EYOLF DALE - Being
Edition EDN1167
Eyolf Dale: piano, ampli-celeste; Audun Kleive: drums; Per Zanussi: bass, saw.
Recorded by August Wanngren at Virkeligheden
While he has played in a variety of line-ups this, perhaps surprisingly, is Eyolf Dale’s first foray into the piano trio. I had to look up an 'ampli-celeste', although you can probably guess that this is a vintage electromechanical keyboard that sounds a bit like a celeste... Taking the delicate lyricism of his piano playing that has won much acclaim, the tunes on this set also have a confessional quality to them. There is an openness and honesty in the structure and phrasing of the melodies that perfectly capture Dale’s aims for the tunes to be ‘highly personal, reflective of experiences from childhood to adulthood…’
On ‘Behind 315’, track 3, Zanussi’s saw accompaniment to lush piano ballad is haunting but, as with each of the tunes, there is a strong sense of a narrative in the tune. Across many of the tunes, Kleive confines himself to brushes that often hint at the rhythm but which create a strong sense of his own interpretation of the ebb and flows of the tunes. Elsewhere, for example, ‘Ace’, track 7, a sauntering, off-beat rhythm with a vague hint of Latin syncopation shifts up a gear around 2/3 of the way through into a piano solo that carries hints of Ellington before slipping back to the original pace.
There is a sense of the bildungsroman as the tunes create a sense of development, with the titles hinting at characters (‘The Lonely Banker’, ‘Northern Brewer’) or life events that create crossroads for decisions (‘Forward from here’, ‘Fast forward, peace of mind’, ‘How could it be’). While this might suggest a deeply personal telling of stories, his playing with Kleive and Zanussi help bring out the general principles to which anyone can relate. In this respect, perhaps the pieces are more like parables than stories; with each tune introducing a dilemma that is resolved in a way that is both satisfying and, often, surprising.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Edition EDN1167
Eyolf Dale: piano, ampli-celeste; Audun Kleive: drums; Per Zanussi: bass, saw.
Recorded by August Wanngren at Virkeligheden
While he has played in a variety of line-ups this, perhaps surprisingly, is Eyolf Dale’s first foray into the piano trio. I had to look up an 'ampli-celeste', although you can probably guess that this is a vintage electromechanical keyboard that sounds a bit like a celeste... Taking the delicate lyricism of his piano playing that has won much acclaim, the tunes on this set also have a confessional quality to them. There is an openness and honesty in the structure and phrasing of the melodies that perfectly capture Dale’s aims for the tunes to be ‘highly personal, reflective of experiences from childhood to adulthood…’
On ‘Behind 315’, track 3, Zanussi’s saw accompaniment to lush piano ballad is haunting but, as with each of the tunes, there is a strong sense of a narrative in the tune. Across many of the tunes, Kleive confines himself to brushes that often hint at the rhythm but which create a strong sense of his own interpretation of the ebb and flows of the tunes. Elsewhere, for example, ‘Ace’, track 7, a sauntering, off-beat rhythm with a vague hint of Latin syncopation shifts up a gear around 2/3 of the way through into a piano solo that carries hints of Ellington before slipping back to the original pace.
There is a sense of the bildungsroman as the tunes create a sense of development, with the titles hinting at characters (‘The Lonely Banker’, ‘Northern Brewer’) or life events that create crossroads for decisions (‘Forward from here’, ‘Fast forward, peace of mind’, ‘How could it be’). While this might suggest a deeply personal telling of stories, his playing with Kleive and Zanussi help bring out the general principles to which anyone can relate. In this respect, perhaps the pieces are more like parables than stories; with each tune introducing a dilemma that is resolved in a way that is both satisfying and, often, surprising.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
