When Ketil Bjørnstad invited Anneli Drecker to perform the commissioned work Grace at Vossajazz in 2000, it marked the beginning of a long and eventful collaboration. Anneli has been the vocalist on five of Ketil’s albums, singing texts by John Donne, Hart Crane, Aasmund Brynildsen, Alf Larsen, and most recently, Lars Saabye Christensen – all set to music by Ketil.

After the concert recording of Grace topped the jazz charts in Germany and gained significant attention worldwide, the duo performed at prestigious jazz festivals in London, Montreal, Germany, and Norway. Anneli already had a large international audience through Bel Canto and her own solo projects, and Ketil is internationally known for numerous solo recordings and extensive collaborations with artists such as Terje Rypdal, Kristin Asbjørnsen, Lill Lindfors, Ole Paus, and Kari Bremnes. Ketil himself says of Anneli: “I can hardly think of any vocalist who has a greater understanding of my melodic landscape. Every concert or recording session with her is a great event for me.” It was no coincidence that Anneli was one of the main guests at the Norwegian Opera when Ketil celebrated his 50th anniversary as an artist in 2019, with two sold-out shows.

Now, it’s once again the duo format that will explore both old and new material. Their last two projects, with lyrics in English by Lars Saabye Christensen, received five and six stars in the major newspapers. In VG, Tor Martin Bøe wrote that the first of these releases united three great Norwegian artists: “Handelsreisende i små, ensomme historier (Travellers in Small, Lonely Stories), written in English by Lars Saabye Christensen. Sent from 12 different hotel rooms around the world. Some of them no longer exist. None of them are Norwegian. All of them are set to music and arranged by Ketil Bjørnstad, and bound together by Anneli Drecker’s always otherworldly vocals.”

And about the latest album, Between Hotels And Time, Tor Hammerø from Nettavisen writes: “And then there’s Anneli Drecker. What a communicator! I’ve been impressed by her ability to dive into lyrics, lift them up, and invite us into them for years. Yet this time, in an empathetic and almost telepathic collaboration with Bjørnstad, she has reached a new level as a vocalist and communicator. Nothing short of magical.”