(Jazz Contemporary) [WEB] Eple Trio [Sigurd Hole, Jonas Sjovaag, Andreas Ulvo] - 5 - 2017, FLAC (tracks), lossless

The Norwegian trio Eple Trio will release their fifth album on September 1st 2017, and after thirteen years of existence, the trio is still one of the most genre-defying and original groups on the Scandinavian jazz scene. With Andreas Ulvo on the piano, Sigurd Hole on bass and Jonas Sjøvaag on drums, the band is otherwise well connected and frequently plays, individually or collectively, with many other remarkable Norwegian musicians such as Karl Seglem, Jon Eberson, Tord Gustavsen, Mathias Eick and many more. Eple Trio have expanded and challenged the perception of modern Scandinavian jazz for many years, and through their four prior releases they have consistently brought on a new take on the genre, either based on unusual impulses and compositional methods, or by experimenting with form and improvisational structures, all while keeping tension between melody and a rhythmic undertow. On this latest record, classical music and its mode of presentation have been given special attention. Hear it on the track ‘Curious Child’, a composition by Sjøvaag, inspired by Schumann’s ‘Kinderszenen’ and also a direct link to Sjøvaags past as a classical pianist, where the phrases are timed according to length and narrative quality rather than more traditional approach of periods and standard form, thus resulting in a piece where the musicians are working both with and against each other, and where dynamics are played with utmost precision. For the opposite, listen to ‘Close your eyes’ by Ulvo. A piece where Sjøvaag & Hole creates a staccato rhythmic bedrock upon which Ulvo can show off his unique improvisational skills and the group builds the arrangement to a structure reminiscent of Arvo Pärt played by Jarrett / Garbarek / Danielsson / Christensen.

Bass – Sigurd Hole
Drums – Jonas Sjøvaag
Piano – Andreas Ulvo