival. The five-movement “Lux Aeterna” is inspired by György Ligeti’s work of the same name, but was also commissioned by the Molde Festival to inaugurate the new organ at the local cathedral. The result is an often romantic, impressionistic string landscape, contrasted by powerful organ interludes, over which Rypdal’s guitar, Palle Mikkelborg’s very restrained trumpet, and Åshild Stubø Gundersen’s soprano voice perform solos. Beautiful, mostly calm music between classical and jazz, with lots of space.

TERJE RYPDAL: VOSSABRYGG (2006)
Terje Rypdal: Electric Guitar
Jon Christensen: Drums
Paolo Vinaccia: Drums, Percussion
Bjørn Kjellemyr: Bass
Palle Mikkelborg: Trumpet
Ståle Storløkken: Organ, E-Piano, Synthesizer
Bugge Wesseltoft: Electric Piano, Synthesizer
Marius Rypdal: Electronics, Sampler, Turntables

“Vossabrygg op. 84” is the full title of the album, which can be found on the back of this CD released in 2006, whose live recording took place on April 12, 2003, at the Vossa Jazz Festival in Norway. What a line-up! Musicians from three generations have come together here. Terje Rypdal’s son Marius sampled quite a bit from Miles Davis‘ “Bitches Brew” for this project, and the Danish trumpeter and composer Palle Mikkelborg, who can be heard here, even worked with Davis on his 1985 album “Aura.” And two drummers, two keyboardists, and an electric guitar rocking between jazz and funk—all of this has some of the flair with which Miles changed the world starting in August 1969. But typical Scandinavian jazz soundscapes can also be experienced here. An exciting album that, through the clever combination of predominantly successful samples, electro beats, and handmade sounds and grooves, is an absolutely multi-layered, spatial experience.

TRILOK GURTU / TERJE RYPDAL / MIROSLAV VITOUS: LIVE IN CONCERT (2006)
Trilok Gurtu: Percussion
Terje Rypda: Guitar
Miroslav Vitous: Bass

The live recordings from June 26, 1994, featured on this DVD have also been released as “Live from Jazz Open Stuttgart 1994” etc. An interesting recording with a very focused guitarist and the wonderful second lead player on double bass: Miroslav Vitous is simply one of the world’s best bassists and a great melody maker. The fact that the two have another impressive soloist in Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu makes the music more colorful and lively. However, the juxtaposition often dominates here, and in the context of other recordings from this period, I would have liked to have had keyboardist Ståle Storløkken on board. But since my life with Terje Rypdal was never a request concert but always a surprise party, I enjoy the opportunity here to watch three great musicians and improvisers at work. The bopping version of Vitous‘ classic “Mountain In The Clouds” is very idiosyncratic, with all participants pulsating at top speed. The track is listed on the DVD as “Mountains,” and the following sixth track is called “Clouds In The Mountain.”

KETIL BJØRNSTAD / TERJE RYPDAL: LIFE IN LEIPZIG (2006)
Ketil Bjørnstad: Piano
Terje Rypdal: Guitar

The two musicians have already recorded albums in various line-ups, but Life In Leipzig is their debut as a duo. The concert recording from October 14 was made during a performance at the Leipzig Jazz Days. Ketil Bjørnstad and Terje Rypdal play several reinterpretations of pieces from their joint albums The Sea and Water Stories, as well as tracks from Rypdal’s If Mountains Could Song and Skywards.

BERGEN BIG BAND / TERJE RYPDAL: CRIME SCENE (2010)
Bergen Big Band
Olav Dale: Conductor
Terje Rypdal: Electric Guitar
Palle Mikkelborg: Trumpet
Paolo Vinaccia: Drums, Percussion
Ståle Storløkken: Organ

What a powerhouse this concert recording from May 2009 at the Nattjazz Festival in Bergen is! With spoken samples and dark woodwinds, the Bergen Big Band builds a menacing wall of sound, the ensemble escalates into a free jazz collective improvisation, and then the guitar breaks out, riffs rock, slides downright bluesy. Then Ståle Storløkken Hammond takes the lead, and one track later, Palle Mikkelborg delivers Miles‘ Mood & more…. A surprisingly exciting album that makes you wish there was a live video. Because there must have been some action on that crowded stage. Great!

TERJE RYPDAL: ODYSSEY IN STUDIO & CONCERT (2012)
Mehr zu diesem Album weiter unten.

TERJE RYPDAL: MELODIC WARRIOR (2013)
Terje Rypdal: Electric Guitar
The Hilliard Ensemble
Bruckner Orchester Linz
Dennis Russell Davies: Conductor
Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra
Sebastian Perłowski: Conductor

One thing is clear: Norwegian guitarist and sound painter Terje Rypdal is one of the few European jazz musicians who has been able to impress the rest of the world entirely on his own merits. His crossovers from sixties rock to avant-garde classical music—always featuring that plaintive, distorted lead guitar—were never intended to make him a pop star or provide background music for cocktail parties in VIP lounges. Rypdal was always Rypdal. And he remains so: the title track, “Melodic Warrior,” is a 45-minute heavyweight, performed by the Hilliard Vocal Ensemble and the Bruckner Orchestra, recorded back in 2003. The last half hour of the album is called “And The Sky Was Colored With Waterfalls And Angels” (produced in 2009) and features guitarist Rypdal accompanied by a classical orchestra: purely instrumental, atmospheric music without beats, playing in large spaces and soundscapes in the best sense of the word. This is definitely the highlight of this live album.

TERJE RYPDAL: CONSPIRACY (2020)
Terje Rypdal: Electric Guitar
Ståle Storløkken: Keyboards
Endre Hareide Hallre: Fretless Bass, Fender Precision
Pål Thowsen: Drums & Percussion

After many years, Terje Rypdal has finally released another studio album! And what’s more, it features a fantastic line-up: keyboardist Ståle Storløkken, already known from “Vossabrygg” and “Crime Scene,” drummer Pål Thowsen is back, and young electric bassist Endre Hareide Hallre is a real discovery. Conspiracy was recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo and produced by Manfred Eicher and Terje Rypdal. I suspect that many fans of Odyssey will really enjoy Rypdal’s latest CD, Conspiracy. The music is a kind of homecoming, with a little less sharpness and dynamism, but with more experience and serenity, and perhaps also with the peace that comes with a long life. Don’t worry, there are still some hi-energy moments here and there!

Although I have been a fan of Norwegian guitarist and sound painter Terje Rypdal (73) for ages, not all of his productions have impressed me equally. The electric guitarist with the singing tone against atmospheric sounds has found the perfect balance between individual style and artistic range; there is a lot to discover in his extensive discography, from jazzy rock trios to large-scale orchestral electronic music projects. Rypdal’s double LP “Odyssey” from 1975 (his sixth release) has achieved cult status that remains unmatched to this day, both in terms of European jazz and guitar playing – because it is unique. Whether I wanted to or not, I always measured Terje Rypdal against this masterpiece with its many hypnotic moments, weird sounds, and cool jazz-rock grooves. I suspect that many fans of Odyssey will really like the new Rypdal CD. However, this music is not a rehash of old ideas, but rather a kind of homecoming, with a little less edge, but more serene experience and perhaps also the peace of a long life. Don’t worry, there are still some hi-energy moments that are quite weird! Keyboardist Ståle Storløkken (who already worked on the albums Vossabrygg and Crime Scene), drummer Pål Thowsen, and the great bassist Endre Hareide Hallre were also involved. Conspiracy, recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, was produced by Rypdal and ECM label boss Manfred Eicher. A big thank you to the latter for 50 years of unique music that has enriched and shaped the jazz world from Europe. With Terje Rypdal and Conspiracy, Eicher has once again succeeded in creating another wonderful album.

ELEPHANT9 WITH TERJE RYPDAL: CATCHING FIRE (2024)
Ståle Storløkken: Keyboards
Nikolai Hængsle: Bass
Torstein Lofthus: Drums
Terje Rypdal: Electric Guitar

Elephant9 – that doesn’t sound like Norway, nor does it sound like a mix of progressive, psychedelic, and jazz rock. And no, the band, founded in Oslo in 2006 as “Storløkken / Eilertsen / Lofthus” and only coming up with the elephant name a year later, hasn’t really released any new material. The six tracks on Catching Fire are based on a live recording of a concert that took place on January 20, 2017. Keyboardist Ståle Storløkken, bassist Nikolai Hængsle, and drummer Torstein Lofthus joined forces with legendary guitarist Terje Rypdal (* 1947), a sound painter of the Scandinavian ECM sound who has brought the blues of northern Europe, between classical music and Euro jazz, to life like no other.

In the past, an album with Terje Rypdal was always somehow a Rypdal album. And so, right from the first track, “I Cover The Mountain Top” (22:18), memories of his magnum opus Odyssey (1975) are evoked. This screaming, distorted electric guitar over atmospheric keyboard pads, these long developments of dynamics, groove, intensity, and also this mood between major and minor, between sunset and night, is unique. But suddenly this band explodes briefly, sounding as if Emerson Lake & Palmer have arrived in the 21st century, only to fall back into Rypdal’s blue world after a minute. The guitarist then kicks in again in the last third with a crashing, rocking solo.

