The Soundtrack of My Home
MUSIC DANCES WHEN YOU SLEEP december 2020 " Norway along with the rest of Scandinavia has long been known to produce some mighty fine neoclassical and ambient music, a pattern which Kjetil Jerve continues with his recently released piano gem entitled "Jon Eirik". Swinging elegantly on a delightful melody, the composition immerses the listener with its feather-light delivery and a captivating momentum. The strength of the momentum is owed up to the intricate relationship between the left and right hands, with the melody falling neatly between the accompaniment notes. Having established the piece as an eternal engine of tranquility, the composer allows for beautiful elaborations to happen, ones that are notable but not distracting in their core. Put your hands together for another prime addition to our Scandinavian neoclassical collection." - RJ
GIVEITASPIN december 2020 " There are certain, all-encompassing moments in our lives, where the focus is so heightened, the rest of the world ceases to exist for that singular point in space/ time. Often, these memories stay with us for the remainder of our days, imprinting themselves on our character so deeply that we are unable to escape them – some might argue, they become ingrained in our DNA, & will follow for generations to come. ‘Mette‘, the newest single by Kjetil Jerve – a Norwegian word which roughly translates to ‘Saturating’ in English – is an aptly titled, splendid representation of the emotions evoked/ invoked through masterful composition. Full-of-life, gentle textures absorb the listener, with organic, acoustic ambience encompassing the moment – one can imagine the room: wooden floors, a warming sunlight cast through the curtains, someone finishing a project just outside the window; &, of course, the ever-gracious piano. Real-life implementations in the work only add to the tangibility of the performance – sophisticated & mollifying blue notes, elegant ‘accidentals’, & other such beautifully humanistic elements, which layer the work with a venturesomeness that captivates the imagination. The rhythm alone is enough to maintain audial attention, with a stuttering arpeggio tap dancing on the snowflakes falling in the melodically conjured landscape. It’s no simple feat to becharm so minimally; so subtly – Kjetil Jerve does so with profound grace – & to heavy effect. Hopefully, more music is on the way – find out for yourself by following further below:" - Charles Davis
RødssalG nEEn GlassdøR
AVANTSCENA february 2018 "“RødssalG nEEn GlassdøR” was released in January by “Dugnad Records”. The improvisations by Erlend Olderskog Albertsen (double bass & compositions), Martin Myhre Olsen (alto saxophone), Erik Kimestad Pedersen (trumpet), Kjetil Jerve (piano) and Andreas Wildhagen (drums). Energetic, dynamic, vibrant and expressive improvising style by all musicians always create original sound of quintet improvisations. The musicians expressively, masterfully and effectively combine together many different music styles, playing techniques, manners and sounds. The traditions of Scandinavian, Europe and American avant-garde jazz, bebop, hard-bop, post-bop and other various modern jazz styles are masterfully combined in one place. The highest attention is always paid to extraordinary sounds searches, creative and spontaneous improvising. Musicians don’t hesitate to try out out shocking plaing techniques, extract weird and unusual sounds, improvise originally and extraordinary. All musicians of this ensemble have been playing together many times – different and contrasting musical languages, rhythms, melodies, intonations, harmonies and other elements of musical language gently fit together in one place. This album compositions have interesting sound and original playing manner, The musicians create a constantly changing an dynamic musical language. Different timbres, sounds, huge range of different rhythms, tempos, dynamics, scales and harmony pitches are masterfully connected together. Solid melosic section, strong and loud rhythmic, original and interesting sounds, powerful and turbulent collective improvisations and many other elements are heard in these improvisations. Al to saxophone improvisations have bright and vivacious sound. The Myhre Olsen has a specific and vivid improvising manner, which is based on different jazz styles synthesis – melodic, soft and romantic traditional jazz solos, swing episodes are connected together with turbulent and powerful, loud and shrieky solos. Virtuosic and wild fast arpeggios, colorful and striking solos, expressive and passionate improvisations – all these elements are the main elements of the saxophone improvisations. Trumpet improvisations are bright and loud. It bring live, energy and powerful sound to the improvisations. The trumpeter Erik Kimestad Pedersen synthesizes together traditional and innovative playing techniques, different musical expressions, feelings and moods. Sometimes his playing is playful, joyful and bright, sometimes – dramatic, nostalgic, soft and slow. Piano solos have interesting harmonic background, dynamic rhythmic and expressive melodies. Spontaneous solos, wild fast melodies with virtuosic passages, powerful and loud tremolos and trills, soft and peaceful melodies, romantic solos, swing episodes, piano jazz elements, turbulent collective improvisations and many other elements are heard in Kjetil Jerve improvisations. Double bass improvisations by Erlend Olderskog Albertsen have vibrant and subtle sound. It makes an effort to rhythmic – make ir more dynamic and expressive. Vibrant, solid, vivid and striking sound of double bass improvisations makes an effort to melodic section and is an essential element of rhythmic section of these improvisations. Andreas Wildhagen drums solos gently and organically fit together with the other instruments – independent, solid and colorful drums improvisations are full of loud and active solos, powerful tremolos, sudden trills, soft and gorgoeus solos, unusual timbres and sounds, all kinds of rhythmic formulas. Bright, colorful and interesting sound is made by innovative and original improvising."
