Bjørnstad & Rypdal have been working together since 1992, when Bjørnstad wrote a large suite for Rypdal, performed on a festival in Norway. Later Rypdal participated on Bjørnstad´s ECM-debut "Waterstories" and became later a part of Bjørnstad´s "The Sea"-quartet, together with David Darling, cello, and Jon Christensen, drums. Bjørnstad started his duo-project with David Darling (The River) in 1995, but Bjørnstad and Rypdal, as close friends, also wanted to experiment with a piano/guitar-duo, performing both Bjørnstad and Rypdal-composition. The Bjørnstad/Rypdal-duo made its first concert at the Belleville jazz-club in Oslo in February 1999, and got extremely enthusiastic attention and reviews Aftenposten, Norway's largest morning newspaper wrote:

"An outstanding duo for the future. Their music has an inner tension, which is always thrilling and never indifferent... Overwhelming!"

RELEVANT ALBUMS ON ECM:

KETIL BJORNSTAD: WATERSTORIES (ECM 1503)

BJORNSTAD,DARLING/RYPDALICHRISTENSEN: THE SEA (ECM 1545)

BJORNSTADIDARLING/RYPDALICRRISTENSEN: THE SEA II (ECM 1633)

TERJE RYPDAL: IF MOUNTAINS COULD SING (ECM 1554)

TERJE RYPDAL: SKYWARDS (SCM 1608)