The story behind this fascinating project began in 2023, when the renowned Norwegian clarinettist, composer and producer Andreas Røysum and the legendary Chicagoan poet, vocalist and contemporary artist Marvin Tate met at the Berlin Jazz Festival. The artists immediately wanted to combine their talents and ideas.

Shortly afterwards, the Norwegian’s group Røysum Ensemble, featuring Tate, performed in Oslo, recorded an album and embarked on a tour of the US. The influential magazine DownBeat hailed their performance at the Sound & Gravity festival in Chicago as one of the highlights of the event and described their partnership as unique.

Tate’s multi-layered poetry, created spontaneously with pathos and humour, blended perfectly with Røysum’s energetic arrangements, which defy stylistic boundaries.

In 2026–2027, the artists will continue their collaboration by presenting new premieres in their home countries and abroad.

Røysum Ensemble has been active since 2018. Its leader describes it as his dream team – the ensemble comprises his friends and favourite colleagues. Boldly blending influences from jazz, folk, contemporary and black music in its albums and concerts, the ensemble has already established itself at the forefront of improvisational music and earned a reputation as the ‘musical national team’. Its four albums have received excellent critical acclaim, and with its latest, recorded with Tate, the ensemble has reached new heights of expression.

Andreas Røysum is best known as a leading figure in avant-garde jazz and experimental music, capable of blending very different musical traditions – free jazz, Asian and African music, and Norwegian folk music. Besides the traditional clarinet, he plays the bass and contrabass clarinets, as well as the flute.

The artist collaborates with various musicians and bands. He has recorded joint projects with the Swedish avant-garde saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and has played in the bands Miman, Nakama and Marthe Lea Band.

Røysum is also well-known off stage: he heads a cultural guild and the record label Motvind Records, and has been organising the independent music and culture festival Motvind since 2015.

For more than three decades, Marvin Tate has been one of the most prominent figures on Chicago’s alternative art scene. He creates not only poetry and songs, but also performances and visual art, and teaches others how to create art. The artist is renowned for his talent in seamlessly weaving together spontaneous narratives, fictional and personal stories, political reflections, Black musical traditions, theatre and dark humour in his performances.

Tate rose to fame in 1990 when he became the Chicago slam poetry champion. His innovative group D-Settlement, combining poetry, funk, jazz and an avant-garde flair, also gained recognition. With the group, Tate released three albums, having previously fronted the Chicago funk band Uptighty.

The artist often emphasises that there was no television in his childhood home, so the family would entertain themselves by reading aloud or singing. This laid the foundations for his talent as a storyteller. Tate’s performances have been broadcast on national television, and he has won a slam competition at the prestigious Lollapalooza festival in Chicago.

Tate collaborates regularly with visual artist Theaster Gates Jr., the band The Black Monks of Mississippi, jazz drummer Mike Reed, the renowned US singer-songwriter Angel Olsen, and Tim Kinsella, frontman of the cult bands Cap’n Jazz and Joan of Arc. This year, Tate released an album with multi-instrumentalist Leroy Bach, on which he recites texts from his nighttime notebooks and diaries. Tate has performed at European jazz festivals with various stage partners.

He is a permanent resident and partner at the avant-garde Chicago theatre Theatre Y, where he creates sculptures from found and discarded objects, often reflecting on the memory of marginalised communities and social injustice. Believing in the power of creativity to change society, Tate also teaches poetry and art to young people and prisoners.