Ketil Bjørnstad has been active in improvised jazz-oriented music since the '70s. Classically trained, he performed as a soloist with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969. When he heard Miles Davis' In a Silent Way, however, the pianist decided to switch careers and head toward jazz. He led his first session in 1973 (a quartet outing with Jon Christensen and Arild Andersen) that was one of several he would cut for Philips. Bjørnstad was a natural to be featured on ECM, yet surprisingly he would not debut for that label for two more decades. In the meantime he appeared on 30 recordings and wrote 18 books (including 14 novels) in Norway. In 1993, Bjørnstad recorded the 12-part Water Stories for ECM, with a quartet that co-starred guitarist Terje Rypdal. ~ Scott Yanow