Snow Catches on Her Eyelashes Eivind Aarset & Jan Bang

• 1 Purplebright 02:51
• 2 Asphalt Lake 05:28
• 3 Before the Wedding 03:03
• 4 Two Days in June 07:35
• 5 Outer Sphere 02:31
• 6 The Witness 06:19
• 7 Inner Sphere 02:36
• 8 Serenade 04:08
• 9 Monochrome 03:06
• 10 10. Nightspell 04:32
• Total Runtime 42:09

Info for Snow Catches on Her Eyelashes

Jazzland is proud to present the brand new opus from two of the brightest luminaries on the Norwegian scene. "Snow Catches on her Eyelashes" emanates musical authority, a hyperconscious layering of textures and musicality, at once evocative of some otherworldly space, yet familiar at a deep human level that resonates with each sonic flourish.

While Aarset and Bang have worked together in many projects, particularly on Aarset's "Dream Logic" (ECM 2012), "Snow Catches on her Eyelashes" is a different kind of creation. Where "Dream Logic" was distinctly an "Eivind Aarset" album, albeit one where Aarset explored new territory with his guitar and playing, this new album is clearly the work of a duo.

Immediately noticeable is the lack of obviously "guitar" sounds. Aarset uses his instrument extensively as a textural device, conjuring all manner of electroacoustic noise and hum, glitches, and disruptive sonics. However, on "Two Days In June", a track created for the late dancer/choreographer Christine Brunel, the harmonic and melodic aspects of Aarset's playing come to the fore.

Bang's manipulation of field recordings, samples, found sounds, and of Aarset's playing provides a musical and textural continuity and coherence to the album. His skilful interweaving of a huge array of disparate sonic material into new soundscapes and auditory artefacts, densely layered without obfuscation, whether like nebulous visions or vivid hallucinations, gives clarity to the overarching spirit of the album.

Featuring contributions from Nils Petter Molvær (trumpet), Hilde Norbakken (piano), Anders Engen (drums/percussion), Audun Erlien (bass), and a vocal sample from Sidsel Endresen, there is an endless diversity to the tonal characteristics of each piece while maintaining the consistency of the musical language the duo have created and evolved during their many years of collaboration.

Eivind Aarset, guitar, bass, electronics
Jan Bang, synthesizer, samples, programming
Audun Erlien, bass (track 6)
Anders Engen, cymbal, drum samples (track 6)
Audun Erlien, effects (track 8)
Hilde Norbakken, piano (track 3)
Sidsel Endresen, sampler, vocal sample (tracks 1)
Erik Honoré, synthesizer (track 1)
Nils Petter Molvær, trumpet (track 2)

Eivind Aarset
is a guitarist with a unique musical vision that absorbs and reflects all manner of music while retaining an enviable individualism and high quality craftsmanship that can span from quiet intimacy to searing intensity. His debut as a bandleader on Jazzland Recordings was described by the New York Times as "One of the best post-Miles electric jazz albums," setting a high benchmark that Aarset has consistently met and exceeded, both in the studio and in live performance.

As one of Norway's most in-demand guitarists, Eivind Aarset has worked with Jon Hassell, David Sylvian, Bill Laswell, Jan Garbarek, Paolo Fresu, Marilyn Mazur, J.Peter Schwalm, Mike Manieri, Marc Ducret, Michel Benitas Ethics, Martux-M, Stefano Battaglia, Michele Rabbia, Talvin Singh, and Andy Sheppard. He has worked with Nils Petter Molvaer's band, (appearing on all of Molvaer's albums, including the breakthrough album "Khmer" and 2006's award-winning "ER"). He also has collaborated with Dhafer Youssef, both live and in the studio.

Aarset's musical awakening happened when, at the age of 12, he heard Jimi Hendrix. "I started on the guitar as soon as I heard him," he recalls with a smile. "I bought a second hand Hendrix record and that was it. Then I started getting into rock bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Santana and Pink Floyd before my brother introduced me to the music of Miles Davis, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report and Return to Forever. After a while, I got into the ECM sound of Jan Garbarek, and Terje Rypdal, who was a big influence. Then I went on the road with a fulltime heavy metal band, a fantastic experience, until I got tired of being angry every night! Then I quit and became a session musician."

As part of the band, Ab & Zu, he created the unique guitar style and sound he would later develop further as part of saxophonist Bendik Hofseth's group. However, it was his involvement with Bugge Wesseltoft and the Oslo Jazz underground that crystallized the sound he was seeking: "What drew me to this music was the hypnotic grooves and musical freedom I found," says Eivind. "There's no established rules or tradition in what I am doing, you can make the rules up as you go along. Rhythm is the centre of the music, the landscape the soloist travels through. It's fresh territory and I have no idea where this scene will end up, but there's a lot of great sounds and new music being created which makes it such an exciting scene."

Jan Bang
is a Norwegian musician and record producer, known from several albums and collaborations over many years with musicians like Sidsel Endresen, David Sylvian, Jon Hassell, Tigran Hamasyan, Nils Petter Molvær, Eivind Aarset, Arve Henriksen and Erik Honoré - the latter of which he co-founded the Punkt festival with in 2005.

He is one of Norway’s most accomplished and influential producers and the epithet electronics guru has stayed with him for a long time and with good reason. Bang is the kind of musical innovator and bridge-builder who consistently manages to balance progressive thinking with popular appeal. He is always looking for ways of moving music and people forward, and by creating new meeting places and musical intersections. Bang is a professor of electronic music at the University of Agder, Norway.

This album contains no booklet.