SALT PEANUTS january 2018 "Norwegian double bass player Olderskog Albertsen began to compose the pieces for his debut album on the winter of 2014 while he was keeping his friends’ apartment. He began to experiment with compositional concepts of moving of backwards and forwards that played a key role in this project, both verbally and musically, reversing music notation in his music notation program. Soon Albertsen discovered that there is more coherency than cacophony in these compositional ideas. Albertsen, known from the groups Akmee and Filosofer, framed his compositions in a futuristic sci-fiction story about the Seekers of the Origin. These Seekers save the planet RødssalG nE that is dangerously close to the borderline of the 4th dimension and may disappear in a black hole, by transcending this planet to the 5th dimensions. There is also a subplot about this planet’s moon Nano that somehow manages to return to the 4th dimension and collides with RødssalG nE. But much more important is Albertsen’s choice of experienced and upcoming musicians – pianist Kjetil Jerve, sax player Martin Myhre Olsen, trumpeter Erik Kimestad Pedersen, drummer Andreas Wildhagen and trombonist Nilas Granseth. This fine ensemble charges Albertsen’s complex, modern jazz composition with a sense of joyful playfulness and restless urgency. There are no signs of schizophrenia, despite Albertsen’s unique compositional ideas. Once the sextet settles on a tough groove it plays like any jazz outfit that explores an edgy, intense interplay, even if Albertsen’s charts dictate parallel tempos, chaotic sounding chord changes and counter-melodies that go forward and backwards simultaneously. Still, one wish that this long journey to the planet nEEn will be much shorter and focused, even though it offers enough enjoyable moments. - Eyal Hareuveni
MUSIC DANCES WHEN YOU SLEEP december 2020 " Norway along with the rest of Scandinavia has long been known to produce some mighty fine neoclassical and ambient music, a pattern which Kjetil Jerve continues with his recently released piano gem entitled "Jon Eirik". Swinging elegantly on a delightful melody, the composition immerses the listener with its feather-light delivery and a captivating momentum. The strength of the momentum is owed up to the intricate relationship between the left and right hands, with the melody falling neatly between the accompaniment notes. Having established the piece as an eternal engine of tranquility, the composer allows for beautiful elaborations to happen, ones that are notable but not distracting in their core. Put your hands together for another prime addition to our Scandinavian neoclassical collection." - RJ
GIVEITASPIN december 2020 " There are certain, all-encompassing moments in our lives, where the focus is so heightened, the rest of the world ceases to exist for that singular point in space/ time. Often, these memories stay with us for the remainder of our days, imprinting themselves on our character so deeply that we are unable to escape them – some might argue, they become ingrained in our DNA, & will follow for generations to come. ‘Mette‘, the newest single by Kjetil Jerve – a Norwegian word which roughly translates to ‘Saturating’ in English – is an aptly titled, splendid representation of the emotions evoked/ invoked through masterful composition. Full-of-life, gentle textures absorb the listener, with organic, acoustic ambience encompassing the moment – one can imagine the room: wooden floors, a warming sunlight cast through the curtains, someone finishing a project just outside the window; &, of course, the ever-gracious piano. Real-life implementations in the work only add to the tangibility of the performance – sophisticated & mollifying blue notes, elegant ‘accidentals’, & other such beautifully humanistic elements, which layer the work with a venturesomeness that captivates the imagination. The rhythm alone is enough to maintain audial attention, with a stuttering arpeggio tap dancing on the snowflakes falling in the melodically conjured landscape. It’s no simple feat to becharm so minimally; so subtly – Kjetil Jerve does so with profound grace – & to heavy effect. Hopefully, more music is on the way – find out for yourself by following further below:" - Charles Davis
RødssalG nEEn GlassdøR
AVANTSCENA february 2018 "“RødssalG nEEn GlassdøR” was released in January by “Dugnad Records”. The improvisations by Erlend Olderskog Albertsen (double bass & compositions), Martin Myhre Olsen (alto saxophone), Erik Kimestad Pedersen (trumpet), Kjetil Jerve (piano) and Andreas Wildhagen (drums). Energetic, dynamic, vibrant and expressive improvising style by all musicians always create original sound of quintet improvisations. The musicians expressively, masterfully and effectively combine together many different music styles, playing techniques, manners and sounds. The traditions of Scandinavian, Europe and American avant-garde jazz, bebop, hard-bop, post-bop and other various modern jazz styles are masterfully combined in one place. The highest attention is always paid to extraordinary sounds searches, creative and spontaneous improvising. Musicians don’t hesitate to try out out shocking plaing techniques, extract weird and unusual sounds, improvise originally and extraordinary. All musicians of this ensemble have been playing together many times – different and contrasting musical languages, rhythms, melodies, intonations, harmonies and other elements of musical language gently fit together in one place. This album compositions have interesting sound and original playing manner, The musicians create a constantly changing an dynamic musical language. Different timbres, sounds, huge range of different rhythms, tempos, dynamics, scales and harmony pitches are masterfully connected together. Solid melosic section, strong and loud rhythmic, original and interesting sounds, powerful and turbulent collective improvisations and many other elements are heard in these improvisations. Al to saxophone improvisations have bright and vivacious sound. The Myhre Olsen has a specific and vivid improvising manner, which is based on different jazz styles synthesis – melodic, soft and romantic traditional jazz solos, swing episodes are connected together with turbulent and powerful, loud and shrieky solos. Virtuosic and wild fast arpeggios, colorful and striking solos, expressive and passionate improvisations – all these elements are the main elements of the saxophone improvisations. Trumpet improvisations are bright and loud. It bring live, energy and powerful sound to the improvisations. The trumpeter Erik Kimestad Pedersen synthesizes together traditional and innovative playing techniques, different musical expressions, feelings and moods. Sometimes his playing is playful, joyful and bright, sometimes – dramatic, nostalgic, soft and slow. Piano solos have interesting harmonic background, dynamic rhythmic and expressive melodies. Spontaneous solos, wild fast melodies with virtuosic passages, powerful and loud tremolos and trills, soft and peaceful melodies, romantic solos, swing episodes, piano jazz elements, turbulent collective improvisations and many other elements are heard in Kjetil Jerve improvisations. Double bass improvisations by Erlend Olderskog Albertsen have vibrant and subtle sound. It makes an effort to rhythmic – make ir more dynamic and expressive. Vibrant, solid, vivid and striking sound of double bass improvisations makes an effort to melodic section and is an essential element of rhythmic section of these improvisations. Andreas Wildhagen drums solos gently and organically fit together with the other instruments – independent, solid and colorful drums improvisations are full of loud and active solos, powerful tremolos, sudden trills, soft and gorgoeus solos, unusual timbres and sounds, all kinds of rhythmic formulas. Bright, colorful and interesting sound is made by innovative and original improvising."
