“In 2016, the Norwegian pianist and composer Espen Berg was commissioned to write for the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. With the opportunity to hand-pick a line-up consisting of 14 of Scandinavia’s most creative and prolific jazz artists, Espen grasped this opportunity with both hands and a mind bursting with ideas. MAETRIX premiered at Molde Int’l Jazz Festival in 2017 to a standing ovation, making the audience shake their head in awe. However, MAETRIX isn’t just an impressive feat, it’s also incredibly beautiful music. With MAETRIX, Espen has solidified his call to explore a kind of music where complex rhythms are paired with strong, heartfelt melodies. The name itself combines the 1999 blockbuster movie title The Matrix, with metrics. Similar to the movie, the listener can choose which reality to listen to, either intellectually by diving into the mechanical and the conceptual, or emotionally by getting carried away by the melodies and the music as a whole. The Trondheim Jazz Orchestra demonstrates yet again to inherit a flexibility and agility more commonly associated with smaller bands. Every musician add their personal rendition to the scores, transcending the music and make it come alive. MAETRIX has been performed at seven festivals and venues in Norway and Sweden, and it was recorded in Rainbow Studio, Oslo in May 2021 by Martin Abrahamsen. For Espen it has been a defining project, and many of the songs have lived on in his trio. It also laid the groundwork for Water Fabric, which was released in November 2023. As an «about time»-moment, MAETRIX will finally be available on Odin Records on Aug 30.” (Odin Records)

@ Bandcamp

“With nine exceptionally strong trio and solo albums Espen Berg (40) has become one of the most central and tone-setting Norwegian jazz musicians today. November 24 marks the release of his new album Water Fabric on Odin Records, which shows completely new sides of Espen as a composer. He has put together a hand-picked ensemble consisting of six high-profile Norwegian musicians with a background in jazz, classical, Norwegian folk music and Indian classical music. This composition reflects Espen’s ability to make any musical expression his own, and with Water Fabric he has created a melodious, boundary-breaking, and breathtaking work that both oozes with the joy of playing and also shows a deep respect for musical traditions and craftsmanship”. (Odin Records)