Restored, Returned

Review

Outstanding poetry has a funny way of yielding up secrets to readers at the strangest time. Some of W.H. Auden’s poetry seemed to call upon the Norwegian jazz pianist Tord Gustavsen, when on tour in Oxford. The compositions of Gustavsen are consistently intriguing, evolving slyly at odd angles, often ending someplace completely unexpected. the band is a completely new constillation with Mats Eilertsen as a substitute of Harald Johnsen after his illness. Kristin Asbjøørnsen is one of the "old" companions of Gustavsen, and his music is fits perfectly for her distinctive voice.

Reception

The Guardian review by John Fordham awarded the album 4 stars. The All About Jazz reviewer John Kelman stated:

Gustavsen continues to be a marvel of economical invention, a player who speaks little but says much. Restored, Returned is a logical extension/expansion on his previous ECM releases, as his nuanced, tender playing eschews stereotypical references to Norwegian music as icy or cool, even as "The Way In" cinematically traverses imaginary bodies of water explored regularly by pianist Ketil Bjørnstad. But with more colors at his disposal and a greater attention to song form—even as the result feels somehow freer—Gustavsen has shaped an album even more appealing in its subtle but unmistakable experimentation[.]

Track listing

1. «The Child Within» (3:48)
2. «Way In» (4:29)
3. «Lay Your Sleeping Head, My Love» (2:50)
4. «Spiral Song» (4:01)
5. «Restored, Returned» (5:55)
6. «Left Over Lullaby No. 2» (4:44)
7. «The Swirl/Wrapped In a Yielding Air» (5:23)
8. «Left Over Lullaby No. 1/O Stand, Stand At the Window» (7:18)
9. «Your Crooked Heart» (3:41)
10. «The Gaze» (5:39)
11. «Left Over Lullaby No. 3» (3:04)

Personnel

Credits