Norwegian vocalist Sidsel Endresen (who sings in English) is one of those 1990s artists who demonstrates the increasing difficulty in applying traditional 20th-century categorizations to many contemporary music albums.

Although the singer/songwriter works with some notable jazz musicians, her records aren’t really jazz; although they have plenty of experimental elements, they are firmly grounded in songs, and are more accessible than much “new music.”
Her pieces also betray the influence of some rock and folk (her voice is very reminiscent of Sandy Denny’s), but bear even less concrete relationships to those forms.

Endresen has recorded a couple albums for ECM that bear some hallmarks of the label’s trademark spacious production values, but avoid sterility. Her abstract lyrics are backed by jazzy minimalist strokes that occasionally skate into dissonance.
Drummer Jon Christensen and cellist David Darling are the most recognizable of the musicians on these discs, which have a broader appeal than the traditional ECM listening base. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltof is a Norwegian jazz musician, pianist, composer and producer. He has his own label named Jazzland Records. In the 1990s, Bugge has made a transition from Nordic jazz traditions exemplified by the ECM record label to a style sometimes referred to as “future jazz” or nu jazz. He has played with Jan Garbarek.

He also received in 1996 the “Spellemannprisen” for his album New Conception of Jazz, also in 1998 and 2002 for his albums with Sidsel Endresen, Duplex Ride and Out Here, In There.

The track “Existence” could be heard in Philippe Harel’s movie “Extension du domaine de la lutte”, adaptation of Michel Houellebecq’s roman, written in 1994.

Sidsel Endresen´s Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sidsel-Endresen/212826445445352
Bugge Wesseltoft´s Offical Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/buggewesseltoft

http://www.jazzlandrec.com/