The riff-heavy second track on the album, “Dodovoodoo,” is also beyond radio suitability and Spotify success formulas at 21:28 minutes – in total, there are over 80 minutes of music on this album. Ståle Storløkken’s instrumental contributions are very dominant and, thanks to the roaring Hammond organ, the sometimes crashing, sometimes bell-like Fender Rhodes electric piano, and the Mellotron sampler from the 1960s, are deeply rooted in the prehistory of progressive rock and jazz-rock music. Rypdal rocks bizarrely again here, Blood ululates his way through his solo part without really achieving any magical moments. His world is more one of hypnotic than hard grooves – and only the ten-minute “Fugl Fønix” suits him again: here Rypdal can once more show glimpses of his melodic potential. “Skink,” the last track on this album, is a truly classic, extremely driving jazz-rock number, very much in the style of Billy Cobham’s recordings from the 1970s. After a break and a solo duel between rattling bass and distorted electric piano, Terje Rypdal comes back into play with a few extremely distorted riffs and chords. The audience at the live recording applauds, and a rocking jam session comes to an end. OK, an album with Terje is not always a Rypdal album. But it’s still fun.

TERJE RYPDAL’S MASTERPIECE: ODYSSEY

TERJE RYPDAL: ODYSSEY (1975)
Brynjulf Blix: Organ
Svein Christiansen: Drums,
Sveinung Hovensjø: 6-String Bass, Bass,
Terje Rypdal: Guitar, Sopran-Sax, String Ensemble
Torbjørn Sunde: Trombone

If you want to explore the music of this extraordinary guitarist, Odyssey is a must-listen—this album is also a good place to start. His ultra-deep, chilled bass grooves, the dark but never hopeless atmosphere of this music, and of course Rypdal’s crazy guitar spots are unique—even almost forty years after this music, which blends jazz and rock, was created. Also recommended are the ECM debut Terje Rypdal (1971), What Comes After and Whenever I Seem To Be Far Away (1974), After The Rain (1976), and Waves (1978).

No one has ever been able to create guitar soundscapes and northern blues melancholy better than Terje Rypdal, this rough-looking but shy and insecure man. When asked about his own favorite album, he once said: “… it’s more that, looking back, I like two or three tracks on each of my albums, and a few others could perhaps have been done better.” The artist is not always right.

The recordings for this legendary double LP were made in August 1975 at Arne Bendiksen Studio in Oslo – this time over more than two days. The dark, blue-black cover fascinated me from the start: a smiling Terje Rypdal sits in the open back of a van, the then 28-year-old musician in wide bell-bottoms wearing a dark jacket and a guitar slung around his neck. What at first glance looks like a Fender Stratocaster is a Fender Bass VI. The odyssey could begin.

What constitutes an album milestone or the masterpiece of a musician is, of course, a matter of taste. When it comes to albums by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, or Cream, every rock fan will probably agree that they have classic status, as will jazz fans when it comes to some of Wes Montgomery’s early masterpieces, or multi-tone fetishists when it comes to any Allan Holdsworth or Steve Vai product. But then there are the famous albums from the second tier: John Scofield’s sensational early Enja recordings Live and Rough House, Live At Fillmore by the Allman Brothers Band, and Bowie’s magnificent David Live with Earl Slick on guitar are all perennial recommendations and always worth (re)discovering.

Then there are musicians who are less well known, but whose output has had more of an impact than many believe, know, or think. And just as Velvet Underground’s legendary banana album from 1966 sketched out half of the alternative rock of the following decades, a guitarist from Norway laid the foundation for the later so current and popular Scandinavian electric jazz in the early 1970s. Bugge Wesseltoft, Eivind Aarset, Nils Petter Molvaer – they have all certainly heard the music of guitarist Terje Rypdal at some point.

His magnificent album Odyssey was released in 1975 as a double LP on the cult German label ECM – where Pat Metheny, among others, also launched his international career. Terje Rypdal, on the other hand, remained more or less a cult insider tip, even though the music from Odyssey was heard relatively often in documentaries and television plays at the time, whenever it was necessary to provide musical accompaniment for longing, loneliness, dream worlds, and mysteries.

Rypdal, born in Oslo, Norway, in 1947, recorded his first album, Bleak House, in 1968 (re-released in 1999 by Polydor); At that time, he still sounded like a British jazz-blues rocker who knew the Shadows, Peter Green, and Wes Montgomery, and was not yet quite ready to embrace Jimi Hendrix, who would later become an important influence. But he was definitely into free jazz elements and improvisation. Only occasionally did his very own signature style shine through. Later, the trained pianist came into contact with the “Lydian chromatic concept of tonal organization,” the composition theory of American George Russell, and with Manfred Eicher’s label ECM, for which he has been recording since 1972.

,Odyssey‘ is not only the name of Rypdal’s groundbreaking sixth ECM album, it was also the name of the guitarist’s band, founded in 1972. In 1975, the band consisted of Rypdal (guitar, string ensemble, soprano sax), Torbjørn Sunde (trombone), Brynjulf Blix (organ), Svein Christiansen (drums), and the fantastic Sveinung Hovensjø on the “6 & 4 string Fender bass.” For the most part, this laid the foundation for Rypdal’s music: it often consisted of just a simple, deep, concise lick that was repeated for up to 25 minutes—with an almost hypnotic effect. Or distorted lead bass melodies, very much at the forefront of the sound. Added to this were drums that played around the beat very sensitively, a sphärically distorted organ, and powerful lines from trombonist Sunde. In the case of “Odyssey,” guitarist Terje Rypdal does not actually remain permanently in the foreground – it is the atmosphere that plays there. His chordal playing with partly oblique fourth voicings is superficially unobtrusive, serving the band – but at the same time incredibly powerful and atmospheric.

And when he can be heard as a soloist, it is mostly as a single-note lead player with distorted tone, wah-wah, and a bit of reverb. Rypdal plays incredibly beautiful, sad melodies, often with faded tones (violining) and idiosyncratic roughness and drama. And where some licks sound almost awkward and somewhat stiff, the unpredictability of this guitarist, who, when necessary, can also master faster tempos and drill for oil in Mahavishnu style, never ceases to surprise. Rypdal’s solo in “Ballade” is a magnificent piece of idiosyncratic rock guitar music, his intro to “Darkness Falls” is reminiscent of John Coltrane’s late recordings, “Better Off Without You” feigns a little fusion number with playful changes, but then becomes a very idiosyncratic painting with fuzz bass (presumably the Fender VI), “Over Birkerot” conveys prog rock monumentalism, free energy, a high-speed groove, and interaction cubed in equal measure.

Who else played between jazz and rock after Odyssey? Who else brought such dirty yet beautiful guitar tones to the intellectual world of new jazz? Rypdal invented the blues of the north, a music with emotion, power, and sex. A music that reflected both European tradition and Western industrial society—analogous to the background of 20th-century African-American music. And this is where one of this musician’s peculiarities comes into play, which also creates friction. Rypdal is a down-to-earth guitarist, a blues and rock musician who has tried to forge his own path through a strange, beautiful new world. And that’s what makes him so exciting and likeable.

For me, ,Odyssey‘ ranks alongside the best guitar albums by McLaughlin, Scofield, Holdsworth, Metheny & Co. What’s more, it’s a musical highlight that, in terms of atmosphere, is every bit as good as the 70s art from the motherland of jazz – quite the contrary. ,Odyssey‘ is the European version of Miles Davis‘ Bitches Brew.

,Odyssey‘ was awarded the Phono Academy’s “German Record Prize” in the 70s, and the LP cover was embellished with a bold sticker. Later, there was also a CD edition, which was incredible: since not all eight tracks of the double LP fit on one CD due to their playing time, they simply left out “Rolling Stone,” the longest track at 23:54 minutes, which filled the entire fourth side of the LP and also concluded the album dramatically. OK, CDs were disproportionately expensive in the early years, and a double CD priced at more than 50 Deutschmarks would probably not have had a chance of selling at all – but does that justify such a catastrophic mutilation of an epoch-making album? It was not until 37 years after its creation that ,Odyssey‘ was finally available in its full length in digital form in 2012, thanks to the ECM release ,Odyssey in Studio & In Concert‘.

TERJE RYPDAL: ODYSSEY IN STUDIO & IN CONCERT (2012)
Brynjulf Blix: Organ
Svein Christiansen: Drums,
Sveinung Hovensjø: 6-String Bass, Bass,
Terje Rypdal: Guitar, Sopran-Sax, String Ensemble
Torbjørn Sunde: Trombone

One of the most important albums in European jazz—European guitar jazz in particular—is now available in its entirety on CD for the first time, decades after its creation. Even though the recently released ECM album ,Odyssey in Studio & In Concert‘ lacks the original artwork from guitarist Terje Rypdal’s 1975 milestone, and the title mistakenly suggests that this album can also be experienced in a live version, the 3CD set with its 24-page booklet in a white cardboard box offers almost everything a post-vinyl era ,Odyssey‘ fan could wish for: Finally, the gigantic track “Rolling Stone,” which was previously missing from CD and, at 23:54 minutes long, took up an entire side of the original double LP, can be heard. The booklet provides a wealth of information and a few photos on the subject, and CD3 contains a previously unreleased radio recording of the great ,Odyssey‘ band plus the Swedish Radio Jazz Group: the suite heard here is called “Unfinished Highballs.”