SALT PEANUTS january 2018 "Norwegian double bass player Olderskog Albertsen began to compose the pieces for his debut album on the winter of 2014 while he was keeping his friends’ apartment. He began to experiment with compositional concepts of moving of backwards and forwards that played a key role in this project, both verbally and musically, reversing music notation in his music notation program. Soon Albertsen discovered that there is more coherency than cacophony in these compositional ideas. Albertsen, known from the groups Akmee and Filosofer, framed his compositions in a futuristic sci-fiction story about the Seekers of the Origin. These Seekers save the planet RødssalG nE that is dangerously close to the borderline of the 4th dimension and may disappear in a black hole, by transcending this planet to the 5th dimensions. There is also a subplot about this planet’s moon Nano that somehow manages to return to the 4th dimension and collides with RødssalG nE. But much more important is Albertsen’s choice of experienced and upcoming musicians – pianist Kjetil Jerve, sax player Martin Myhre Olsen, trumpeter Erik Kimestad Pedersen, drummer Andreas Wildhagen and trombonist Nilas Granseth. This fine ensemble charges Albertsen’s complex, modern jazz composition with a sense of joyful playfulness and restless urgency. There are no signs of schizophrenia, despite Albertsen’s unique compositional ideas. Once the sextet settles on a tough groove it plays like any jazz outfit that explores an edgy, intense interplay, even if Albertsen’s charts dictate parallel tempos, chaotic sounding chord changes and counter-melodies that go forward and backwards simultaneously. Still, one wish that this long journey to the planet nEEn will be much shorter and focused, even though it offers enough enjoyable moments. - Eyal Hareuveni
Circumstances
ALL ABOUT JAZZ march 2018 "Astonishingly, this international trio—Kjetil Jerve from Norway, Tim Thornton from the UK and Anders Thorén from Sweden—had played only one concert together before they recorded the studio tracks from which the contents of this album were gleaned. That recording session lasted two hours but here has been whittled down to just under an hour's worth of mesmerising music. They play like they've been together for a decade. "Margit," the slow burning opener is followed by the Keith Jarrett-like "Deadeye." Track three is the limpid ballad "438," which concludes a trio of tunes composed by Jerve, whose debut album as leader, New York Improvisations, was recorded in 2016 with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Halperin and bassist Drew Gress. His chief jazz influence is evidently Bill Evans, and this is made even more apparent by the choice of Evans's sumptuous classic "Time Remembered." A slightly less obvious but no less welcome choice for reinterpretation is Allan Holdsworth's elegant "54 Duncan Terrace," originally recorded in 1988 by the guitarist with pianist Gordon Beck for the album With A Heart In My Song (Jam-Cream). The outlier of the album is undoubtedly the collectively improvised near-title track which, as an unstructured composition, allows the trio to explore the stave-less space spontaneously yet lyrically. "Red Eye" and "Passengers" are both Tim Thornton compositions. The bassist, a stalwart on the London jazz scene, is adept at writing appealing numbers, the former tune gradually building in intensity and the latter a laid-back bluesy track vaguely redolent of Billy Taylor's famous "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free." Jerve's sprightly cadenza opens the final swinging piece, Cole Porter's "Everything I Love" which simply affirms the natural compatibility of this talented trio who seem equally at home playing standards or originals." **** - Roger Farbey
RADIO TELEVISON IRELAND february 2018 "The trio gathered at Rainbow studio, following one rehearsal and a concert to record to lay down nine tracks in two hours - a record company’s dream one assumes, given such brief studio time. Pianist Jerve penned three of these vibrant piano-led creations, Thornton composed two, including the funky-baroque Red Eye and the soul-inflected ballad, Passengers while the vaguely cerebral, knotty title track Circumstance was a collective endeavour. Supplementing the originals, there are adventurous readings of Cole Porter’s Everything I Love and Bill Evans’ Time Remembered. Most everything laid down here is subtle and understated enough for the listener to want to come back and get to the elusive heart of the exercise. That is what the best of jazz should be about, in any case, hunting down sometimes opaque essentials, peering into water in search of translucence. Margit, the opener, running to almost eight minutes, begins as a tender lyrical thing, delicate and meditative before finding a wistful bend in the road in which to prowl. 54 Duncan Terrace had me Googling every so mildly (eh, yes, it's an address near Islington but more than that one cannot tell.) There is something tender and deep-hearted about the piece, it's feline and evasive, and it soars gently like a not-too-ambitious kite. Everything I Love is particularly expansive and open-ended and has the air of improvisation. Angular and sun-dappled at the same time, it's a long-tailed document running to seven-and-a-half minutes." *** - Paddy Kehoe
DOWNBEAT january 2018 "Norwegian pianist Kjetil Jerve is a prolific artist whose website cites 10 bands in which he plays, and that list isn’t even complete. His trio with British bassist Tim Thornton and Swedish drummer Anders Thorén had only played one concert together when the musicians went into the studio for a two-hour session that generated the compelling album Circumstances. The program is an intriguing mixture of structured sections and adventurous flights of improvisation. The title track, which is a collective composition credited to all three players, conveys a sense of quest. The rest of the program includes three compositions by Jerve and two by Thornton, as well as freewheeling interpretations of songs by Cole Porter (“Everything I Love”), Bill Evans (“Time Remembered”) and Allan Holdsworth (“54 Duncan Terrace,” which the guitarist recorded with pianist Gordon Beck on the 1988 album With A Heart In My Song). The overall vibe of this album is one of three consummate professionals seeing where the journey leads. A drum solo by Thorén on “Deadeye” and a bass solo by Thornton on “438” demonstrate the players’ chops and Jerve’s willingness to share the spotlight. On Thornton’s tune “Passengers” and on Jerve’s “Deadeye,” in particular, the pianist’s gift for melody and propulsion are complemented by his bandmates’ sense of drama. Jerve—who recently recorded an album with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Halperin and bassist Drew Gress—will, in February, embark on a tour of Japan, where he’ll play solo, as well as with various ensembles." - Bobby Reid
RADIO TELEVISON IRELAND february 2018 "The trio gathered at Rainbow studio, following one rehearsal and a concert to record to lay down nine tracks in two hours - a record company’s dream one assumes, given such brief studio time. Pianist Jerve penned three of these vibrant piano-led creations, Thornton composed two, including the funky-baroque Red Eye and the soul-inflected ballad, Passengers while the vaguely cerebral, knotty title track Circumstance was a collective endeavour. Supplementing the originals, there are adventurous readings of Cole Porter’s Everything I Love and Bill Evans’ Time Remembered. Most everything laid down here is subtle and understated enough for the listener to want to come back and get to the elusive heart of the exercise. That is what the best of jazz should be about, in any case, hunting down sometimes opaque essentials, peering into water in search of translucence. Margit, the opener, running to almost eight minutes, begins as a tender lyrical thing, delicate and meditative before finding a wistful bend in the road in which to prowl. 54 Duncan Terrace had me Googling every so mildly (eh, yes, it's an address near Islington but more than that one cannot tell.) There is something tender and deep-hearted about the piece, it's feline and evasive, and it soars gently like a not-too-ambitious kite. Everything I Love is particularly expansive and open-ended and has the air of improvisation. Angular and sun-dappled at the same time, it's a long-tailed document running to seven-and-a-half minutes." *** - Paddy Kehoe
