It’s been a long time since Europe had a supergroup like RYMDEN. Keyboardist Bugge Wesseltoft is the creator and the founder of the “New Conception of Jazz”, the leader of the eponymous band, the founder of the influential Norwegian production Jazzland Recordings, with some twenty albums under his belt as a leader or co-leader. Bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Öström were the rhythm section of the alltime most popular European jazz band e.s.t. (Esbjörn Svensson Trio) and successful leaders of their own projects. Berglund released six albums with the band Tonbruket and Öström recorded three albums with his band. Berglund and Öström return to the Festival after an unforgettable concert with e.s.t. in Kolarac in 2006, and Wesseltoft premiers at the BJF after many shows in Belgrade in other contexts.

The great Scandinavian trio results from Bugge’s long-standing desire to work in an acoustic jazz trio. In the spirit of the band’s name (space or universe in Swedish), they see their music as a star map of the harmonious cosmos: marked by melancholic and moody pieces, dramatic rhythms, and the highest level of virtuoso jazz. Besides modern jazz, their music is a mix of influences of Bach and Chopin, film music and rock and roll – from psychedelia, to punk, to hardcore – reflecting numerous aspects of 21st-century music. The band has released two albums for Jazzland Recordings, Reflections and Odysseys (2019) and Space Sailors (2020).