The music on CD3 – UNFINISHED HIGHBALLS – was recorded in June 1976: Here you can hear the Rypdal Band together with the Swedish Radio Jazz Group, with twelve horns, two basses, and a drummer, producing Mahavishnu-esque “Apocalypse” power right from the opener. But then it becomes more moderate…. A nice addition to the complete edition of “Odyssey.” . Some live recordings of album tracks, which can be found on YouTube, are also very interesting as a supplement. Although it seems almost demystifying to watch the musicians involved at work. Their concentration and the very peculiar restrained energy of the music they play are even more palpable and understandable. Yes, these were normal people who created this sound. Just great young musicians.

TERJE RYPDAL’S SIDEMAN RECORDINGS

Here is a selection for those who would like to hear more of Terje Rypdal’s recordings as a guest artist and/or sideman for other artists: I have attempted to list Terje Rypdal’s most important sideman recordings. If you are looking for a uniquely detailed and presumably complete discography (R.E.S.P.E.C.T.!), including compilations and a catalog of orchestral compositions, you will find it in Johann Haidenbauer’s list: TERJE RYPDAL – LIST OF ISSUED RECORDS

TERJE RYPDAL & THE VANGUARDS
The Norwegian band The Vanguards were a fun sixties boy band with hairstyles whose supposed wildness no one understood later on. And they could play too, clearly inspired by The Shadows and The Beatles. The then very young Terje Rypdal (*1947) was a member of The Vanguards from 1962 to 1967, who initially played mainly instrumental music. For the album “The Vanguards: Hjemme Igjen Triola” (1966), Rypdal received at least a co-composer credit for the track “Du Har Gjort Meg Glad.” Terje Rypdal was involved in the following 7″ singles and albums or compilations by The Vanguards:

Eg Ser Deg Utfor Gluggjen / Charmaine (1963)
Vanguard Special / Poinciana (1963)
En Liten Gylden Ring / Twist Little Sister (1963)
Roll Over Beethoven / Why Did I Leave You (1964)
Dream Lover / Hi-heel Sneakers (1964)
Mot Ukjent Sted / Smil, Sanger Og Solskinn (1965)
Hjemme Igjen / Du har gjort meg glad (1966)
Lykkeveien / Du sa farvel (1966)
I Cry / On My Mind (1966)
Hjemme Igjen (Album, 1966)
Gyldne September / Dona Dona (1967)
Graduation Day / Tonight, Tonight (1967)
Min barndoms by / Pass deg selv (1967)
Dagdrøm / Jeg Skjuler Tårene I Regn (1967)
Jeg Tror Jeg Drar Avsted / Min Sang (1967 )
Phnooole (Album, 1967)

Norsk Rock’s Gyldne År (Compilation, 1980)
Comanchero (Compilation, 1986)
Twang!!! (Compilation, 1990)
Vanguards Special (Compilation, 2003)

TERJE RYPDAL & INGER LISE RYPDAL
Inger Lise Rypdal: Natt for lange kniver / Dine tankers (1969)
Inger Lise Rypdal: Tried to make you happy / Tough enough (1971)
Inger Lise: Den stille gaten (Album, 1974)
Inger Lise: Feeling (Album, 1975)
Inger Lise & Jahn Teigen: Voodoo / Baby blue (1976)
Inger Lise: Tider kommer – tider gar (Album, 1977)
Inger Lise Rypdal: Inger Lise (Album, 1979)
Inger Lise: Kontakt (Album, 1982)
Inger Lise Rypdal: Just for you (Album, 1983)
Inger Lise Rypdal: Vindar / Baby boy (1984)

THE HUGGER-MUGGERS: COME ON UP / FEELING MY WAY THROUGH THE YEARS (1967)

THE DREAM: GET DREAMY (1967)
The Norwegian psychedelic rock band The Dream consisted of Christian Reim (p, org, voc), Terje Rypdal (g, voc), Hans Marius Stormoen (b), and Tom Karlsen (dr, voc). Their only album, Get Dreamy, was recorded in Stockholm in 1967. The songs sound typically mid-sixties, with an interesting openness in the arrangements: classical and baroque elements, jazzy piano and organ parts, rocking wah guitars, and lots of psychedelic reverb. I hear echoes of the Beatles, Procol Harum, and Hendrix here, and some of the quieter songs are reminiscent of David Bowie’s early recordings. Even the very early Pink Floyd is somehow present here. The guitar parts are skillfully played and really interesting, because Terje Rypdal goes all out here and comes up with effects that were truly revolutionary at the time: feedback orgies, great fuzz sounds, wah-wah, sometimes I thought I heard backwards parts, which at the time could only be achieved with great effort by playing back tapes backwards.

On “Ain’t No Use,” by far the longest track on the album (8:22 min!), Rypdal can also be heard as a singer. His guitar playing is extremely wild and musically goes far beyond the boundaries of rock. There’s no question that Terje Rypdal had already come into contact with contemporary free jazz at that time – he rocks and swings at the same time. And he also understood the true potential of the new superstar Jimi Hendrix like few other musicians. In “I’m Counting On You,” the band sounds like a mixture of Joe Cocker and early Deep Purple, again with very dominant lead guitar. This is followed by “Night Of The Lonely Organist And His Mysterious Pals,” the second-longest track on the album at 5:46 minutes, a strangely groovy instrumental jam number with a long organ solo, idiosyncratic rhythm guitar, and spacey ending.

The pop ballad “You” makes it particularly clear that the school English lyrics with their high density of “you and me” were not this band’s strong point and could not keep up with the truly unpredictable music in terms of quality. Because one track later, in “You’re Right About Me,” The Dream combines almost country-esque rockabilly licks with an art rock interlude and a swinging solo part that leads into a pop chorus with choir vocals in just under three minutes. Weird! The Hendrix tribute “Hey Jimi” is actually relatively unspectacular, with Rypdal in particular falling short of his potential on the guitar. “Do You Dream” then once again showcases all the qualities and quirks of this experimental, psychedelic young band. An absolutely exciting album.

O.S.T.: HIMMEL OG HELVETE (1969)
Ein Kino-Soundtrack von 1969, eingespielt u.a. von Terje Rypdal, Jan Garbarek und Svein Christensen!!!

JAN GARBAREK: THE ESOTERIC CIRCLE (1969)
JAN GARBAREK: AFRIC PEPPERBIRD (1970)
JAN GARBAREK: SART (1971)
Jan Garbarek: Tenor-Saxophone
Terje Rypdal: Guitar
Arild Andersen: Bass
Jon Christensen: Percussion

Between 1969 and ’71, Norwegian saxophonist and flutist Jan Garbarek (born March 4, 1947) released three important albums, which Terje Rypdal (as well as Arild Andersen and Jon Christensen) occasionally list as co-leaders.

THE ESOTERIC CIRCLE (1969) was produced by George Russell, and in addition to the American bandleader as producer, other big names in the US jazz business were involved, including Bob Thiele (executive producer) and Nat Hentoff & Michael Cuscuna (liner notes), who had discovered new talent from Old Europe that they wanted to promote. Russell had already done this by signing the four musicians to his own band. Initially, this album was marketed under the band name “The Esoteric Circle,” with the addition of “George Russell presents.”

When you hear how idiosyncratically Terje Rypdal shapes his long solo right in the second track, “Rabalder,” Russell’s commitment was both justified and courageous. Rypdal’s clean, mid-range guitar tone rocks hard, quoting “You Really Got Me” by the Kinks, briefly reminiscent of John McLaughlin, then almost of the somewhat edgier James Blood Ulmer, who would only become famous later (in 1969, Ulmer played in the band of soul jazz organist and Blue Note artist Big John Patton). In track 4, “VIPs,” Rypdal also breaks out into the free world in his solo, Sonny Sharrock-style. Perhaps he really did know Sharrock’s recordings with Pharoah Sanders, Don Cherry, Herbie Mann, Roy Ayers, or even the music from Sharrock’s solo debut, “Black Woman” (1969). I think it’s absolutely great, energetic, gripping, how Terje Rypdal plays guitar here (in track 5, “SAS 644,” you can even hear a brief wah-wah) – but it doesn’t have much to do with what would later characterize his own music. But it was important! Because once you’ve heard the free trips of The Esoteric Circle, you perceive his later playing differently, you understand his melodies and sound design in a new way.