DOWNBEAT january 2018 "Norwegian pianist Kjetil Jerve is a prolific artist whose website cites 10 bands in which he plays, and that list isn’t even complete. His trio with British bassist Tim Thornton and Swedish drummer Anders Thorén had only played one concert together when the musicians went into the studio for a two-hour session that generated the compelling album Circumstances. The program is an intriguing mixture of structured sections and adventurous flights of improvisation. The title track, which is a collective composition credited to all three players, conveys a sense of quest. The rest of the program includes three compositions by Jerve and two by Thornton, as well as freewheeling interpretations of songs by Cole Porter (“Everything I Love”), Bill Evans (“Time Remembered”) and Allan Holdsworth (“54 Duncan Terrace,” which the guitarist recorded with pianist Gordon Beck on the 1988 album With A Heart In My Song). The overall vibe of this album is one of three consummate professionals seeing where the journey leads. A drum solo by Thorén on “Deadeye” and a bass solo by Thornton on “438” demonstrate the players’ chops and Jerve’s willingness to share the spotlight. On Thornton’s tune “Passengers” and on Jerve’s “Deadeye,” in particular, the pianist’s gift for melody and propulsion are complemented by his bandmates’ sense of drama. Jerve—who recently recorded an album with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Halperin and bassist Drew Gress—will, in February, embark on a tour of Japan, where he’ll play solo, as well as with various ensembles." - Bobby Reid
SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE december 2017 "This is the debut album by the Jazz piano trio comprising of Norwegian pianist / composer Kjetil Jerve, British bassist Tim Thornton and Swedish (resident in Norway) drummer Anders Thoren. The album presents nine tracks, three of which are original composition by Jerve, two are by Thornton and one is a collective composition by the trio members. Of the remaining tracks, two are standards and one is a surprising inclusion of a composition by the great Allan Holdsworth (RIP). The album was recorded at the legendary Rainbow studio in Oslo and offers excellent sound quality. This album is somewhat surprising in view of Jerve´s debut album released a year earlier ("New York Improvisations"), which was quite freely improvised. The music on this album shows another face of his musical personality, and is dominated by highly melodic, mostly slow tempo ballads, full of melancholy and reflection and some highly swinging pieces. It is great to see such versatility in Jerve´s approach to Jazz, which of course is by its nature a multifaceted idiom. Of course Jerve is, as I have stated already in other reviews, a superb pianist with excellent technique but more importantly also a great feel for the music, which enables him to change his dynamics and even the entire approach to his instrument on the fly. He is definitely one of the most interesting Nordic pianists lately and someone worth watching closely. The rhythm section on this album displays significantly more presence and input than in most contemporary piano trios these days. Thornton is a very powerful and wonderfully precise bassist and his deep pulsations are there up front almost at the same volume with the piano. His playing is inventive and fascinating and simply can not be ignored by the listener. Thoren does a grand job as usual, with his unique rhythmic artistry, which also becomes an integral part of the overall sound. To summarize, this is a brilliant piano trio album, which should make the many connoisseurs of this particular variety of Jazz extremely happy, but of course all Jazz fans should find this very satisfactory. Another excellent release on the small independent Norwegian label AMP Records, which is proving that small independent labels can be (and very often are) better than the bigger sharks ;) Well done!" - Adam Baruch
Neptun
SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE september 2017 "This is the debut album by the Norwegian quartet Akmee, which comprises of trumpeter Erik Kimestad Pedersen, pianist Kjetil Jerve, bassist Erlend Olderskog Albertsen and drummer Andreas Wildhagen. The album presents four lengthy pieces, two composed by Jerve and one each by Albertsen and Wildhagen. The music floats between composed themes and freely improvised passages, developing slowly and allowing all the members of the quartet to express their ideas and exchange ideas with others, always respectfully and gracefully. As usual in these circumstances there are several fracture groups within the quartet, like trumpet / rhythm section or piano / rhythm section trios, in addition to the full quartet performances of course. The individual performances by all four members of the quartet are very impressive and interesting. There is an obvious effort to search for new ways of expression and even new sonic possibilities on their respective instruments. There is nothing expected here and every new sound opens new possibilities for the quartet to follow suit. Pedersen soars on his trumpet, Jerve is cool like northern ice, Albertsen is steady like a rock and keeps the proceedings in check and Wildhagen wonderfully ornaments the music which his highly unconventional percussive approach. Of course, as expected, the music has ingredients of the typical Norwegian school, but is not overall stylistically lethargic, mixing fire and ice exactly at the right proportions. Personally the work of Jerve is the most fascinating to me, but to be fair all four young musicians are examples of the superb new European Jazz generation, which contributes to the Renaissance of the genre. The album is relatively concise and lasts only slightly above the half an hour mark, but considering the intensity and complexity of the music perhaps this is a wise decision, delivering just the right amount of music which a listener is able to sit through before getting distracted. The album is another excellent release on the young independent Norwegian label Nakama Records, which consistently manages to put out superbly challenging contemporary European Jazz. Well done!" - Adam Baruch
New York Improvisations
SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE september 2017 "This is the debut album by the Norwegian quartet Akmee, which comprises of trumpeter Erik Kimestad Pedersen, pianist Kjetil Jerve, bassist Erlend Olderskog Albertsen and drummer Andreas Wildhagen. The album presents four lengthy pieces, two composed by Jerve and one each by Albertsen and Wildhagen. The music floats between composed themes and freely improvised passages, developing slowly and allowing all the members of the quartet to express their ideas and exchange ideas with others, always respectfully and gracefully. As usual in these circumstances there are several fracture groups within the quartet, like trumpet / rhythm section or piano / rhythm section trios, in addition to the full quartet performances of course. The individual performances by all four members of the quartet are very impressive and interesting. There is an obvious effort to search for new ways of expression and even new sonic possibilities on their respective instruments. There is nothing expected here and every new sound opens new possibilities for the quartet to follow suit. Pedersen soars on his trumpet, Jerve is cool like northern ice, Albertsen is steady like a rock and keeps the proceedings in check and Wildhagen wonderfully ornaments the music which his highly unconventional percussive approach. Of course, as expected, the music has ingredients of the typical Norwegian school, but is not overall stylistically lethargic, mixing fire and ice exactly at the right proportions. Personally the work of Jerve is the most fascinating to me, but to be fair all four young musicians are examples of the superb new European Jazz generation, which contributes to the Renaissance of the genre. The album is relatively concise and lasts only slightly above the half an hour mark, but considering the intensity and complexity of the music perhaps this is a wise decision, delivering just the right amount of music which a listener is able to sit through before getting distracted. The album is another excellent release on the young independent Norwegian label Nakama Records, which consistently manages to put out superbly challenging contemporary European Jazz. Well done!" - Adam Baruch
New York Improvisations
SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE june 2017 "This is the debut album as a leader by Norwegian pianist Kjetil Jerve, recorded in NY in a quartet setting with American saxophonist Jimmy Halperin, bassist Drew Gress and an anonymous drummer (a curiosity indeed). They perform four improvised pieces, three as a quartet and one as a saxophone / piano duo. The pieces are not credited to anybody and therefore assumed to be co-composed by the participating musicians. The album was released as individually numbered limited edition of 500 copies (my copy is 130/500).
