Record Reviews
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  | BENTO BOX TRIO ~ SOMEHOW I LOST MY WAY
FJORDGATA 028 (Barcode: 644637456474) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2023 Released: 2025
This is the 2nd album by the Bento Box TrioFind albums by this artist, which comprises of Islandic pianist Benjamin Gisli EinarssonFind albums by this artist and Norwegian violinist Tuva HalseFind albums by this artist, and drummer Oyvind LeiteFind albums by this artist. Two guest musicians: vocalist / saxophonist Sissel Vera PettersenFind albums by this artist and bassist Mats EilertsenFind albums by this artist play, each on three distinct tracks. The album presents ten tracks, four each composed by Halse and Einarsson and two co-composed by all three trio members.
The music is highly melodic, with a strong Scandinavian aura and Classical Music influence due to the strong violin presence, all elegantly put together and presenting a delicate, intricate lyrical mesh. The excellent sound quality enables every little instrumental nuance to be heard accurately.
The atmosphere is somewhat daunting and weird, similar to horror film soundtracks at times, and the music flows very slowly, as if hesitantly, which creates a very unusual effect, and might be a tad difficult for an average listener to swallow, in addition to the couple of freely improvised tracks, which sound unrelated to the rest of the music.
Overall, this is a very interesting and also quite demanding album, which should delight open-minded listeners, especially those addicted to the Scandinavian Jazz sound, but in principle it has a wide stylistic scope, which should be enjoyed by all Jazz lovers, willing to make an effort, when listening to music.
| | Updated: 25/03/2026Posted: 25/03/2026 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | BENJAMIN GISLI TRIO ~ LINE OF THOUGHT
FJORDGATA 019 (Barcode: 644637116019) ~ ICELAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023
This is the debut album as a leader by Icelandic Jazz pianist / composer Benjamin GisliFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Benjamin Gisli EinarssonFind albums by this artist), recorded in a classic Jazz piano trio format with Norwegian bassist Andreas SolheimFind albums by this artist and drummer Veslemoy NarvesenFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, a short solo piano intro and six original compositions by the leader and one composition by Carla BleyFind albums by this artist.
Gisli has been active on the Norwegian scene for a while and recorded a couple of albums as sideman, but this is his first album, with focus on his compositions and performances. Despite their young age, all three musicians are already fine instrumentalists, with obvious schooling and experience, as appropriate for the thriving Norwegian scene these days.
The music is kept in the Nordic climate, with slow, almost lethargic themes developing leisurely, deeply lyrical and intentionally kept in a low key, but a couple of more energetic tracks are also present to keep some emotional balance of the whole affair. The compositions are perhaps somewhat uniform, but considering the fact that this is the first outing, Gisli is certainly a musician worth watching.
Overall, this is an enticing debut album, which shows the potential of the leader and his partners to become valuable members of the Scandinavian Jazz community, which is definitely one of the most sizzling and interesting European Jazz centers. Well done!
| | Updated: 12/08/2023Posted: 12/08/2023 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
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