This website contains information and media covering orchestral creations by Jon Balke. Emerging from the groups of Radka Toneff, Arild Andersen, Eolen, Masqualero, Oslo 13  and other collective projects, Balke started exploring original orchestral concepts with the album Nonsentration (ECMrecords).  In 1992 he established the explosive Jøkleba trio with Audun Kleive and Per Jørgensen , and Magnetic North Orchestra, a 13 piece chamber-orchestral approach to improvised music . Magnetic North Orchestra was active until 2005,  touring the world  as a unit which included guests like Cikada string quartet, Marilyn Mazur, Rubem Dantas, and others. The music of MNO lives on in various collaboration projects like the august 2011 Magnetic Book project. In 2007 Balke created Siwan, another orchestral adventure, blending Baroque players  and musicians from arab traditions including Bjarte Eike, Kamylia Jubran, Kheir Eddine M´Kachiche, and Pedram Khavar Zamini. Another orchestral adventure is Batagraf, a percussion based forum of players, working in various constellations including dance and poetry. An open  project which dives into creative  thinking about rhythm, language and electronics

Jon Balke / Magnetic Music will be “artist in residence” at Molde int. Jazz festival 16-21 july 2012. Performances of Siwan, Jøkleba, Batagraf and solo piano recital plus talks on architecture and music