"Oslo" is about Michael Wollny the masterful auteur of compelling movies, dense narratives, dazzling paintings in sound which occupy the ever-shifting ground between jazz, classical and new music. His award-winning trio receives a whole new sound palette courtesy of the miraculous free improvisers of the Norwegian Wind Ensemble.

From Oslo to the Wartburg Castle at Eisenach is a 1,283 km car journey. It is a distance which can also be travelled by a totally different route, one which also passes through all the changing landscapes in between: you simply stay put on your sofa with your hi-fi in front of you. Michael Wollny has achieved a remarkable feat in making this possible, and the story – with his explanation of how it happened – is well worth telling.From 5 to 7 September last year, Siggi Loch invited Wollny, bassist Christan Weber and drummer Eric Schaefer to Rainbow Studio in Oslo to record a new trio album. For the third day in the studio, an encounter was arranged with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble, directed by Geir Lysne. This is a group interested in going beyond its own genre, and which also has the capacity to improvise. “After collaborating live a f...
line up

Michael Wollny / piano
Christian Weber / double bass
Eric Schaefer / drums, live electronics (13)
Norwegian Wind Ensemble (01, 08 & 13)
Geir Lysne / curator (real time music)

Recording Information

Produced by Siggi Loch

Recorded at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, September 5 - 7, 2017
Recording Engineers: Jan Erik Kongshaug
& Peer Espen Ursfjord. Piano technician: Thron Irby
Mixed and mastered by Adrian von Ripka, December 2017

Cover art by Manfred Bockelmann