Eyolf Dale is an exceptional Norwegian pianist and composer whose meticulous nuance and expressive improvisational voice is of ever-growing importance in the European scene. Capturing the highs and lows of life on the road, ‘The Wayfarers’ is the stunning new trio album from Norwegian pianist and composer Eyolf Dale.
The Wayfarers is his latest album with long-term collaborators Per Zanussi and Audun Kleive. His second trio album, The Wayfarers follows on from the success of Being (2021) as well as an extraordinary body of solo piano work.
Evoking a journey through Norway’s sublime landscape, The Wayfarers captures the highs and lows, twists and turns of life on the road – expansive, joyful grooves one moment turn to nostalgic solo piano interludes the next. A meeting of nordic folk, classical and jazz influences,
A musician with exceptional nuance, pianist Eyolf Dale’s uniquely expressive improvisational voice is of ever-growing importance in the European scene. Following the success of his first trio album, Being (2021), as well as an extraordinary body of solo piano work, ‘The Wayfarers’ is his latest album with long-term collaborators Per Zanussi and Audun Kleive.
‘The Wayfarers’ is a journey. From the warm optimism of the opening track through to melancholy and deep yearning and nostalgia which can be found in ‘After the Party’ and ‘Fields of Kyiv,’ the album truly captures the highs and lows, the twists and turns of life on the road. The album unfolds gradually, with each track an opportunity to stop and observe something that might have caught your attention along the way. For Eyolf, this opportunity to pause, reflect and admire is exactly what writing music is all about: “Music helps me to understand and realise what my feelings or emotions are about. It helps me to make choices in life. To be in contact with my own compass”
Eyolf’s sound is instantly recognisable by its unique blend of Norwegian folk, jazz, and classical music – with a truly remarkable resemblance to composers like Chopin and Finzi for a pianist with no classical training. The use of the harpsichord-like Hammerspinet on ‘The Wayfarers’ injects a brightness and energy that makes this record like nothing you’ve heard before.
The trio has grown from strength to strength since releasing their debut album ‘Being’ (Edition Records, 2021) and is playing together more than ever before. The result is that ‘The Wayfarers’ is a much more collaborative process, with Per Zanussi and Audun Kleive involved in the writing at a much earlier stage. While Being was an intensely personal record, ‘The Wayfarers’ is about profound trust and collaboration, as Eyolf explains: ‘The one thing that really I come back to every time is the empathy and the connection between people. There’s this special connection. It’s a matter of trust. They trust me to create music for them. And I trust them to deal with it in a manner that’s both respectful and disrespectful.’
Eyolf Dale – piano, hammerspinet, celesta
Per Zanussi – bass, saw
Audun Kleive – drums
RELEASED 27 January 2023