Gordon Grdina's Nordic Sextet: The Listening
With: Gordon Grdina - Guitar
Tommy Babin - Bass
Kenton Loewen - Drums
Mats Gustafsson - Sax
Fredrik Ljunkvist - Sax
Ingebrigt Haker FLATEN - Bass
The Festival is known for programming exciting international collaborations and this one’s a beauty. Vancouver’s ubiquitous guitarist/oud player Gordon Grdina and cohorts—bassist Tommy Babin and drummer Kenton Loewen—hook up with a Scandinavian powerhouse troika—saxophonists Mats Gustafsson and Fredrik Ljungkivst along with bassist Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten. Grdina’s trio has built a burgeoning audience for its mix of ballads, improv, song-forms and Arabic inspired compositions. Gustafsson is a member of hard-hitting Nordic unit, The Thing. Ljungkvist works with Atomic, a group that mixes grooves and modes with free playing, while Håker Flaten straddles both bands. Think festival highlight.
Thanks to Swedish Jazz Celebration, Norwegian Jazz Federation, Arts Council Norway.