In the title track of the album, however, things get back to business with a cool, straight-ahead swing. Bassist Arild Andersen’s presence greatly influences this music, and drummer Jon Christensen still plays here with an immense energy that later often disappears behind his more sensitive approach. And then there’s Jan Garbarek: rarely has it been so clear that he plays the tenor saxophone and no other. His composition “Nefertite” is a subtle nod to John Coltrane, while “Karin’s Mode” hints at what was to come… also in terms of Rypdal’s contribution. Terje’s tone remains clean, but he experiments with the bottleneck, uses a little wah-wah, and then subtle overdrive comes into play. He can rock, uses the vibrato bar (or is it finger vibrato?) and effects pedals… it’s the era of Bitches Brew, John McLaughlin, Sonny Sharrock, and Jimi Hendrix. The final 3:40 minutes of this album, with its relaxed Sonny Rollins plays Calypso atmosphere, conjure up something between humor and an idealized world sound out of nowhere. We can be glad that this mood-killing track wasn’t placed in the middle.

The album AFRIC PEPPERBIRD (1970), later also listed under the name “Jan Garbarek Quartet,” was recorded on September 22/23, 1970, at Bendiksen Studio in Oslo under the direction of producer Manfred Eicher and sound engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug for the new ECM label—and marked the beginning of remarkable careers for all involved. In the booklet, Rypdal can be seen with a Rickenbacker electric guitar. Too jazzy, no soundscapes – Rypdal gives the impression of breaking new ground without quite knowing what he wants to do. The same applies to Garbarek, who still plays very rough and wild here – afterwards he became tamer and was very creative in shaping what came to be known as the ECM sound.

SART (1971) was recorded on April 14/15, 1971, in Oslo. The quartet Arild Andersen (b), Jon Christensen (dr), Jan Garbarek (sax, fl), Terje Rypdal (g) was expanded to include Bobo Stenson (p). Compared to its predecessor, Afric Pepperbird, Jan Garbarek has learned transparency, despite the expanded line-up. Two tracks, each about two minutes long, were written by Arild Andersen and Terje Rypdal. Jan Garbarek was still featured on Rypdal’s solo album from the same year, but after that the two musicians went their separate ways. Here they played more alongside each other. Two personalities too strong? The former free jazz musician and the freedom-loving rocker…

GEORGE RUSSELL: ELECTRONIC SONATA FOR SOULS LOVED BY NATURE (1969)
GEORGE RUSSELL SEXTET: TRIP TO PRILLARGURI (1970)
GEORGE RUSSELL: THE ESSENCE OF GEORGE RUSSELL (1970)
GEORGE RUSSELL ORCHESTRA: LISTEN TO THE SILENCE (1971)
A few key facts in advance: George Allan Russell (born June 23, 1923, died July 27, 2009) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and musicologist whose 1953 music theory work “Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization” is considered an important inspiration for the emergence of modal jazz. From the mid-1960s onwards, George Russell lived in Norway and Sweden, where he collaborated with young musicians such as Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Arild Andersen, and Jon Christensen. In 1969, he returned to the US and established a jazz department at the New England Conservatory of Music.

Terje Rypdal (whose name was spelled Rypdahl on early Russell LPs) appears on several Russell projects from 1966 to 1971. Russell’s best-known composition, ELECTRONIC SONATA FOR SOULS LOVED BY NATURE (1969) was first released in 1971 on the Norwegian Sonet label as a live recording and was George Russell’s first big band opus to incorporate electronic sound generation – the result was inspired by contemporary electronic music, but also by electrified pop and early rock music. The jazz big band of Scandinavian musicians included the entire later Jan Garbarek Quartet with Terje Rypdal (g), Arild Andersen (b), Jon Christensen (dr), and saxophonist Garbarek, who was still flirting with contemporary free jazz at the time. Had Rypdal already heard of fellow guitarist Sonny Sharrock at that time? One might assume so.

There is no question that Rypdal learned to approach free jazz early on here—and was truly open and competent enough to master the balancing act between his psychedelic band The Dream, which was active at the same time, and this comparatively adventurous undertaking. His later music, however, was to become a clear counterpoint to George Russell’s opulent arrangements. His only longer guitar solo is clean and post-bop in style, with Rypdal’s characteristic brittle tone, but integrated into the whole that is to be accomplished here.

The album GEORGE RUSSELL SEXTET: TRIP TO PRILLARGURI (1970) was recorded in March 1970. George Russell (p), Jan Garbarek (sax), Stanton Davis, Jr. (tp), Terje Rypdal (g), Arild Andersen (b), and Jon Christensen (dr) each play three compositions by Russell and Garbarek, plus one by Ornette Coleman. And in this smaller ensemble (compared to the Sonata recordings), the individual soloists also get more opportunities to shine. Bassist Arild Andersen is striking from the outset, seamlessly transitioning from Garbarek’s very collective “Theme” to Russell’s composition “Souls,” which, due to the bass riff, already evokes associations with later Rypdal recordings. However, the horn sections and some of the piano parts initially steer the music in a different direction—far away from Europe. And this music swings, rocks, flows, grooves, and is even subtly funky—but so far, it doesn’t float. Even Rypdal’s solo towards the end of “Souls” sounds so different that I wouldn’t have recognized it. These recordings really still have a US jazz-rock flair and could partly also come from Chicago or Blood Sweat & Tears – but not from Tower Of Power and not from Miles Davis. Track 3, “Event III,” then takes a very minimalistic turn, but ends after 2:22 minutes – followed fluidly by Garbarek’s composition/improvisation “VIPs,” which is almost twice as long. Here, too, Arild Andersen is once again the main source of energy, and once again he leads into the next track: “Stratusphunk” (Russell) marches off somewhat frostily, sounding first like the late 50s, and then trumpeter Stanton Davis plays freely. Rypdal’s guitar solo has a warm tone, with a fair amount of reverb, and doesn’t convey anything characteristic of him in terms of playing. Here, too, I wouldn’t have recognized him! In the final “Man On The Moon,” a composition by Ornette Coleman, Rypdal becomes hyperactive and shreds his way through his chorus. Interesting, atypical, and always with a touch of “play it like… Sonny Sharrock meets John McLaughlin.” A tough school and, from today’s perspective, a true path to self-discovery.

Early recordings from 1966/67 appeared on THE ESSENCE OF GEORGE RUSSELL (1970). The album features recordings of Russell with a large ensemble consisting mainly of Nordic musicians, including Stanton Davis, Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Arild Andersen, Jon Christensen, and an orchestra.

GEORGE RUSSELL: LISTEN TO THE SILENCE (1971), a recording of the live premiere of a commissioned composition on June 26, 1971, ended the collaboration between Russell and Rypdal, who is somewhat lost in the orchestral action here and can only be heard properly on the track “Event IV.” Also featured were Arild Andersen (b), Bobo Stenson (p), Jon Christensen (dr), Jan Garbarek (ts), and the two choirs Chorus of the Musikk Konservatoriet of Oslo and Chorus from the New England Conservatory of Music. Not without effort.

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JAN ERIK VOLD: BRISKEBY BLUES (1969)

MIN BUL: MIN BUL (1970)
Recorded at Rosenborg Studios, Oslo, Norway, 1970-09

JAN ERIK VOLD / JAN GARBAREK: HAV (1970)

DEN NATIONALE SCENE: HAR (1970)

V.A.: BADEN BADEN FREE JAZZ ORCHESTRA – GITTIN‘ TO KNOW Y’ALL (1970)

Recordings from December 1969, featuring Terje Rypdal (g), Karin Krog (voc), Barre Phillips & Palle Danielsson (b), and Steve McCall (dr), among others. The tracks “Ved Soerevatn” and “For My Two J.B.’s” are by The Terje Rypdal Group. Hard to believe. An album by various artists, recorded during the annual Baden-Baden Free Jazz Meeting in 1969 and released in 1970 on the MPS label. It includes a track by the Baden-Baden Free Jazz Orchestra led by trumpeter Lester Bowie, a track by the Terje Rypdal Group, a track by Karin Krog, and a track by the Willem Breuker-John Surman Duo. For many of these European and American jazz musicians, this session was their first opportunity to perform together in a large ensemble.

V.A.: NDR – DIE JAZZ-WERKSTATT ’70. (1970)

V.A.: MPS JAZZ SOUND ‘71 (1971)

SUGARCANE HARRIS & JEAN-LUC PONTY: ABSOLUTELY LIVE (1971)

KRZYSTOF PENDERECKI / DON CHERRY & THE NEW ETERNAL RHYTHM ORCHESTRA:
ACTIONS (1971)
Live At The Donaueschingen Music Festival October 17, 1971, featuring free jazz greats Han Bennink, Gunter Hampel, Peter Brötzmann, Albert Mangelsdorff, and Don Cherry, among others.

V.A.: FROM EUROPE WITH JAZZ (1972)
Live recordings from festivals in Södertälje, Zurich, and Ljubljana in 1972 with Terje Rypdal (g), Palle Danielsson (b), Jon Christensen (dr), Heikki Sarmanto (p), Palle Mikkelborg (tp), and Jan Garbarek (ts). Rypdal can only be heard on track 1.