The music, although freely improvised, is remarkably melodic in its nature, especially emphasized by the wonderfully lyrical tone of Halperin´s tenor saxophone. The mid to up-tempo pieces swing also quite surprisingly considering the free spirit of the music. The musicians communicate between themselves amicably and are able to create a coherent sound as a quartet, which of course is quite admirable under the circumstances. There are many excellent contributions by Halperin and Jerve, sometimes playing almost unisono, or in parallel or against each other, but always doing so with elegance and of course great skill.
Halperin, which whom I have not been familiar before listening to this record, was the most surprising and powerful discovery, which will be, of course, followed through. I have heard Jerve´s recordings before as member of other different ensembles, especially the piano trio called Orter Eparg, which is also quite excellent. Overall this is an excellent avant garde Jazz album, full of joy and vitality, completely absorbing from start to finish and highly recommended to all fans of the genre and even the more adventurous mainstream Jazz lovers." - Adam Baruch
The music, although freely improvised, is remarkably melodic in its nature, especially emphasized by the wonderfully lyrical tone of Halperin´s tenor saxophone. The mid to up-tempo pieces swing also quite surprisingly considering the free spirit of the music. The musicians communicate between themselves amicably and are able to create a coherent sound as a quartet, which of course is quite admirable under the circumstances. There are many excellent contributions by Halperin and Jerve, sometimes playing almost unisono, or in parallel or against each other, but always doing so with elegance and of course great skill.
Halperin, which whom I have not been familiar before listening to this record, was the most surprising and powerful discovery, which will be, of course, followed through. I have heard Jerve´s recordings before as member of other different ensembles, especially the piano trio called Orter Eparg, which is also quite excellent. Overall this is an excellent avant garde Jazz album, full of joy and vitality, completely absorbing from start to finish and highly recommended to all fans of the genre and even the more adventurous mainstream Jazz lovers." - Adam Baruch
DOWNBEAT may 2017 "Like Halperin, Norwegian pianist Kjetil Jerve is a faithful adherent to the Tristano approach to jazz harmony, but skewers toward the “freer” side of that broad and colorful spectrum. That’s also the case for his latest disc, New York Improvisations, which features the pianist and Halperin alongside Drew Gress, a precise and visionary bassist. The album represents the first meeting between these play- ers, during which no written compositions or arrangements were exchanged.
Though spontaneity governs the proceedings, the fruits borne out during these collective improvisations are at times remarkable in their sense of balance and form. Halperin and Jerve exchange thrusting scalar lines on “Enjoy” that phase into lock-step with striking regularity, and even as the musicians pursue their own ends — Jerve finds particular thrill in a flashing repetitive lick in the piano’s upper register—they seem always to find their way back to common ground." ***1/2 - Brian Zimmerman
Though spontaneity governs the proceedings, the fruits borne out during these collective improvisations are at times remarkable in their sense of balance and form. Halperin and Jerve exchange thrusting scalar lines on “Enjoy” that phase into lock-step with striking regularity, and even as the musicians pursue their own ends — Jerve finds particular thrill in a flashing repetitive lick in the piano’s upper register—they seem always to find their way back to common ground." ***1/2 - Brian Zimmerman
Live in Japan
THE SOUND PROJECTOR may 2015 "Live In Japan (VA FONGOOL VAFCD012) is the second album we’ve heard from the Norwegian jazz players Lana Trio – but right there it seems even the word, or genre, “jazz” is not adequate to contain the entirety of what these gifted contemporary musicians do, and we’re invited to search for “traces” of their extra-curricular musical tastes in popular and avant-garde music in amongst their long-form free music exploits. Last time around I was reaching for Cecil Taylor and Keith Tippett comparisons to account for the piano work of Kjetil Jerve, but I’ll certainly need a new book of metaphors to come to terms with the first half of ‘Candyism’ here.
It’s a notable achievement of broken, slightly depressing free music, the sound of speculative minds dwelling on uncomfortable facts and doing their best to reconcile multiple opposites as they conduct their cerebral discussion. Jerve’s piano seems especially lost, forlorn, and even inarticulate, his trademark ultra-fast runs reduced to incomplete phrases left hanging in the air like unanswered questions, dangling in a vague and uncertain environment of steely doubts summoned up by Andreas Wildhagen’s cymbals. This existential moment (about 11 mins long) culminates in grumbly burrs breathed through the stentorian lungs of Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø into his pessimistic trombone – and at this point the music suddenly lifts off. A shift in tempo marks a return to more certain ground, the stumbling instruments finding their voices again. But what follows is not a scrabbly free-for-all improv fest of over-zealous performing, and each musical phrase is still laced with that anguished scepticism and ambiguity. An encouraging start, no doubt.
