"Thomas is born and raised in Skien,Telemark. With a bachelor degree from the University of Stavanger, and Masters from The Norwegian Academy of Music, he is a part of the strong young Norweigan jazz elite. He has done extensive touring in Scandinavia, Europe, Japan and USA, with both his own projects and as a sideman in several other bands.

His main project is Cortex, which is a quartet consisting of Thomas, Kristoffer Alberts, Ola Høyer and Gard Nilssen. Cortex is a Norwegian band which plays enerergetic jazz of the finest brand. With over one hundred live perfomances and four highly acclaimed albums, they position themselves as one of the strongest additions to the Norwegian jazz scene.

Thomas is also active in several other projects, such as: All Included, Friends & Neighbors, Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit, and Scheen Jazzorkester.

Thomas currently lives in Skien, working as a freelance trumpet player and composer. Thomas has in recent years toured and played at several festivals and clubs at home and abroad, with both his own and others projects. For projects and livedates, check the pages on the menu at the top of the page."

"Mats Aleklint is a freelance trombone player, born 1979, that lives in Stockholm, Sweden.

I work mostly in the fields of improvisation and jazz, but also blues, soul, theater music, pop and rock. I have been working as a freelance since the year 2000, and touring in Sweden, Norway, Canada, Slovenia, Portugal, England, Germany, and many other countries. Toured with/Recorded with: Alberto Pinton Quintet, YunKan10, Torbjörn Zetterberg Octet, Norrbotten Big Band, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Dave Holland, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra, The Thing XXL, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Brus Trio+2, Big Band Splash, Per-Henrik Wallin, Harmonica Henry, Lisa Ullén Quartet, Blacknuss, Angles, Je Suis!, All Included, LED, and many many others. I also have a band of my own, Mats Äleklint Kvartett."

"Saxophonist Kasper Vaernes is konwn for his work with Greasy Gravy, Knut Værnes Group, Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit, and Sjøorm."

"Studied music at the jazzdepartment of the Trondheim music conservatory 2000-2004 and is now located in Oslo working mostly with improvised music and free jazz. I the recent years the most active groups have been Ballrogg, Trondheim jazzorchestra and his own group Klaus Holm Kollektif, who were awarded "Young Nordic Jazzcomets 2003". Holm plays improvised music with the Norwegian quartet Murmur and has worked with international artists such as Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Ingar Zach, Jim Denley, Raymond Strid, Axel Dörner og Mattias Ståhl. He has been touring festivals and jazzclubs in several countries in both Europe, America and Asia. The last years he has also composed music for various chamber music settings and also music for film."

"Borre Molstad is a tuba player, a member of Cabinet Trio, Circulasione Totale Orchestra, and Paal Nilssen-Love's Large Unit."

"Ketil Gutvik, jazz- guitarist/composer/improviser, born in Norway 1972. His style of playing and writing is inspired by the sixties American jazz, but also contemporary European jazz and impro-music has been a major influence to him. He is also a huge admirer of Sonny Rollins recordings from the fifties.A native of Trondheim, but moved to Oslo in 1992. During the mid nineties he formed what would become his major artistic project for many years, the quartet Presence. At this time he also joined vocalist Marvin Charles' trio with bassist Eivind Opsvik. In 1994 Ketil was introduced to the young pianist Håvard Wiik. From 95 to 98 they worked together regularly in different constellations. In 1996 Ketil formed the trio, plusthree, together with bassplayer Eivind Opsvik and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. A private recordingsession of this trio with guests, summer 98, resulted in the sensational and critically acclaimed impro-group, The Quintet. From 97 to 99 Ketil run the weekly jazzclub concept, Drazztic Acoustic, at Oslo's hippest scene for DJs and club music, Jazid Club. Drazztic Acoustic evolved into the most important venue for free music in Norway at the time . The quartet, Walkie Talkie, with alto saxophonist Frode Nymo, was formed summer 2000. The group's repertoire has been based upon (bassist) Per Zanussi- and Gutvik-compositions, and it's activity includes several festival- and club-concerts. Together with other improvising musicians from different musical genres Ketil started the impro concert series, Fritt Fall (means: free fall), at the club Blå in the beginning of 2001. After this Ketil has performed regularly at Blå with free improvised music in many different constellations. A Fritt Fall-concert in 2001 led into the impro-ensemble, Gutvik/Vinaccia/Wallumrød/Kornstad. This group did a number of successful club- and festival-concerts in both 2001 and 2002. In 2002 Ketil met Klaus Ellerhusen Holm for the first time, and this meeting sparked their strong and lasting duo (Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2005, Oslo Jazzfestival 2005). At the beginning of 2003 Ketil also formed a duo with saxophonist Kjetil Møster. The duo toured Norway in 2003 and 2004. After avoiding the classic guitar-trio-fomat for many years Ketil formed a trio with drummer Per Oddvar Johansen and bassist Per Zanussi back in 2001. Playing trio again inspired him to write and play music in a different way and after hearing Jack deJohnette's first Special Edition album from '79 in 2003, he got new ideas to the concept of combining written and free form music within the same group. He decided to start a group with the guitar trio sound at the core, sorrounded by strong saxophone voices. Ketil Gutvik F E M did it's first concert at Ketil's summer concert series, Gutvik Ukentlig, in 2003. By 2005 this was Ketil's major project having toured Norway and Sweden, played at Oslo Jazz Festival in 2004 and Kongsberg Jazz Festival in 2005. Also to be mentioned is the Gutvik&Hana Drum-ensemble. This group, with guitarist Anders Hana and two drummers, did a number of concerts from summer 2004. Other groups and projects include the duo with Klaus Ellerhusen Holm. Duo with Kjetil Møster. Trio with Atle Nymo and Mats Monstad. Quartet with Øyvind Brække, Eivind Opsvik, and Andreas Bye. Trio with Stig Rennestraum and Bjørn Thevik. Quartet with Kjetil Møster, Niklas Korssell, Johan Berthling. Duo with Tanja Orning. Quartet with Frode Gjerstad. Duo with Niklas Korssell. In 2007, after working on and off with a big number of projects for several years, Ketil decided to focus on just a one impro-group besides a few duo-collaborations. With noise-tuba-wizard Børre Mølstad and the amazing drummer Dag Erik Knedal Andersen the trio NO, GUTVIK performed several concerts in 2007. NO, GUTVIK works in the field of improvised texture music with noise- and freejazz-elements. Other activities the latest years includes duo with Michael Francis Duch, duo with Harald Fetveit, duo with english percussionist Patrick Farmer, duo with Frode Gjerstad, duo with Espen Reinertsen, duo with Axel Dörner, duo with english guitarplayer John Russell.