V.A.: NEW VIOLIN SUMMIT (1972)
Recordings from the Berlin Jazz Festival, November 7, 1971. Cool jazz rock with great soloists, who occasionally compete wildly with each other here. But that’s not all. Rypdal’s guitar sound is raw, rocking, bluesy, and snotty. With violinists Don ‘Sugar Cane’ Harris, Jean-Luc Ponty, Michael Urbaniak, and Nipso Brantner, Terje Rypdal (g), Wolfgang Dauner (kb), Neville Whitehead (b), and Robert Wyatt (dr).

PER ‚ELVIS‘ GRANBERG: REAL ROCK ‚N‘ ROLL (1973)

JOHN SURMAN: MORNING GLORY (1973)
Chris Laurence: Bass
John Marshall: Drums
Terje Rypdal: Guitar
John Taylor: Piano, Electric Piano Producer
Malcolm Griffiths: Trombone
John Surman: Bass Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Synthesizer

The guitar really tears into it at times. Rypdal sounds rushed, nervous, playing confused vibrato—as if he can only cope with the high-speed, pulsating free jazz setting when the tempo slows down. And then he delivers some weird surprises. Bassist Chris Laurence does a great job here. Bandleader John Surman completely dispenses with his baritone saxophone and focuses on the diversity of the soprano sax, bass clarinet, and synthesizer. A very interesting album. Recorded March 12, 1973, Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury.

DON SUGARCANE HARRIS: SUGAR CANE’S GOT THE BLUES (1973)
Don Sugar Cane Harris: Violin
Terje Rypdal: Guitar
Wolfgang Dauner: Keyboards, Electronics
Neville Whitehead: Bass
Robert Wyatt: Drums
Volker Kriegel: GuitarRecorded live at the Berlin Jazz Festival
Berlin Philharmonic Hall, November 4th and 7th, 1971

Here, Rypdal can only be heard on one of four tracks (“Song For My Father” by Horace Silver), and his clean, very warm-sounding solo sounds somewhat uninspired, even bored. It is only when he joins Sugarcane Harris‘ subsequent solo in the background that things start to pick up speed. Volker Kriegel played guitar on the other tracks on this album.

V.A.: POPOFONI (1973)
Arild Andersen: Bass, E-Bass
Jan Garbarek: Bass-Saxophon
Jon Christensen: Drums
Terje Rypdal: Guitar, Flute
Arne Nordheim: Flute, Electronics
Karin Krog: Voice
Bobo Stenson: Organ, E-Piano
Terje Bjørklund: Organ
Gunnar Sønstevold: Piano
Kåre Kolberg: Synthesizer
Ola B. Johannessen: Voice Actor

Voices, noises, instruments, free feeling on CD1 versus radio play-like waltz atmosphere with a Dadaist mood for listeners who don’t understand Norwegian in the second part of this release of recordings from 1970. “Jajajaja, jajaja…” repeats a male voice in Alfred Janson’s “Valse Triste”… and after 7 minutes, an electric guitar can actually be heard, which then plays a longer, unaccompanied solo after about 14 minutes – traditional and swinging.

The short track “Episode” is by Terje Rypdal and is reminiscent of Charles Ives‘ “The Unanswered Question.” Well stolen ;-)

„This 2LP is a reissue of the Holy Grail of Norwegian free-jazz and electronic music, Popofoni, released by Sonet in 1973. It features compositions by Arne Nordheim, Terje Rypdal, Kåre Kolberg, Gunnar Sønstevold and Alfred Janson, played by an extended Jan Garbarek Quintet. The result was performed at a concert at the art center in April 1970 and later documented on a double LP release on Sonet in 1973. It was pressed in 500 copies, and is now one of Norway’s rarest records. This reissue is produced by Lars Mørch Finborud and Lasse Marhaug for Prisma Records, 2012. Limited edition of 500 copies. Gatefold sleeve. was performed at a concert at the art center in April 1970.“

V.A.: FIRST NEW JAZZ FESTIVAL HAMBURG (1975)

RUPHUS: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE (1975)

POPOL ACE: SILENTLY LOUD (1976 / 2004)

PAL THOWSEN / JON CHRISTENSEN: NO TIME FOR TIME (1976)

O.S.T.: KJAERE MAREN (1976)

EDWARD VESALA: SATU (1976)
Recorded October 1976 at Talent Studios, Oslo
Drummer Edward Vesala invited bassist Palle Danielsson and guitarist Terje Rypdal into the studio, along with a string section and a host of brass players (including trombonist Torbjørn Sunde and trumpeters Palle Mikkelborg and Tomasz Stanko). The result is high-energy Nordic jazz, but with plenty of quiet moments too. Rypdal has a great solo in “Star Flight,” which comes across as unusually riff-heavy and chordal. The following track, “Komba,” also pulsates magnificently. Rypdal did not participate in the last piece on this album, “Together.”

Edward Vesala is a very idiosyncratic drummer and composer—and a bandleader who first organizes and then lets things fly. Cool album.

MICHAEL MANTLER: THE HAPLESS CHILD AND OTHER INSCRUTABLE STORIES (1976)
Recorded July 1975 through January 1976 at Grog Kill Studio in Willow, NY, with the Manor Mobile at Robert Wyatt’s house and Delfina’s farm in England, and at Britannia Row in London. Mixed January 1976 at Britannia Row / „The Hapless Child“ mixed November 1975 at Scorpio Sound.

Bass Guitar – Steve Swallow
Drums, Percussion – Jack DeJohnette
Engineer – Alan Perkins, Dennis Weinreich
Guitar – Terje Rypdal
Lyrics By [Words] – Edward Gorey
Mixed By – Nick Mason (tracks: 1 to 5)
Music By, Engineer – Michael Mantler
Narrator – Alfreda Benge
Narrator [Additional Speaker] – Albert Caulder
Narrator [Additional Speaker], Engineer – Nick Mason
Piano, Clavinet, Synthesizer [String], Producer – Carla Bley
Vocals – Robert Wyatt
Anmerkungen

Rypdal’s lead guitar sound is present right from the first track, just as we have come to know it since Odyssey – but unfortunately in a musical context that is less suited to him. Too fast, too nervous, too overloaded.

A surprising step after his earlier work with the Jazz Composer’s Orchestra and their juxtaposition of avant-garde soloists in a modern orchestral context, Mantler created a virtual prog rock album, setting Edward Gorey’s Freudian / gothic texts to music that owes far more to Henry Cow than Cecil Taylor. Enlisting ex-Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt on vocals and Jan Garbarek alumnus Terje Rypdal for some soaring guitar work, he managed to create a very convincing, enjoyably literary recording with potentially large appeal. The song structures are fairly consistent and the melodies often catchy, alternating from somber dirges (quite appropriate to the text) to up-tempo rockers. Much of the success accrues to Wyatt, whose reedy, intelligent voice gives exactly the right ironic inflection to Gorey’s eerie tales. When in the title track he lightly sings the opening line, „There was once a little girl named…“ then drops into a minor mode for, „Charlotte Sophia,“ you know things don’t bode well for the song’s heroine. Indeed, all of the lyrics are compelling little stories and it’s to Mantler’s credit that his compositions couch and project them instead of competing for attention. The Hapless Child has assumed a bit of cult classic status as a one-off prog rock project and it largely deserves the rep, holding up reasonably well over time.

RUPHUS: INNER VOICE (1977)

RAIN: CAMP (1977)

EGIL „BOP“ JOHANSEN: SAMSE TAK! (1977)

BARRE PHILLIPS: THREE DAY MOON (1979)
Dieter Feichtner – Synthesizer
Trilok Gurtu – Percussion
Barre Phillips – Bass
Terje Rypdal – Guitar, Organ, Synthesizer
Recorded March 1978 atTalent Studio, Oslo

The album gets off to an exciting start with a stoic bass lick from the bandleader, over which he also plays a solo with his bow. Synthesizer pads, nervous percussion, and a guitarist who is initially rather reserved: But then Terje Rypdal comes into play, with crystal-clear arpeggios, scratched strings, lots of reverb and delay, and wonderfully threaded harmonies. Rypdal had already collaborated with Barre Phillips in 1973 on his album WHAT COMES AFTER.
The two musicians share a very economical musical approach, as well as a peculiar sadness without hopelessness. Wonderful music! Phillips‘ bass solo in “Ms. P.” is absolutely touching. In track 4, “Brd,” his double bass sounds almost like an electric bass with flatwounds, while Rypdal goes on a space trip with all the familiar effects (distortion, reverb, delay, wah). In the droning finale “S. C. & W.,” colors and moods from Irish folk and Indian music collide—at the time, this was a hobby of many European musicians, often pursued with exotic guests, which was then also served up at festivals as world music sessions. Not really my thing – and Terje doesn’t quite fit into the intercultural hand-holding here either: towards the end, he fiddles his heart out with everything you don’t really want to hear from him. Maybe the guys really did have fun in the studio!