This must be one of Lana Trio’s “other” faces, one which wasn’t exhibited much on the user-friendly self-titled debut album. It’s a strain that continues on ‘Meanwhile, Somewhere’, which if anything is even more cold and bleak than the above. Although the trio speak warmly of their sojourn in Japan (record shopping, drinking, musical discussions, travelling on very fast trains, blathering about John Coltrane 1 to anyone who’d listen), the coldness and desolation of Norway 2 is still carried around in their corporeal frames as they enact this 18-minute meditation on perplexment. If I’m being asked to dispense with jazz and improv comparisons, I’ll put the severest chamber music I can find by Scelsi on the table at this point, with Stockhausen’s Klavierstückeup my sleeve as a trump card…once again it’s Jerve’s fragmented and pointillist piano strokes that prompt this interpretation, along with the extremely manicured dissonances in tone which probably speak volumes about European post-serialism. But once again the superbly disciplined percussion of Andreas Wildhagen is a big part of the equation, reining in that tendency which most drummers have to overstate everything, and instead inserting punctuation points into the music with the precision of a calligrapher. Meanwhile, Nørstebø simply murmurs in the most unobtrusive possible manner, a wailing Greek chorus to this abstract tragedy. Impressive.
With ‘Through Sound’ we’re back to the power-trio jazz forms which are bound to prove more “accessible” to a majority of listeners, and an overall sound and energised approach that is meat and drink to Cecil Taylor / Jimmy Lyons fans…one of the things I noticed that I don’t miss at all in this equation is the addition of a honking saxophonist adding unnecessary screams and blurts to the mix, and at this point what became very evident to me is the strong sense of discipline and structure in Lana Trio’s music. It somehow shines forth clearest on this track, and the architecture of it is once again a combination of the pianist and drummer synched together like two intertwined locomotives, climbing into the air. Here, Nørstebø uses his ‘bone sparingly, draping soft shapes around the complex skeleton. It’s like hearing the aural equivalent of a gigantic Christo wrapping installation, purple sheets of vinyl billowing around a steely iron frame.At a time when it seems that free jazz as a genre may be on the verge of extinction, it’s mightily encouraging to hear the music being reincarnated and refitted in meaningful ways (by white Europeans, yet!) and, with these additional avant-garde dissonant leanings, perhaps even updated for a contemporary audience. I much prefer this dynamic method of “living preservation” to simply sealing the music in amber. Probably to refer to Coltrane’s famous first-and-only 1966 tour of that country. Disclaimer: actually Norway is a beautiful country. The above is just stated for rhetorical purposes. " - Ed Pinsent
It’s a notable achievement of broken, slightly depressing free music, the sound of speculative minds dwelling on uncomfortable facts and doing their best to reconcile multiple opposites as they conduct their cerebral discussion. Jerve’s piano seems especially lost, forlorn, and even inarticulate, his trademark ultra-fast runs reduced to incomplete phrases left hanging in the air like unanswered questions, dangling in a vague and uncertain environment of steely doubts summoned up by Andreas Wildhagen’s cymbals. This existential moment (about 11 mins long) culminates in grumbly burrs breathed through the stentorian lungs of Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø into his pessimistic trombone – and at this point the music suddenly lifts off. A shift in tempo marks a return to more certain ground, the stumbling instruments finding their voices again. But what follows is not a scrabbly free-for-all improv fest of over-zealous performing, and each musical phrase is still laced with that anguished scepticism and ambiguity. An encouraging start, no doubt.
This must be one of Lana Trio’s “other” faces, one which wasn’t exhibited much on the user-friendly self-titled debut album. It’s a strain that continues on ‘Meanwhile, Somewhere’, which if anything is even more cold and bleak than the above. Although the trio speak warmly of their sojourn in Japan (record shopping, drinking, musical discussions, travelling on very fast trains, blathering about John Coltrane 1 to anyone who’d listen), the coldness and desolation of Norway 2 is still carried around in their corporeal frames as they enact this 18-minute meditation on perplexment. If I’m being asked to dispense with jazz and improv comparisons, I’ll put the severest chamber music I can find by Scelsi on the table at this point, with Stockhausen’s Klavierstückeup my sleeve as a trump card…once again it’s Jerve’s fragmented and pointillist piano strokes that prompt this interpretation, along with the extremely manicured dissonances in tone which probably speak volumes about European post-serialism. But once again the superbly disciplined percussion of Andreas Wildhagen is a big part of the equation, reining in that tendency which most drummers have to overstate everything, and instead inserting punctuation points into the music with the precision of a calligrapher. Meanwhile, Nørstebø simply murmurs in the most unobtrusive possible manner, a wailing Greek chorus to this abstract tragedy. Impressive.
With ‘Through Sound’ we’re back to the power-trio jazz forms which are bound to prove more “accessible” to a majority of listeners, and an overall sound and energised approach that is meat and drink to Cecil Taylor / Jimmy Lyons fans…one of the things I noticed that I don’t miss at all in this equation is the addition of a honking saxophonist adding unnecessary screams and blurts to the mix, and at this point what became very evident to me is the strong sense of discipline and structure in Lana Trio’s music. It somehow shines forth clearest on this track, and the architecture of it is once again a combination of the pianist and drummer synched together like two intertwined locomotives, climbing into the air. Here, Nørstebø uses his ‘bone sparingly, draping soft shapes around the complex skeleton. It’s like hearing the aural equivalent of a gigantic Christo wrapping installation, purple sheets of vinyl billowing around a steely iron frame.At a time when it seems that free jazz as a genre may be on the verge of extinction, it’s mightily encouraging to hear the music being reincarnated and refitted in meaningful ways (by white Europeans, yet!) and, with these additional avant-garde dissonant leanings, perhaps even updated for a contemporary audience. I much prefer this dynamic method of “living preservation” to simply sealing the music in amber. Probably to refer to Coltrane’s famous first-and-only 1966 tour of that country. Disclaimer: actually Norway is a beautiful country. The above is just stated for rhetorical purposes. " - Ed Pinsent
FREE JAZZ BLOG april 2015 "The sophomore album of this Norwegian trio - Nørstebø, pianist Kjetil Jerve, who plays in the Chet Baker tribute band Baker Hansen and in a duo with trumpet player Kristoffer Eikrem, and drummer Andreas Wildhagen, who has the honor to play opposite Paal Nilssen-Love in his Large Unit, also a member of the modern jazz quintet Mopti - was recorded live at the Jazzspot Candy in Chiba, near Tokyo, the last stop of a two-week tour in Japan.
