A restless, progressive artist through the last 50 years, Terje Rypdal shows he can still pack large ideas into a small band within the tighter confines of a studio.

The baker’s dozen in this Best of 2017 list reveals that fusion jazz has expanded and diversified way past its ‘Bitches Brew’-era beginnings.

feature photo: Roberto Masotti/ECM Records No, Terje Rypdal is still thankfully among us, but with a rich discography stretching back more than fifty years, the Norwegian guitar legend’s 70th birthday is as good occasion as any to You May Also Like: Terje Rypdal – ‘Conspiracy’ (2020) The Dream, featuring TerjeRead More

‘Get Dreamy’ is a little more than a curiosity for the Terje Rypdal freaks, fans of original psych-rock who hadn’t already discovered this obscure relic of its time will find much to trip over.

Apart from his trademark whammy bar-induced vibrato, Norwegian guitarist, keyboardist, saxophonist, composer and bandleader Terje Rypdal has been one of the hardest to define figures of progressive jazz You May Also Like: The Dream, featuring Terje Rypdal – Get Dreamy (1967, 2017 reissue) Terje Rypdal – ‘Conspiracy’ (2020) Various ArtistsRead More

by S. Victor Aaron If you’re a big ECM Records fan like I am, then you’d probably even remember your first ECM record. For a lot of those types, this one is most likely their first ECM. For me, though, it was Terje’s Rypdal’s Waves, which I picked up justRead More