Trygve Seim - "Different Rivers"
Since 1999, Trygve Seim has worked closely with the legendary producer Manfred Eicher. With a total of 23 releases produced by Manfred Eicher, Trygve Seim is actually the Norwegian musician of his generation (and younger) with the most releases on ECM Records. Only the legends Garbarek, Rypdal, Andersen and Christensen have more.
The Trygve Seim Ensemble was formed in 1993, then under the name Trondhjems Kunstorkester. It was led by Seim, and the ensemble used Seim's then sketchy compositions as a basis for (sometimes wild) improvisations. The name was changed to Trygve Seim Ensemble in 1998, when Seim began writing fully composed music for the ensemble.
The ensemble has released two CDs (in Trygve Seim's name) on the prestigious German record label ECM Records: Seim's debut CD "Different Rivers" and the follow-up "Sangam".
The Trygve Seim Ensemble has a unique instrumental composition, and the members consist of highly skilled ensemble musicians who are also outstanding soloists:
Arve Henriksen - trompet
Øyvind Brække - trombone
Lars Andreas Haug - tuba
Svante Henryson - cello
Frode Haltli - trekkspill
Trygve Seim - saxofoner/komposisjoner
Torben Snekkestad - saxofoner
Embrik Snerte - fagott og kontraforte
Håvard Lund - klarinetter
Per Oddvar Johansen - trommer
Sven Persson - lydtekniker
"Different Rivers" received the prestigious German critics' award Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik for the world's best jazz CD in 2000, and was also awarded Stereoplay's "CD des Monats", Fono Forum's "Stern des Monats" and Jazzman's "Choc du mois".
Both "Different Rivers" and "Sangam" were praised by a united international press, with glowing reviews even in The New York Times:
"Different Rivers is melancholy, lonely, hypnotizing music - harder to escape from than to listen to. Like a fireplace in an ice palace, you get hooked on it; it's almost physical" (Mike Zwerin),
The Guardian:
"Different Rivers is destined to become one of ECM's classics" (John Fordham),
Financial Times Deutschland:
"Trygve Seim, a sound architect who creates astonishing spaces with conventional building materials, twelve musicians and natural sounds" (Stefan Hentz),
When ECM Records celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019, Manfred Eicher chose "Different Rivers" to be one of the 50 ECM Touchstone CDs marking the 50th anniversary (one album from each of ECM's 50 years). Eicher also decided that the Trygve Seim Ensemble would perform at the anniversary concert that ECM organized in the Sendesaal Bremen during JazzAhead that year. London Jazz News wrote the following about this concert:
"One concert from the Norwegian programming strand stood out from everything else at jazzahead! this year as my unquestioned musical high-point. It was the ten-piece Trygve Seim Large Ensemble who were given the opportunity to present an event in ECM Records ongoing 50-year celebration in the wonderful acoustic of the Sendesaal Bremen. Seim's compositions are remarkable for their logic, clarity and development. And for a large ensemble to play with this degree of understanding of an idiom, with such a natural organic flow of music, balance, a combination of making individual statements but also contributing to the greater picture… this was a concert to remember.”
Nattjazzen i Bergen wrote the following when the Trygve Seim Ensemble last played a concert there in 2021:
"Trygve Seim has an enormous melodic flair, knows how to get the best out of his fellow musicians, and it is a joy to listen to the detailed detours he takes along the way in the music. With his lyrical compositions, it is natural that Seim received the attention of Manfred Eicher, which has resulted in a large number of records on ECM Records. He has a handpicked group with him, each of whom is a world-class instrumentalist, and together they make beautiful music for the heart and mind."