The live setting brings the best of this trio. The urgency and immediacy of a live, energetic experience, the time and space to develop the trio non-idiomatic improvisations and the deep trust of understanding of each other and the expressive, rich language of each of these opinionated musicians, especially Nørstebø. The three extended improvisations covers a wide spectrum - from abstract, minimalist segments that are affected by Morton Feldman's innovative work, the European, FMP school of free jazz, referencing the work of Alexander von Schlippenbach and the Bauer brothers, and experimental sonic searches.
The trio moves organically between these fields of music, never surrendering to any manner of linear articulation, pulse, or dynamics but rather keeping building the tension and the intensity of the interplay and expanding its rich palette of sounds. The most fascinating piece is the second improvisation, “Meanwhile, Somewhere”, built around silent pauses, slowly spreading its minimalist, low-volume sounds through the club space, as in a mysterious, meditative ritual, only occasionally the intensity of reserved, sensitive interplay is transformed into a powerful outbursts. The wise drumming of Wildhagen anchors the conflictual interplay of Nørstebø and Jerve in a kind of weird dance that patiently becomes more dense, wilder and powerful but concludes in a gentle, lyrical slow dance. Excellent way to end an excellent concert and a successful tour.
The cover continues the unique artistic line of Va Fongool, this time designed by noise master Lasse Marhuag, showing a pastoral scene from a cruel dolphin hunt." ***** - Eyal Hareuveni
CULTURE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND "I have to say this once again. I am not such a Jazz fan, and my ears are not used dissecting and analyzing jazz music to the point where Jazz fans will gain further knowledge from my words, but I will write about the entire performance from a different point of view, one closer to the realm of this music Blog. I am happy to do so because Va Fongool never fail to deliver interesting and remarkable albums, be it free jazz acts or harsh noise bombs. So Lana Trio begins with a minimal play of balance between piano keys, sporadic drum hits and trombone. “Candyism” begins with a rather energetic gathering of these three instruments (mastered by Andreas Wildhagen, Kjetil Jerve and Henrik Munkeby Norsebo), but as time goes by the music becomes more and more eerie, dark, almost absent of sound, down to the point where it seems like Lana Trio is summoning some sort of a demon in this live performance. “Meanwhile, Somewhere” begins with a silent and unsettling opening, interrupted by low piano growls that grow into something as uneasy as ballroom music that is distorted through space and time, becoming an uneasy, mysterious and even sinister vertigo. On “Through Sound” the music becomes richer and more illuminated up to the point of a sonic explosion. Lana Trio are wild and offer a fine spectacle for us to enjoy, in the tradition of the great Va Fongool. Also, Dolphin hunters, like those seen in the inner part of the album’s sleeve, are worthless assholes."
IMPROVISEDBLOG One gets the sense that the Lana Trio looks at things a little differently upon inspection of the cover of Live in Japan. Sharing space with images of Japanese food and someone wearing traditional garb is a shot of fishermen on a dolphin hunt. Couple that with the name of the Norwegian label that released it, Va Fongool, an Italian phrase that translates to “Go f_____ yourself”, and things could get bumpy. The CD, the band’s second, was recorded during a tour of Japan in the early part of this year. The concert in question took place at Jazzspot Candy in Chiba, outside Tokyo, and contains both sets in the order they were played. Although the Lana Trio is a free improv group, it turns out things never get totally out of hand. The members of the trio traverse territory ranging from sparse, minimalist ruminations to sections of high intensity. Each of the three lengthy tracks gives the band time to cautiously set up structures and increase the heat as they proceed. There are some really nice sections where Jerve and Wildhagen engage in intense dialog, the pianist mixing traces of Bley with some of the dissonance and lower register work of Cecil Taylor. Live in Japan is good, no-holds-barred free improv, even if some of the “lower case” stuff doesn’t work as much for me. - Craig Premo
The live setting brings the best of this trio. The urgency and immediacy of a live, energetic experience, the time and space to develop the trio non-idiomatic improvisations and the deep trust of understanding of each other and the expressive, rich language of each of these opinionated musicians, especially Nørstebø. The three extended improvisations covers a wide spectrum - from abstract, minimalist segments that are affected by Morton Feldman's innovative work, the European, FMP school of free jazz, referencing the work of Alexander von Schlippenbach and the Bauer brothers, and experimental sonic searches.
The trio moves organically between these fields of music, never surrendering to any manner of linear articulation, pulse, or dynamics but rather keeping building the tension and the intensity of the interplay and expanding its rich palette of sounds. The most fascinating piece is the second improvisation, “Meanwhile, Somewhere”, built around silent pauses, slowly spreading its minimalist, low-volume sounds through the club space, as in a mysterious, meditative ritual, only occasionally the intensity of reserved, sensitive interplay is transformed into a powerful outbursts. The wise drumming of Wildhagen anchors the conflictual interplay of Nørstebø and Jerve in a kind of weird dance that patiently becomes more dense, wilder and powerful but concludes in a gentle, lyrical slow dance. Excellent way to end an excellent concert and a successful tour.