BABY BOYINGER LISE RYPDAL: JUST FOR YOU (1983)

V.A.: BRATISLAVA JAZZ DAYS ’85 (1985)

GARDEN OF DELIGHT: BIG WHEELS IN EMOTION (1987)

HUNGRY JOHN & THE BLUE SHADOWS: NICE GUYS (1987)

HANS PETTER BONDEN: UNPLUGGED MOZART AND RYPDAL (1989)

SANDVIKA STORBAND: CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FOR BIG BAND (1990)

HEINZ REBER / TSCHIN ZHANG: MNAOMAI MNOMAI (1992)
E-Musik Avantgarde

O.S.T: EQUINOX (1993)

KETIL BJØRNSTAD: WATER STORIES (1993)
Bass – Bjørn Kjellemyr
Drums – Jon Christensen, Per Hillestad
Guitar – Terje Rypdal
Piano – Ketil Bjørnstad
Recorded January 1993
Rainbow Studio, Oslo
There’s always been something of The Beauty and the Beast about it when pianist and bandleader Ketil Bjornstad preaches beauty and forgets that Rypdal’s cage door is only ajar. And Terje needs to let off steam now and then… It’s a very unique musical connection, but one that somehow complements each other, especially when David Darling mediates. The bright and dark sides of all those involved are evident, because even Bjornstad, for all his sad dreaminess, only comes across as part-time sunshine. I love this music because it not only creates moods, it can also change moods, enchant you, if you just sit back and listen and empathize.

KETIL BJØRNSTAD: THE SEA (1994)
Cello – David Darling
Drums – Jon Christensen
Guitar – Terje Rypdal
Piano – Ketil Bjørnstad
Recorded September 1994 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo

This CD by pianist Ketil Bjornstad is full of space, floating and a kind of soundtrack without a film. The 12 tracks on “The Sea,” on which Ketil Bjornstad is accompanied by cellist David Darling, guitarist Terje Rypdal, and drummer Jon Christensen, favor a rather somber mood, with some themes remaining vague and the greatest tension created by Rypdal’s rocking guitar.

ROBERT WYATT: GOING BACK A BIT: A LITTLE HISTORY OF ROBERT WYATT (1994)

O.S.T.: HEAT (1995)

V.A.: MIKE MAINIERI PRESENTS: COME TOGETHER. A GUITAR TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES, VOL. 2. (1995)

V.A.: INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL VARNA SUMMER (1995)
V.A.: COME TOGETHER: GUITAR TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES, VOL. 2 (1995)

AUDUN KLEIVE: BITT (1997)

TOMASZ STANKO SEPTET: LITANIA: THE MUSIC OF KRZYSZTOF KOMEDA (1997)

V.A.: THE SHADOWS FESTIVAL OSLO ’98 (VIDEO, 1998)

TORBJORN SUNDE: MERIDIANS (1998)
Recorded during autumn 1996 and winter 1997 in Waterfall Studios, Oslo, Norway
The wonderful Odyssey trombonist Torbjørn Sunde meets his old bandleader Terje Rypdal again for 9 minutes and 46 seconds on one track of his album (Kjære Maren) – and this track clearly echoes their cult album from 1975. Fantastic.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album gets lost in ethno-jazz skirmishes with a touch of Metheny or Miles Davis light jazz. Eivind Aarset (g), Manolo Badrena (perc, fl), Bugge Wesseltoft (p), and Jon Balke (p) were among those featured on individual tracks.

BIRGITTE STAERNES: TERJE RYPDAL – SONATA OP. 73 (2002)

RONNI LE TEKROE: MAGICA LANTERNA (2002)

V.A.: WARMTH IN THE WILDERNESS VOL. 2: A TRIBUTE TO JASON BECKER (2002)

OLE PAUS, KETIL BJØRNSTAD, KHALIL GIBRAN: PROFETEN (2003)

PALLE MIKKELBORG ENTRANCE: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN (2005)

MICHAEL GALASSO: HIGH LINES (2005)
Wakenius‘ colleague, Scandinavian guitar god TERJE RYPDAL, also appears on the recording once again: as a sideman to violinist MICHAEL GALASSO, he contributes his familiar atmospheric sounds (accompanied by percussion and double bass), weird clusters, and desperate-sounding, bluesy rock licks. In general, the music on High Lines (ecm) is somewhat dark and at times truly psychotic. But that’s part of its appeal.

MARI BOINE: IDJAGIEDAS (2006)

V.A.: SYGNOWANO FABRYKA TRZCINY: DTO (2006)

V.A.: DIRECTOR’S CUT: MUSIC FROM THE FILMS OF MICHAEL MANN (2007)

PAOLO VINACCIA: VERY MUCH ALIVE (2010)

JAN GARBAREK: DANSERE (COMPILATION 2012)

ROBERT WYATT: DIFFERENT EVERY TIME (2014)

JAN ERIK VOLD: TA VARE (2014)

EGIL MONN-IVERSEN: HIMMEL OG HELVETE (2021)

TERJE RYPDAL: COMPOSITIONS FOR ORCHESTRA

Op. 1 Eternal Circulation (1970)
For Symphony Orchestra & Jazz Ensemble

Op. 2 String Quartet (1970)

Op. 3 Capriccio (1971)
For String Orchestra

Op. 4 Orpheus Turns Around & Looks At Eurydice (1971)
Opera

Op. 4B Concerto For Double Bass & Orchestra (1973)

Op. 5 Woodwind Quartet (1973)

Op. 6 Symphony No. 1 (1973)

Op. 7 Tumulter (1973)
For Percussion & Orchestra

Op. 8 Whenever I Seem To Be Far Away (1973)
Image For Electric Guitar, Oboe, Clarinet & Strings

Op. 9 Krystaller (1973)
For Alto Flute & Orchestra

Op. 10 Freden (1976)
Opera

Op. 11 Symphony No. 2 (1977)

Op. 12 Horn Concerto (1977)

Op. 13 Julemusikk / Christmas Music (1978)
For String Orchestra

Op. 14 Piano Concerto (1979)

Op. 14B Concerto For Electric Guitar, Orchestra & Choir (1979)

Op. 15 In Autumn (1979)
For Electric Guitar, Trumpet & Orchestra

Op. 16 Shadows (1980)
Image For Oboe, 4 Trombones, Percussion & Strings

Op. 17 Keyboard Music (1980)
For Gr & Piano

Op. 18 Hulter Til Bulter (1980)
For Percussion Solo & Orchestra

Op. 19 Modulations (1980)
For Harmonica & Orchestra

Op. 20 Spegling (1981)
For Mezzo-Soprano & Orchestra

Op. 21 Symphony No. 3 (1981)

Op. 22 A.B.C. Or Adventure – Bedtime Story – Celebration (1981)
For Accordion & Orchestra

Op. 23 Undisonus (1979-81)
For Violin & Orchestra

Op. 24 Slaget Pa Stiklestad (1982)
For Keyboards, Electronic Guitar, Alto Flute,Violon-Cello
& Percussion

Op. 25 Labyrint (1982)
For Orchestra

Op. 26 Vildanden (1982)
Symphonic Poem After Ibsen

Op. 27 Telegram (1982)
For Chamber Orchestra

Op. 28 10 X 10 (1983)
For Improvisation Ensemble

Op. 29 Ineo (1983)
For Chorus, Electric Guitar & Chamber Orchestra

Op. 30 Imagi (1983-4)
For Cello & Big Band

Op. 31 Vardoeger (1984)
For Male Chorus, Trumpet, Synthesizer & Percussion

Op. 32 Metamorphosis (1984)
For Unaccompanied Female Chorus

Op. 33 Vidare (1984)
For Acoustic / Electric Violin

Op. 34 Patina (1984)
For Cello & Orchestra

Op. 35 Symphony No. 4 (1986)

Op. 36 Bulder Og Brak (1986)
For Brass Band

Op. 37 Crooner Songs (1986)
For Clarinet, Trumpet, Violin, Keyboards & Percussion

Op. 38 Troll (1986)
For Electric Guitar, Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello And
Keyboards

Op. 39 Lirumlarum (1987)
For 2 Rock Bands, Symphonic B & & Orchestra

Op. 40 Det Bla Folket (1987)
For Orchestra

Op. 41 Passion (1987)
For Harpsichord / Synthesizer, Vibraphone & Fretless
Electric Bass Guitar

Op. 42 The Illuminator (1987)
For Electric Guitar, Percussion, Woodwinds, Brass,
Double Bass & Keyboards

Op. 43 Drommespinn (1988)
For Oboe, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello & Double Bass

Op. 44 Gilde (1988)
For Basset-Horn & Chamber Orchestra

Op. 45 Over Fjorden (1989)
For Symponic Band

Op. 46 The Vanguardian (1989)
For Jazz Guitar & Orchestra

Op. 47 Sesam (1989)
For Clarinet, Trombone, & Gr & Piano / Synthesizer

Op. 48 The Big Bang (1990)
For Sa Chorus, Oboe, Clarinet, Piccolo Trumpet, Trumpet,
4 Cellos, Percussion, 2 Electric Guitars, Synthesizer
& Electric Bass Guitar

Op. 49 Soleis (1990)
For Pan Flute & Orchestra

Op. 50 Symphony No. 5 (1992)

Op. 51 Inntil Vidare (1990)
For Violin, Trumpet, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar And
Percussion

