Composer/singer/producer Jan Bang is known for albums and live performances in collaboration with musicians like Jon Hassell, Sidsel Endresen, Tigran Hamasyan, Nils Petter Molvær, Arve Henriksen, Eivind Aarset and Erik Honoré. After a string of instrumental releases and two song based albums with the project Dark Star Safari, Reading the Air is his first vocal based solo album since 1998.

The album’s lyrical, lingering compositions, built around Bang’s voice, keyboards and electronics, are enhanced by an accomplished team: Vocalists Anneli Drecker, Simin Tander and Benedikte Kløw Askedalen, trumpeter Arve Henriksen, duduk player Canberk Ulaş, guitarist Eivind Aarset, bassist Audun Erlien and drummer Anders Engen.

Reading the Air is co-produced and mixed by Jan Bang's longtime partner and Punkt Festival co-founder Erik Honoré, who also wrote the lyrics – ambiguous meditations on loss and transience, with glimpses of hope and reconciliation: The title Reading the Air borrows a Japanese term that means "understanding the situation without words" or "sensing someone's feelings". Cover design by Nina Birkeland.

"Reading The Air" is released on Punkt Editions on January 19th 2024.