Espen Aalberg, a Norwegian drummer born on October 12, 1975, began his musical journey with the Namsos percussion ensemble from 1988 to 1994, during which the group won national competitions. He studied at the conservatory in Tromsø and in the Jazz Program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (1998–2000). During his studies, Aalberg formed The Core with fellow students Kjetil Møster, Erlend Slettevoll, and Steinar Raknes. In 2004, he established Shagma with Jørgen Mathisen and Raknes. At the Nattjazz festival in Bergen in 2006, Aalberg led Kwaz, featuring Jonas Kullhammar, Håvard Wiik, and Torbjörn Zetterberg. He also contributed to The Indian Core, which performed at the Oslo World Music Festival in 2006 following a tour of India. Aalberg has also performed classical and contemporary music with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Sinfonietta, and Luftforsvarets Musikkorps.
