Per Zanussi & Vestnorsk Jazzensemble - Li (and the Infinite Game) (2022)

Li (and the Infinite Game) consists of 10 different sections, inspired by lots of different music, often at the same time, resulting in music from futuristic funk and prog-afrobeat to Korean shaman ballads and North African free jazz, reflecting the wide range of Zanussi’s practice.
The inspiration behind the second part of the title comes from James P Carse’s book “Finite and Infinite Games”:

“Finite games are those instrumental activities – from sports to politics to wars – in which the participants obey rules, recognize boundaries and announce winners and losers. The infinite game – there is only one – includes any authentic interaction, from touching to culture, that changes rules, plays with boundaries and exists solely for the purpose of continuing the game.”

“The Infinite Game” refers to the endless possibilities we have of forming relations with people we meet, in this case represented by the ensemble who join forces to create music together. To make the compositions come to life he has gathered 11 musicians from Bergen and Stavanger, who make up the members of the Vestnorsk Jazzensemble (VNJE) for this project

VNJE is Vestnorsk Jazzsenter’s new ensemble initiative. The musicians in the ensembles are hand picked for each project. The artistic director of VNJE is Kjetil Møster, who has played on and off with Per Zanussi for 25 years, and who is also playing tenor and baritone saxophones in this project.

Gro Austgulen violin
Didrik Ingvaldsen trumpet
Simen Kiil Halvorsen trumpet
Elisabeth Lid Trøen saxes
Heidi Kvelvane saxes
Kjetil Møster saxes and clarinets
Kristoffer Alberts saxes
Jørgen Træen modular synth
Thomas T. Dahl guitar
Børge Fjordheim drums
Øyvind Skarbø drums
Per Zanussi double bass