Through his permanent groups and different projects Ketil works/has worked with musicians like; Paal Nilssen-Love, Nils-Olav Johansen, Knut Riisnæs, Carl Magnus Neumann, Bjørnar Andresen, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Vidar Johansen, Eivind Opsvik, Christian Wallumrød, Håkon Kornstad, Johan Berthling, Kjetil Møster, Paolo Vinaccia, Frode Nymo, Håvard Wiik, Per Oddvar Johansen, Petter Wettre, Mats Eilertsen to mention a few."

"Lasse Marhaug (b. 1974) has since the early 1990s been one of the most active artists in the Norwegian noise/experimental music scene. As a performer and composer he has contributed to well over 300 CD, vinyl and cassette releases over the years, as well as extensive touring and performing live on all continents of the world. In addition to his solo work, Marhaug has collaborated with several artists in the fields of noise, experimental, improv, jazz, rock and extreme metal, as well as working with music and sound for theatre, dance, installations, film and video. In the mid-90s Marhaug started TWR Tapes (still going) and Jazzassin Records (ended 2001). In the 2000s he started the record labels Pica Disk and Prisma Records. In 2011 he started his own print publishing called Marhaug Forlag. He has also been active as an organizer, promoter and producer. Marhaug was born in the northern regions above the arctic circle of Norway, but currently lives in Oslo."

"Strøm grew up on an island in the north-west of Norway. Influenced u. A. By Gary Peacock and Frode Gjerstad , with the first shots were (East of the West, 2011), he plays in the Norwegian free jazz scene with Paal Nilssen-Loves Group Large Unit, Petter Wettre and Mats Gustafsson Nu Ensemble, also with musicians like Mats Äleklint , John Dikeman , Martin Kitchen , Thomas Johansson and Tollef Østvang in formations such as SAKA Trio, Universal Indians, All Included and Friends & Neighbors. 2013, it issued a solo album Jøa.

"Andreas Wildhagen was raised in Oslo and attended the Norwegian Academy of Music in 2012, earning his Masters degree in 2014. He is a sought-after jazz drummer and participates on a series of records with bands like like Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit, Nakama, Lana Trio, Momentum, Jonas Cambien Trio, and Mopti. He has released a solo drum album in 2016 on the Nakama Records label, No Right No Left"

"Paal Nilssen-Love was born in Molde, Norway, Dec 24. 1974, and raised at a jazz club in Stavanger, run by his parents. It was natural to choose his fathers drums as his instrument and jazz as his work. From 1990 on he took actively part in the jazz milieu in Stavanger and joined bands with established musicians such as trumpeter Didrik Ingvaldsen and saxophonist Frode Gjerstad. In many ways, these collaborations were essential as they pointed out the directions for Paal's later musical development and career. During his studies at the Jazz dept at the University in Trondheim, where the first self initiated bands were established, things developed really fast - and Paal was nationally acknowledged at the age of 20.

The forming of the quartet Element in 1993 in many ways represented the start of a new phase in Paal's musical life. Element musically became a platform for several other groups with bassist Flaten and pianist Wiik, and lead to collaborations with Iain Ballamy and Chris Potter, amongst others. Paal moved to Oslo in 1996, where he joined and/or took part in the forming of bands like Vindaloo, SAN, Håkon Kornstad Tio, The Quintet and Frode Gjerstad Trio. He later on got more into self initiated projects and collaborations with Swedish musicians, such as pianist Sten Sandell and saxophonist Mats Gustafsson.

Paal played his first solo concert in 1999, and since then the solo concept has been an important part of his work: "Everyone should try doing some solo work, just to feel who you really are and what gets you going". His solo album "Sticks and stones" was put out in 2001 on SOFA Rec.

Being active in several bands at the same time has always been Paal's deliberate working method. He is constantly conscious about the projects he is in, as his participation in each and one of them is fully dedicated. Playing is not about getting from start to goal, but rather being in an everlasting process, a continuous movement where each new piece of music performed is a prolongation of the latest. Hence, keeping focused and concentrating all energy around what's happening there and then is of greatest importance - as is the freedom in the music, the ability of being free within the expression.

All bands, although various styles and musical versatility in general, represent important pieces that make up a total, and all bands are formed or joined with a clear vision. Today Paal's portfolio includes Atomic, School Days, The Thing, Frode Gjerstad Trio, Sten Sandell Trio, Scorch Trio, Territory Band, FME, and various duo projects such as with reedmen Ken Vandermark, John Butcher, Mats Gustafsson, organist Nils Henrik Asheim and noise wizard Lasse Marhaug. And not to forget the recently joined Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet."