Being Eyolf Dale

• 1 The Lonely Banker 05:15
• 2 Northern Brewer 04:55
• 3 Behind 315 05:05
• 4 Forward from here 04:33
• 5 The Pondering 06:20
• 6 Fast forward, peace of mind 04:48
• 7 Ace 05:44
• 8 How could it be? 05:39
• Total Runtime 42:19

Info for Being

Being is the new album from Norwegian pianist and composer Eyolf Dale. A musician of exceptional beauty and poise, his music is rich in colour and mood. Being, his first album in the piano trio format, builds on the extraordinary success of his three previous Edition albums with more than 6 million streams on Spotify alone. Praised for his lyricism and exploratory improvisational style, Eyolf follows the likes of countrymen Tord Gustavsen and Bugge Wesseltoft in developing global audiences and media recognition for Norwegian music.

Being is emotive and highly personal. The music is serene, beautiful and profound, blending a subtle groove with intense lyricism. Rooted in Jazz, he employs a classical approach yet has never studied classical. If Chopin was a Jazz pianist he would sound like Eyolf Dale. His phrasing is nuanced, his touch is precise and his music is deeply emotive.

But Being, as the name suggest is so much more than just a new album for Eyolf, as he explains: “Being is my first trio album. I wanted to be ready to say something before I made a trio album. The interplay with my heroes Audun Kleive and Per Zanussi evolved naturally and grew from numerous tours with Wolf Valley octet the past few years, and with them I’ve found a truly collaborative trio with just the right temperament and musical awareness for my compositions. To me, Being feels highly personal, reflective of my experiences from childhood to adulthood and encompasses the space and freedom to be playful and in tune with Per & Audun’s unique touch. The album is about a search for contentment, for peace, for being present’.

Eyolf Dale first emerged into Norwegian scene in 2008 but it was his octet releases, and first albums on Edition, Wolf Valley and Return to Mind, that his profile grew outside his home country. Wolf Valley recorded in one room was an elegant display of the band while Return to Mind employed a greater depth of tone and richness to the ensemble. As a composer his work ranges from solo pianistic elegance, orchestral colouring in his octet to subtle groove and interplay of his trio.

This album stands with a classic and iconic feel to it. A set of music that can stand the test of time. It’s timeless and has a depth that will give repeat listeners endless rewards. It has the command to stand as one of the great albums to come out of Norway in recent years.

Eyolf Dale, piano, Ampli-Celeste
Audun Kleive, drums
Per Zanussi, bass, saw

Eyolf Dale
was born in Skien, Norway 5th of March 1985. He started playing piano at the age of 6 years, and started taking lessons shortly after. In 2009 he finished his graduate studies in Performing jazz and improvisation at Norwegian Academy of Music, and in 2011 he completed the master’s program in improvisation.

Dale is known from both his solo work, successful collaborations with a great number of jazz artists, and from bands like Albatrosh, Hayden Powell Trio, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, and more. He’s a touring and frequently recorded artist, and has contributed on most Norwegian jazz festivals in addition to international festivals such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, 12 Points!, Shanghai Arts Festival and Südtirol Jazz Festival. Both as a sideman and a solo performer, he has performed in countries such as the US, Germany, Nederlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, England, Ireland, South Africa, Tanzania, South Korea, Italy and China.

His solo work showcases the mature lyrical introspection that’s often associated with Norwegian jazz, but equally, there is an explorative curiosity and restless free elements that is becoming an emergent hallmark of the younger Nordic improvisers.

Aawards
“1st prize for pianists” Nomme Jazz, Tallinn Estonia, 2009
“Young Jazz Musicians of the year/JazzIntro “ Molde, 2008
Skien kommunes oppmuntringspris (encouragement award, City of Skien)
“Best band” in European Jazz Competition, North Sea Jazz 2009
SpareBank1 “JazZtipendiat” – Albatrosh 2012
Nominated for Spellemannprisen in the category of Jazz 2014

This album contains no booklet.