Eyolf Dale, The Wayfarers Review

by Ferell Aubre

Eyolf Dale is an Oslo-based pianist and composer known for his lyrical and melodic patterns and combinations of harmonic movements. Dale has teamed up with bassist Per Zanussi and drummer Audun Kleive for his latest album, The Wayfarers. Eyolf explains, “Music helps me to understand and realize what my feelings or emotions are about. It helps me to make choices in life. To be in contact with my own compass.” The ten tracks mix Nordic folk, classical, and jazz influences expressed in a profoundly lyrical and emotive texture and interactive space.

“Woodland Walk” exemplifies Dale’s compositional style and the trio’s active listening and interaction to bring a narrative to life. In an interview with Modern Jazz Today, Dale explains, “Both in the studio and on stage, the vision behind the compositions is crucial, and in both cases, I find great pleasure in making that vision into sound.” The attention to detail and joy of expression is heard throughout the song’s development. The Music has shape and dynamics, and the sounds are not typically jazz. The trio focuses on creating a narrative firmly based on improvisation, but the improvisatory element is not melody followed by solos followed by the melody again. Instead, Dale’s music grows and paints a landscape with written and improvised passages intermingled.

“The Sky at Sunset” is a beautiful eruption of sounds, and Dale gets a sound from a hammer-spinet. Giving the Music a strumming Americana meets Nordic folk aesthetic. Kleive and Zanussi follow the dynamics and color the energy with support and counterpoint interactions. The rhythmic intensity is marvelous as the cross-rhythms build to a satisfying climax of tension and release as the melody in the bass signals the transition to calm.

The Wayfarers is a stunning album of depth and expression by a working jazz piano trio. The Music explores new territory in its combination of American and European jazz sounds and shapes. The compositions are organic and brought to life naturally and interactively, which serves both the trio’s expression and the listener’s musical journey.