Wesseltoft, Bugge & Prins Thomas

***BACK IN STOCK!!! Smalltown Supersound is proud to announce BUGGE WESSELTOFT and PRINS THOMAS, the self-titled collaborative album between, respectively, the Norwegian jazz legend and the space disco auteur. The Rainbow Studio in Oslo is a familiar name to anyone who follows the ECM label—many of its classic 1970s jazz albums were recorded there under the eye of resident producer Jan Erik Kongshaug. Bugge and Thomas booked a couple of sessions at the legendary space with Kongshaug at the controls, and improvised some tunes in the style and spirit of some of their favourite ECM moments, like the fresh, open sounds of Codona, Egberto Gismonti, Oregon and Kenny Wheeler. Bugge had previously done a remix of Thomas’s "Bobletekno" in 2015 but this is the first time they have worked together as active musicians. The results—also partly taped at Thomas’s home studio—fuse programmed rhythms, live synths and percussion, all captured in sumptuously spacious acoustics. For an even more authentic touch they called up one of their all time local heroes and one of Norway’s most famous jazz drummers, JON CHRISTENSEN, who’s been the go-to guy for Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Keith Jarrett and many more. At 75 years he’s still pretty spry behind the kit, as you’ll hear on several tracks here. Make no mistake, though, this is not retro pastiche but contemporary music, coasting on gently insistent programmed grooves and bubbling basslines. The whole thing feels not so much like a consciously hip fusion of DJ and jazz musician, more like two great musicians totally enjoying themselves, which is exactly what it is.