Op. 52 Q. E. D. (1991)
For Jazz Orchestra

Op. 53 Hip Som Happ (1991)
For Piano & Jazz Orchestra

Op. 54 Deja-Vu (1991)

Op. 55 Largo (1991)
For Electric Guitar, String Ensemble & Gran Cassa

Op. 56 Detente (1992)
For Three Synthesizers, Flute, Clarinet, String Quartet,
& Percussion

Op. 57 Fire (1992)
For Violin, Oboe, Viola & Cello

Op. 58 Double Concerto (1992)
For 2 Electric Guitars & Symphony Orchestra

Op. 59 The Big Bang Ii (1993)
For Oboe, Violoncello, Contrabass, Synthesizer, Electric
Guitar, & Percussion

Op. 60 Time (1993)
For English Horn, Violoncello, Contrabass, Synthesizer,
Guitar, & Percussion

Op. 61 Jubili (1993)
For English Horn, Violin, Violoncello, Contrabass, Piano,
Guitar, & Percussion

Op. 62 If Mountains Could Sing (1994)
For String Trio, Electric Guitar, Electric Bass, And
Percussion

Op. 63 Arie (1994)
For Trumpet, Oboe, Violin, Violoncello, Contrabass,
Keyboards, Electric Guitar, & Percussion

Op. 64 Zoom (1995)
For Symphonic Band

Op. 65 Sinfonietta (1995)
For Voice, Trumpet, Violin, Two Keyboards, Electric
Guitar, Drums & Percussion

Op. 66 Jubileumstone (1996)

Op. 67 That’s The Beauty Of It (1996)
For Electric Guitar & Orchestra

Op. 68 Voices Of The Wind (1997)
For Three Choirs & Orchestra

Op. 69 Wind Concerto (1997)
For Electric Guitar, Electric Bass / Contrabass,
Drums / Percussion, Sculpture & Wind Orchestra

Op. 70 Symphony, No. 6 (1999)

Op. 71 Il Canzoniere (1998)
For Piano, Synthesizer & Choir

Op. 72 Knock The Laughterdoor On Wide Wall (1998)
For Big Band, Synthesizer / Electric Piano,
Electric Guitar, Electric Bass

Op. 73 Sonata For Violin & Keyboards (1998)

Op. 74 Two Of A Kind (1999)
For Violin & Cello

Op. 75 Lux Aeterna (2000)
For Trumpet, Electric Guitar & Church Organ

Op. 76 Nimbus (2000)
For Violin, Organ, & Percussion

Op. 77 Trollspeilet (1995)
For Harp, Electric Piano, Synthesizer, Electric Guitar,
Percussion & Strings

Op. 78 Prisme No. 1 (2000)
For Harp, Cello, Piano, Percussion & String Orchestra

Op. 79 Melodic Warrior (2001)
For Four Voices, Gitar, Orchestra, Cel / Harmonium Perc

Op. 80 You Might Wish You Had A Secret Placet Too –
At The End Of The Rainbow (2001)
For Solo Harp

Op. 81 Quadrium (2002)
For 4-2 Drums & 2 Pianos

Op. 82 Tåkelursonaten (2002)
For Guitar, Synthesizer, Fog Siren („Tåkelur“), & F-16 Airforce Jet

Op. 83 Phantasma (2003)
Musical

Op. 84 Vossabrygg (2003)
For Guitar, Trumpet, Keyboards, Bass, Drums, & Sample

Op. 85 Von (2003)
For Guitar, Violin, & Church Organ

Op. 86 Violin Concerto (2003)

Op. 87 Varder (2004)

Op. 88 (?) Outer Space – The Evidence (2005)
For 2 Electric Guitars & Symphony Orchestra

Op. 89 Fata Morgana (2006)
For Cello With Effects

Op. 90 Ancestors Of The Sun (2006)

Op. 91 Thunder Of Souls (2008)

Op. 92 Solar Force (2008)
For Orchestra

Op. 93 Mesmerized – Capriccio For Electric Guitar, Woodwind Quintet And Strings

Op. 94 Horizon (2008)
For Any Kind Of Orchestra With Electric Guitar – With Use
Of Possibly Other Soloist

Op. 95 Crime Scene (2009)

Op. 96 Crimson Clouds (2006)
For Electric Guitar, Alto Flute, Corno Inglese, Bassoon & Archi

Op. 97 & The Sky Was Coloured With Waterfalls & Angels (2009)
For Electric Guitar & Orchestra

Op. 98 Havet (2010)

Op. 99 Per Ulv Goes Electric (2011)

Op.100 Symphony, No. 7 (2011)

Op.101 Dangerzone – En Rockesymfoni (2011)

Op.102 Untitled

Op.103 The Mountain Skyline (2012)
Concerto For Electric Guitar, Bass, Trumpet, Contrabass Clarinet
& Big Band

Op.104 The Sound of Dreams

Op.105 Song Of Wind & Thunders: Written For „Enslaved“ (2013)
Electric Guitar, Keyboard & Symphony Orchestra

Op.106 The Creation Myth (2013)
For Symphony Orchestra, Choir & Electric Guitar

Op.107 Sinfonia Concertante (2014)
For Electric Guitar, Violin & Sinfonietta

MORE RYPDAL COMPOSITIONS

Aerefrykt For Livet (Nrk 05.08.1969)
Film Music [With Dream] (Nrk Tv Film Directed By Kurt-Olof Sundstroem)

La Ditt Problem Bli Vaart Problem (Nrk 16.12.1969)
Film Music Score (Nrk Tv Film Directed By Egil Kolstoe)

From A High Level (1971)
For Small Ensemble

Tension (1972)
For 10-Piece Ensemble

The Oboe Players Birthday (1973)

Miranda (Nrk 03.04.1973)
Film Music Score (Nrk Tv Film Directed By Per Bronken)

Senza Gravitas (1974)
For Organ

Somehow It’s Making Me Smile Inside (1975)
For Guitar

Kjaere Maren (1975)
Film Music Score (For A Film Directed By Jan Erik Duering)

Unfinished Highballs (1976)
For Jazz Quartet

The Curse (1978)
Incidental Music For Television

Munkhavn [Aka Undervannsfilm] (Nrk 31.01.1979)
Film Music Score (Nrk Tv Film Directed By Bjorn Haavind)

En Kaerleks Sommar (1979)
Film Music Score (For A Film Directed By Mats Arehn)

Lucie (1979)
Film Music Score (For A Film Directed By Jan Erik Duering)

Chamber Concerto, No. 2 (1980)
For Jazz Big Band And Strings

Den Lange Streiken [Aka Gruvestreiken] (Nrk 09.1981)
Film Music Score (Nrk Tv Film Directed By Tor M. Torstad)

Concerto Ecm (1982)
For Electric Guitar, 8 Cellos, Keyboards And Percussion

Enigma For Brass Quintet (1982)
For 2 Trumpets, Horn, Trombone And Tuba

Syngspillet Om Svartedauen (1984)
Incidental Music

Scenemusikk Til Elektra (1985)

Den Sultende Klasses Forbannelse (Nrk 20.05.1986)
Film Music Score (Nrk Tv Film Directed By Carl Joergen Kioenig)

Arktik (1988)
For Electric Guitar / Alto Flute, Trumpet, Synthesizer,
Double Bass And Percussion

Adagio Von Mozart (1991)
For Orchestra

String Quartet No. 2 (1980 / 93)

Abiriels Loeve (1994)
Music Score For A Theatre Play

Kjaerlighetens Kjoetere (1995)
Film Music Score (For A Film Directed By Hans Petter Moland)

But The Melody Lingers On … And On (1997)
For Guitar And Orchestra

Syngespillet Om Svartedauen

Beyond Imagination (2013)

Natantis (Floating) (2015)

THANK YOU

All that remains is to ask, in reference to Rypdal’s album ,What Comes After‘, released almost 50 years ago: What’s next? What else can we look forward to? Above all, we can certainly look forward to the many great pieces of music by this artist that we already have and that can be rediscovered again and again. Unfortunately (last info of December 2025) Terje Rypdal will no longer be touring and no studio productions are planned.

Tusen takk for alt, Terje Rypdal! Jeg elsker musikken din.

A big thank you goes to Morten Mordal for his extensive knowledge and the wealth of information he has published on Facebook over the last few years. I have benefited greatly from his work and his shared knowledge.

One last music tip: In 2017, two very nice tribute albums were released, “Sky Music: A Tribute to Terje Rypdal Vol. 1 & 2,” with contributions from Bill Frisell, Hedvig Mollestad, Henry Kaiser, Raoul Björkenheim, Nels Cline, Ståle Storløkken, Jim O’Rourke, and many others.

Thank you for reading! All the best,
Lothar Trampert

ENCORE: POPSOG VS ODYSSEY

As an encore, here is an excerpt from the novel POPSOG by german author Jan Urbanek, published in 2024 at Edition Subkultur, Berlin. Jan Urbanek has been a fan of Terje Rypdal and his music since he was 15 years old – and stayed in touch even in hard times and extreme situations. Today he is back in life and still in love with Terje Rypdals wonderful music. For more information, visit www.janurbanek.de und www.subkultur.de.

