The Norwegian pianist Ketil Bjørnstad was born as a musical child prodigy. He was only sixteen years old when he made his debut as a classical musician with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. He also embraced jazz, after listening to Miles Davis' In a Silent Way, at an early age. The pianist recorded his first album in 1973. Ever since Bjørnstad has been, next to Jon Christensen and bassist Arild Andersen, a famous name in the Norwegian improv scene. His thoughtful piano playing caught the attention of ECM, the label he's recorded numerous quality albums for. For example Water Stories from '93 with guitarist Terje Rypdal. The pianist also collaborated with Scandinavian rock and folk singers. Recently the album Devotions was released on the Universal label, augmenting his trio - with bassist Arild Andersen and drummer Alex Riel - to a quartet with reed man and flautist Wolfgang Puschnig. Next to being one of the best known European jazz pianists, Bjørnstad is an internationally famous author.
