The October Revolution of Jazz & Contemporary Music

The “high-velocity” (Chicago Reader) quartet Cortex is one of a new generation of ensembles emerging on the Norwegian jazz scene. Made up of trumpeter Thomas Johansson, saxophonist Kristoffer Berre Alberts, bassist Ola Høyer and drummer Gard Nilssen, the group melds influences from fiery 1960s free jazz to more intricate contemporary composition. Their music is energetic and robust, simultaneously heavy and agile, flowing as a bird of prey in open air and defying gravity.