All About Jazz reviewer John Kelman put the trio's distinctive character beautifully: "As silence can sometimes speak as loudly as thunder, and insofar as careful elaboration of melody can be just as compelling as more vivid expansion, Gustavsen's trio makes a clear case for the elusive power of restraint."
Gustavsen phrases it romantically, that his music is "about loving every note". It is this very tendency of playing what you like, rather than what you ought to play between passages, together with the elaborated yet elegant lyrics of the tunes, that creates this unique aesthetic and the kind of feeling you will not have very often in reality, but in dreams."
Here's a playlist of his three albums so far, not including the several in which he collaborated with Silje Nergaard. Like the best ambient music, this can be a marvellous accompaniment to a relaxed evening, rarely insisting on attention, but truly rewarding it if given.
It's not all contemplative; check out track 009 to see how funky he can be..