The cover continues the unique artistic line of Va Fongool, this time designed by noise master Lasse Marhuag, showing a pastoral scene from a cruel dolphin hunt." ***** - Eyal Hareuveni
CULTURE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND "I have to say this once again. I am not such a Jazz fan, and my ears are not used dissecting and analyzing jazz music to the point where Jazz fans will gain further knowledge from my words, but I will write about the entire performance from a different point of view, one closer to the realm of this music Blog. I am happy to do so because Va Fongool never fail to deliver interesting and remarkable albums, be it free jazz acts or harsh noise bombs. So Lana Trio begins with a minimal play of balance between piano keys, sporadic drum hits and trombone. “Candyism” begins with a rather energetic gathering of these three instruments (mastered by Andreas Wildhagen, Kjetil Jerve and Henrik Munkeby Norsebo), but as time goes by the music becomes more and more eerie, dark, almost absent of sound, down to the point where it seems like Lana Trio is summoning some sort of a demon in this live performance. “Meanwhile, Somewhere” begins with a silent and unsettling opening, interrupted by low piano growls that grow into something as uneasy as ballroom music that is distorted through space and time, becoming an uneasy, mysterious and even sinister vertigo. On “Through Sound” the music becomes richer and more illuminated up to the point of a sonic explosion. Lana Trio are wild and offer a fine spectacle for us to enjoy, in the tradition of the great Va Fongool. Also, Dolphin hunters, like those seen in the inner part of the album’s sleeve, are worthless assholes."
IMPROVISEDBLOG One gets the sense that the Lana Trio looks at things a little differently upon inspection of the cover of Live in Japan. Sharing space with images of Japanese food and someone wearing traditional garb is a shot of fishermen on a dolphin hunt. Couple that with the name of the Norwegian label that released it, Va Fongool, an Italian phrase that translates to “Go f_____ yourself”, and things could get bumpy. The CD, the band’s second, was recorded during a tour of Japan in the early part of this year. The concert in question took place at Jazzspot Candy in Chiba, outside Tokyo, and contains both sets in the order they were played. Although the Lana Trio is a free improv group, it turns out things never get totally out of hand. The members of the trio traverse territory ranging from sparse, minimalist ruminations to sections of high intensity. Each of the three lengthy tracks gives the band time to cautiously set up structures and increase the heat as they proceed. There are some really nice sections where Jerve and Wildhagen engage in intense dialog, the pianist mixing traces of Bley with some of the dissonance and lower register work of Cecil Taylor. Live in Japan is good, no-holds-barred free improv, even if some of the “lower case” stuff doesn’t work as much for me. - Craig Premo
Lana trio
THE SOUND PROJECTOR june 2014 "Tune in to Lana Trio for a taste of hot and lively free jazz played in the Norwegian style by said trio on their self-titled album (VA FONGOOL VAFCD008). You recall of course that trombonist Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø was mentioned on the duty roster just recently as one third of As Deafness Increases, whose album was by coincidence released on same label – he’s playing a far less abstract mode of brassy mublement on this outing and where possible giving human / animal voice to that ungainly lump of metal with its obscene sliding component, thus joining the ranks of thousands of jazz players who transform trumpet, trombone or tuba into extension of their conversational language. Nørstebø’s parps and slobbers are pretty upfront on most cuts – so far, so engaging.However secret weapon of this trio for me is Kjetil Jerve, the pianist, who’s clearly made such a close study of Cecil Taylor’s work that he practically breathes the DNA of that Afro-American titan through his own Nordic fingertips. You’d do the same if you took a copy of Indent between the sheets every night for your bedtime reading. Said Jerve is more knife than pianist; he weaves intricate and deft patterns in seemingly indefatigable style, his digital muscles never tiring for an instant, and while I’d be first in line at the record shop the day his solo piano album hits the racks, for time being I’ll make do with the second track here which showcases a complex thread of intelligent keyboard tickling that’s so intense that all Nørstebø can do is moan gently in appreciation. There’s also ingenious dynamics at play on track four ‘03.07’, where Jerve inserts short trills, runs and atonal fugues into a taut, wiry framework, with the skill of a vendetta-seeking Italian wielding his stiletto. I’m not enough of a musicologist to know, but I think Jerve is cunningly deconstructing chords according to his own rules, then drip-feeding the information back to us in reordered fragments.Other standouts: track 5, ‘06:39’, which is more about atonal noise than free jazz and allows the players to get some serious improvised groaning out of their systems. Ditto Track 6, ‘04:16’, which strays into “prepared piano” territory by way of Keith Tippett’s experiments using jangly things inserted under the piano lid. Oh, and we mustn’t overlook the drummer Andreas Wildhagen, who is also well-schooled in the Andrew Cyrille / Sunny Murray mould with his free-ranging and agitated pulsations. Like their label-mates As Deafness Increases, Lana Trio have oodles of rapport and simpatico ESP as a group, enabling fruitful sessions. Extra bonus: note brevity of tracks which rein in excess of the type associated with BYG Actuel records, yet does not sacrifice on the high energy front. All round high scoring item. From September 2013."
ALL ABOUT JAZZ november 2013 "The Norwegian group Lana Trio attempts to find a delicate balance between intense free jazz to exploration of more open-ended and non-idiomatic free improvisations. The three musicians began to play together after meeting at Sund Folk college in 2007. Trombonist Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø is the most experienced player of the three. He collaborates regularly with Swedish master improvisers as double bassist Nina de Heney and drummer Raymond Strid, member of the Skadedyr group and the trio As Deafness Increases. He has released his debut Solo album (Creative Sources, 2011) on which drummer Andreas Wildhagen who also plays in the modern jazz quintet Mopti and the quartet Ronja. Also on the album, pianist Kjetil Jerve who plays in the quartet of vocalist Emilie Christensen and her father, renowned drummer Jon Christensen. The music of the trio on its debut album moves in several, contrasting directions. Between abstract sound-oriented experiments, exploration of loose pulses along with dense and energetic interplay. Its level of energy is much higher than most other experimental Norwegian outfits who opt to follow the Sofa Music school of minimal and static improvisations, including Nørstebø's own As Deafness Increases. The experimental side does not affect the fast and intuitive interplay that this trio has solidified through years of playing together. Within this emphatic and inclusive interplay all three can focus on individual sonic researches, as on "07.10" or the free-form "04.16" and still sound as a tight unit. On "06.39" the trio even sketches a dramatic soundscape, employing varied extended techniques—breathes, hammering the piano strings and using objects on the drums skins—to invent evocative sounds. "03.04's" sound is a concise tribute to influential musicians of the European school of free jazz such as trombonist Johannes Bauer, pianistAlexander von Schlippenbach and drummer Paul Lovens. Lana Trio succeeds to harness its challenging, experimental flights, and the determined exploration of inventive new sounds and fresh forms of interplay into a cohesive, tough, loose, structure that surprisingly sounds engaging and accessible." **** - Eyal Hareuveni
