Tord Gustavsen, the lyrical and scholarly Oslo-born pianist, got big with a blend of pensive improv and Norwegian hymns, but lately he has moved closer to jazz. This album, however, finds him returning to simple songs with religious roots, and to collaboration with a remarkable singer […] in the tender-toned German-Afghan Simin Tander. Tander sings Norwegian traditionals and hymns in Pashto, and Beat icon Kenneth Rexroth’s stark renewal poem I Refuse and Persian sufi mystic Rumi’s writings in English, while Gustavsen gradually adds melodic embroidery, glimpsed grooves and electronics, with Jarle Vespestad’s fragile percussion the only other instrumental sound. [ ]the mixture of the instrumentalists’ distilled reflections with Tander’s palette of hummed tones, sighing note-bends and pristine inflections represents a beguiling new Gustavsen collaboration.
John Fordham, The Guardian
Seit vielen Jahren ein Meister der Entschleunigung, bevorzugt der Norweger kleine Besetzungen, ausgehend vom klassischen Piano-Trio […] Auf ‚What Was Said‘ ersetzt nun die deutsch-afghanische Vokalistin Simin Tander den Bassisten Mats Eilertsen. Ihre zart gesponnenen Versgeflechte schweben auf einem majestätisch in sich ruhenden Fundament aus Gustavsens Klavierakkorden und dem dezenten, gleichwohl stabilen Rhythmusteppich von Schlagzeuger Jarle Vespestad. Einfach wunderschön ist das anzuhören.
Matthias Inhoffen, Stereoplay
Ein Wunder an Ausdruckskraft und musikalischer Delikatessse.
Rolf Thomas, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Their method - kind of Nordic meets Sufi – is initially puzzling but ultimately rewarding, with trad Norwegian hymns translated into the Afghan language of Pashto and sung with quiet intensity by Tander […] it all really takes off with the startingly beautiful ‘I Refuse’ halfway through. By then, you’re hooked.
Phil Johnson, Independent On Sunday
Was sich liest wie ein Gedankenkonstrukt, das in der Realität Gefahr läuft zu scheitern, entfaltet eine musikalische Atmosphäre, der man sich nur schwer entziehen kann. Simin Tanders Stimme besitzt ein Timbre wie geschaffen für die kehligen Pashto-Laute. Gemeinsam mit Gustavsen und Vespestad bildet sie ein Trio, das trotz über weite Strecken großer Zurückhaltung ein Höchstmaß an Intensität erreicht.
Thomas Loewner, SWR 2
Although instantly recognizable as a Tord Gustavsen album ‘What was said’ also represents something of a radical departure for the Norwegian. This is essentially a vocal record that contains more singing than any previous Gustavsen release and it also introduces an element of electronica to what has previously been an exclusively acoustic music. […] ‘What was said’ represents Gustavsen’s most personal and spiritual album to date, and in many respects it’s also his most ambitious. It’s further removed from conventional jazz than any of his previous albums and while it’s possible that the devotional nature of the project and the underlying air of religiosity may deter some listeners the undeniable beauty of the music should ensure that the majority of Gustavsen’s audience, a very sizeable one in jazz terms, will continue to walk with him on his continuing musical and spiritual journey.
Ian Mann, The Jazzmann
The trio presents a program of Norwegian church music, with lyrics either translated into Pashto (inspired by Sufi poetry) or adapted from the words of internationally acclaimed poet Rumi. The origins of this music almost don’t matter, however, due to the sheer beauty on display. Tander’s lovely voice could sing her grocery list and still convey spiritual yearning and uplift. Gustavsen provides backdrops of piano and subtle electronics that give her perfect support without being intrusive. The same could be said for Vespestad, who lays out as often as he weighs in, creating a near-ambient pulse that provides color more than propulsion. […] A lot of folks won’t understand the words being sung, but it doesn’t matter – the feeling is what’s important, and Gustavsen, Sander and Vespestad transfer it with honesty and grace.
Michael Toland, Blurt
However unorthodox all this cross-translation seems, Tander makes it sound completely natural. Her intimate, lyrical voice is equally at home in both languages, as well as singing wordless vocalise and improvising. Gustavson still plays the piano as his main instrument, but has augmented it with discreet electronics and occasional synthesizer bass, while Vespestad provides percussive textures or timekeeping as required. So the group is a true trio, not just a vocalist with accompanists. […] ‘What was said’ presents a quietly surprising vision of a new kind of musical fusion.
Mark Sullivan, All About Jazz
‚What was said‘ ist trotz, oder vielleicht gerade wegen aller zurückhaltenden Feinarbeit, Verlangsamung und Kontemplation ein extrem berührendes Album geworden, in dessen emotionalem Epizentrum Simin Tander ihre beachtliche Ausdrucksstärke voll zur Wirkung bringen kann. Fern jeglicher Exaltiertheit zieht sie einen unweigerlich in den Bann – gerade wenn sie nur noch zart flüstert oder haucht, beginnt es vor Intensität zu knistern. Ihr intimer Gesang gräbt sich tief in die Seele ein, auch wenn man die im sich überlagernden Grenzbereich von Christentum und Sufismus schwebenden Worte nicht versteht.
Peter Füssl, Kultur
Tander’s voice is haunting yet celestial, sometimes sounding indie and other times traditional. The songs such as ‘A Castle In Heaven’ and ‘Longing To Praise Thee’ have a monastic simplicity to them, while ‘What Was Said to the Rose/O Sacred Hart’ and ‘The Source of Now’ hover like the smoke from candles in the Narthex. Deep like a midnight service.
George W. Harris. Jazz weekly
Tord Gustavsen and his small ensemble of musicians have created something truly amazing with this album. But listeners are required to 'work' for the many aural pleasures it offers, this is not an obvious album even if its sound quality alone will be enough for many. To my ears Gustavsen has found a musical balance with What was said that suits his prodigious talent better than most of his recent work. It's a cinematic album dominated by female voice and, a first for Gustavsen, uses digital atmospherics and harmonies in the background.
Reuben Klein, The Ear
For this fascinating project Gustavsen has explored the potential meeting or Sufism and Christianity, arranging traditional Norwegian hymns translated into Pashto alongside settings or poems by Kenneth Rexroth and the Persian mystic poet Jalal al-Din Rumi, plus same instrumental duets that match the songs for beauty. From early in his career Gustavsen was associated with several respected Norwegian singers, including Silje Nergaard, Siri Gjaere, Kristin Asbjornsen and Live Maria Roggen, and this album continues the vocal thread with Tander, an Afghan-German singer whose voice exemplifies the haunting, meditative, somewhat mystical mood of much of the mainstream of so-called Scandi-jazz. She is a perfect exponent for this cycle of sensitive settings.
Bany Witherden, Jazz Journal