50 // UNDERBERG

I dream. You sometimes have very vivid dreams on opiates, without sleeping too deeply. It’s a bit like dozing, like 10 or 12 hours after too much crystal meth. Only warm and almost without depression.

Drifting…

He had taken a banana, peeled a third of it, taken a bite, and then, clumsily disguised as fresh fruit, put it back in the fruit bowl. My father had seen this and confronted him about it. “No, that wasn’t me. You’re mistaken, Mr. Urbanek,” he said with an arrogant, slightly moronic, exaggeratedly insolent comic smile. He always smiled like that, and we all knew he was constantly lying. Dogs pooped on the street, leaves fell in autumn, and Underberg lied. I won’t go into the banalities that his surname (unless it was a lie) brought to mind. Underberg had the idiot bonus, because for a long time we only saw him as entertainment and went along with him. He never had money for fries, he had a folding bike, he probably had sex earlier than we did, he had a super nice, down-to-earth mother and a Playmobil father with a second son who was perfectly successful. Underberg wasn’t quite like that, because he only had his mother’s outward friendliness, his genetically inexplicable lanky comic book character figure, and he wore a US college jacket because an acquaintance worked for the Americans.

Some parents, acquaintances, or friends of acquaintances worked for the Americans. Only a few “had an Ami.” That’s what they called a tenant in the granny flat or attic apartment of the 98% mortgage-financed home, which had to be paid off in 35 plus X years and usually rotted away from the roof first and/or drove the owners to ruin with unexpected additional sewer expansion bills. Unless you had an Ami who was always solvent at a dollar exchange rate of four to six Deutschmarks. His salary was worth a lot, because the military were well paid in Germany and also profited from the exchange rate.

When Underberg lied so much, we weren’t even 15, and his family still lived in a small-town apartment. After moving into what was presumably a very carefully calculated mortgage-financed home, his family first had an American, then an RTL employee.

In the mid-1970s, RTL was just a radio station in Luxembourg that broadcast programs in German, French, and Lëtzebuergesch—with lots of music. Later, I understood why radio presenters, editors, employees—at that time, probably everyone connected to the station except the listeners—were sent records. Record companies tried everything to get their products played on the radio. In any case, Underberg’s radio connection repeatedly gave the landlord’s son such promotional material, at times a lot of LPs – and all kinds of stuff that neither RTL nor the tenant could do anything with. At some point, I realized how bizarre it was that the jazz label ECM, founded in 1969, was sending samples to the mainstream-as-mainstream-could-be station RTL in Luxembourg – with albums by Gary Burton, Ralph Towner, Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber, and Terje Rypdal. At first, Underberg wasn’t quite sure that these LPs could be turned into cash, but gradually he came up with the business idea and came to appreciate me as a paying customer for those jazz records that no one else wanted. In return, I would occasionally get a few of the rock LPs that everyone else wanted.

It was the end of 1975, I was 14 years old, and I remember one album in particular: Odyssey by Terje Rypdal. Nobody wanted it. I thought the cover was cool, the name was awesome, and that was very important to me and sparked my imagination. Bands or artists whose names I didn’t like always had a hard time later on: Mobb Depp, Pink Cream 69, Betontod. This record changed my life. The power of this music was my best drug-free high ever. Music from Rypdal’s Odyssey suddenly also appeared as the soundtrack in experimental ZDF formats such as Das kleine Fernsehspiel, which Bavaria then switched off and replaced with Wieskirch impressions. I was on the right side. And somehow also on the dark side, because this instrumental blues substitute by Norwegian jazz-rock guitarist Terje Rypdal was melancholic and sometimes painful.

Terje Rypdal still plays. I saw him live a few times, experienced him in light and shadow, and I had questions. But at some point, I didn’t want to talk to him anymore. I love his music because it has always been my music. Lonely, with drugs, clean, with warmth, without anything – and his “ballad” before shooting up, leaving, searching for paths, was always an absolute mood lifter or a soft bed.

My father was so disappointed by the unnecessary lie that Underberg was off the table for him after that – I registered this decision, accepted it, but couldn’t quite understand it. My father simply had more insight into human nature, because he had lived 27 years longer than me. He had seen the unscrupulousness that would later cost me and a few friends a lot of money. I haven’t seen that idiot in 35 years, but I still think about him. Maybe because lies accompany your life like misleading road signs, and the fake cops laugh at you after the bust and try to sell you back your confiscated dope at the next corner of the Rif Mountains.

I’ve been listening to all of Terje Rypdal’s music for a few days now and watching every video I could get my hands on. My goal was to experience Odyssey, to listen to the entire album in one go for the first time in a long time. I got it as a double LP, which was eventually released on CD without the 23:29 minute track Rolling Stone, which was pointless. Made In Japan without Smoke On The Water? Bullshit.

Now Ballade is playing, and just before Rolling Stone, I’m running out of drugs. It’s the wonderful 2012 reissue box set Terje Rypdal: Odyssey In Studio and in Concert that’s giving me the experience. Too stoned to play vinyl.

I pause and get dressed again.

The display flashes on and off on track 4 – 46:16 … don’t understand.

Addictive behavior. At 12:03 a.m., I’m back. I’m hungry. My dealer, who comes from Asni, openly despised me when I first asked him … But he kind of likes me now, ever since I told him that I drank tea in his home village in 1981. Back then, Asni was a large village in the mountains. That night and the day after, back in Marrakech, I threw up my guts. He doesn’t know that. He wasn’t even born then.  

Jamal stands behind his chaotic, untidy-looking counter, which is actually too low. Two bubbles lie on a colorful flyer, between tobacco crumbs, next to a pack of glass papers and two bottles of beer. One of the bottles, which he takes from the refrigerator next to him, always with his left hand, lies flat, the second stands upright. With one hand, I put the bubbles and the flat bottle in the deep side pocket of my jacket. My folded bills only spend milliseconds on the counter. At some point, I stopped paying for the beer. Sometimes I discreetly slip the special price into Jamal’s hoodie pocket while he turns briefly to the refrigerator or sweeps his kiosk or plays on his smartphone. Sometimes he says “40,” even though we both know. “Ciao.” Limited communication.

Input 1. Input 2. I eat something anyway. I don’t know anyone else who can eat on powder. I continue listening to “Odyssey.” I eat warm Moroccan flatbread with olive oil, cumin, and red ras el hanout. Two bites.

“Rolling Stone” is playing. Thoughts are racing. Running. Flying. When was it recorded? Too loud? Gigantic. “Recorded at the Arne Bendiksen Studio in Oslo, Norway in August 1975.” What were the namesakes doing back then? They were on “The Rolling Stones‘ Tour of the Americas ’75” on the American continent. After Mick Taylor left, the first concerts with new guitarist Ronnie Wood, seven months after the studio album It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll, supported by the compilation I love, Made In The Shade.

Thoughts fly towards me, swirling like thick, colourfully painted ropes to my right and left. I reach for them, thinking of David Bowie. I think of Britta from the side street off Kurfürstendamm, who lived with Amadeus, an oboist with the Berlin Philharmonic, in whose room we didn’t sleep. And listened to David Bowie’s ‘1984’.

Terje Rypdal returns to the subject.

Too Rolling Stoned. Robin Trower is coming in the fall. No, the concert is canceled. And I quickly cancel my life. Too quickly.

The advantage of opiates is that thinking people have great respect for death by suffocation and therefore take controlled doses. 500 opiate deaths in Germany are manageable. With alcohol, it’s a different story, but it’s legally normal and lethal. Just as normal as the US opioids oxycodone and fentanyl, which are still prescription-only or illegal, and which have claimed tens of thousands of lives over the decades, most recently almost 110,000 people per year in the US alone. When n-o-rmality sets in, the differences between mass killers become relative. Alcohol. In both cases, you become stupid and allow yourself to be enslaved and then killed. That’s unfortunate.

With speed and other drugs, you’ll eventually have a near heart attack. But you’ll definitely end up in the psychiatric emergency room first. That’s where you’ll get a three-digit number on Sunday mornings in any big city, and many people prefer to wait on the bridge. How sick is it to deliberately try to kill yourself mentally because you’re not getting your kicks?

My friend Belgique told me that he found the kind of balance close to the abyss where his respiratory system only worked when he was sitting up because his lungs would collapse when he lay down. No air. OK, the big disadvantage of opiates is that even thinking people eventually lose all respect for fear and consider themselves their own savior on the rope. The perpetrator saves himself, i.e., his own victim. And when you’re completely delusional, you yourself are the actual drug and the control. And the control of control. O laughs. O laughs at you.

At some point, Jamal called me “brother,” and I didn’t know whether I had earned respect or pity. He said, “Thank you, bro.” After that sentence, I knew I was alone.

Hooked.

Wednesday, January 20. Today, the world is changing.

Yeah, right.■

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY: LOTHAR TRAMPERT
PRESS PHOTOS: ECM WITH KIND PERMISSION.
EXCERPT FROM POPSOG WITH KIND PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR
TRANSLATED WITH DEEPL.COM (FREE VERSION)