Trygve Seim (NO)

About

Trygve Seim has spent decades carving out a distinctive voice in jazz, rooted in Oslo but shaped by years of collaboration across Europe and beyond. His long partnership with ECM Records began with the 2000 debut Different Rivers, which picked up the German Record Critics Prize, and it launched a prolific run of recordings both as a leader and as a sideman for the likes of Manu Katché, Sinikka Langeland and Mats Eilertsen. Critics often note how hard it is to pin his sound down, which is kind of the point. Seim plays soprano and tenor saxophone and has a particular gift for ensemble writing, equally comfortable conducting a large group or pairing down to a duo. His group The Source, formed with fellow Trondheim conservatory alumni, has been a creative constant throughout his career, even finding time to collaborate with rock act Motorpsycho. A composition of his was chosen to sit alongside work by Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek and Chick Corea on Arild Andersen's ECM anniversary album, which gives you a decent sense of the company he keeps.