Scheen Jazzorkester & Eyolf Dale: Commuter Report

Losen Records

Double Norwegian Grammy nominee, Eyolf Dale (a name that can be translated to ‘Wolf Valley’) is an exceptionally gifted pianist and composer. He has toured and performed in countries such as the US, China, Japan and extensively in Europe. He is also associate professor in jazz at the Norwegian Academy of Music.

The music on this album is a ‘grower’. As it becomes more and more familiar, it becomes more and more gratifying and enjoyable to hear.  The pieces are cleverly and creatively constructed with twists and turns drawn from a seemingly never-ending supply of artistic resource.  Eyolf’s playing is joyous.  His pianistic touch is first-class, and his feel for the instrument is intuitive and refined; he makes the piano sing.

On first hearing, I wondered about the seemingly abstract time signatures of some of the pieces. “As a performer, I’m fascinated by odd meters…as a composer though, I’m not focused on meter at all.  It’s all about images, melody and phrases – certain ideas just are in 9/8 time. But that’s often discovered at a later point – not at the moment of creation”.