New free jazz power trio consisting of bassist Jon Rune Strøm, drummer Dag Erik Knedal Andersen and saxophonist Kristoffer Berre Alberts. They opened the 2012 All Ears Festival in Oslo with a set teaming with unbridled creativity and visceral fire power. The future of free jazz is in safe hands here.

KRISTOFFER ALBERTS / saxophone

An energetic and spontaneous sax player, Kristoffer Alberts has developed a personal tonal language as a member of the critically acclaimed Norwegian jazz quartet Cortex, and with the harsh noise act Golden Dawn. He has also worked regularly as a performer and composer for numerous contemporary dance and theater plays.

JON RUNE STRØM / double bass

Jon Rune Strøm is one of the new leading bass voices of Norwegian jazz and improv. Known as an extreme high energy free player with extraordinary stamina, he's leant his bass muscle to both straight ahead jazz projects as well as free improvised settings such as Frode Gjerstad's trio with drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. Jon Rune is also working with other known improvisers including Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark, Steve Swell and Raymond Strid.

DAG ERIK KNEDAL ANDERSEN / drums

Dag Erik Knedal Andersen is one of Norway's best young free players. Perhaps best known for his “hyperactive-take-no-prisoners” approach to drumming, he has been an ubiquitous musician on the Norwegian improvised music scene over the last couple of years, as well as touring all over Europe with groups such as Golden Dawn and Wilkinson/Johannesen/Høyer/Knedal Andersen. In 2010 he received the Molde International Jazz Festival’s “Talent of the year” award. In addition to his regular groups, he has performed with among others Axel Dörner, John Butcher, Thomas Lehn, Frode Gjerstad, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Stian Westerhus, Martin Küchen, Birgit Ulher, Maja Ratkje, John Edwards, Kjetil Møster and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten.



PAT THOMAS / piano, electronics

Pat Thomas studied classical piano from aged 8 and started playing Jazz from the age of 16. He has since gone on to develop an utterly unique style - embracing improvisation, jazz and new music. He has played with Derek Bailey in Company Week (1990/91) and in the trio AND (with Noble) – with Tony Oxley’s Quartet and Celebration Orchestra and in Duo with Lol Coxhill.

"Sartorially shabby as Thomas may be, and on first impression even rather stolid, he has a somewhat imperious charisma that’s immediately amplified when he starts to play. Unlike other pianists whose virtuosity seems to be racing ahead of their thought processes Thomas always seems supremely in command of his gift, and his playing, no matter how free and ready to tangle with abstraction, always carries a charge of authoritative exactitude." The Jazzmann