Universal Cycle Eple Trio

• 1 Setting foot on another planet 07:15
• 2 One Elephant 05:25
• 3 Island Sunrise 04:53
• 4 In our home, where we live 04:41
• 5 First Sun 04:05
• 6 Tipplers Insomnia 07:23
• 7 And now many days have passed 05:16
• 8 Morning Stillness, Crisp Air 06:07
• 9 On a road that never ends 04:47
• Total Runtime 49:52

Info for Universal Cycle

Through a decade, this trio has developed a unique mode of interplay and improvisation, in the very grey area between written and improvised music. The inspirations stretches far beyond traditional jazz, which is audible through references to classical, folk and contemporary music. This results in melodic lines focusing on dynamic stretches and suggestive rhythm, where the interplay is always in focus.

The trio has already released three albums, and this is the fourth one available from October 1st, 2014. It features guest artists, namely guitarist Ivar Grydeland (Huntsville, Dans Les Arbres ++), and trumpet player Mathias Eick (ECM recording artist). Partially through their input, the mood of the record alternates between lyrical melodic lines presented over the intense backdrop of the trio, to improvisational pieces where the sounds interweave, creating a unique soundscape focusing on the exploration of musical possibilities.

Linear Notes: You start in the barren desert, and then you walk through the woods. Entering a small forest island in which there are no trees, only open space surrounding the watering hole where all animals come to drink. Then you pass that gleaming, in that particular forest, abandoning the direct sunlight, seeking refuge in the shades beneath a dense layer of vegetation.

In there it’s cooler, and when you look up you can sometimes see how the sun and the blue sky peeks through the greens. Birds are audible, you can hear how they sing, how they eat and how they die. Some are caught by predators in a swift and sudden carnivorous action, others are falling motionless to the ground. The latter provides energy for a different chain; one that attacks much slower but one that is much more thorough.

After the forest comes the mountain. A steep climb, one that has not been climbed before, and it rises in front of you; rocks, dirt and compost piled up and built over a million years, but you shall conquer it, starting by lifting your body on the strength of your lower extremities. It’s humanity and evolution that lifts your body over that first rock. You are part of a community, and this is how we are made.

Then you reach the top, and the sweat is dripping down your forehead, it trickles into your eyes and makes you blink. From there you see nothing, and you see everything. The sky is blue, and the sun is warm on your skin. You’re a conqueror, and you see what you have been granted through your effort. Descending from the mountain you see water from the great Ocean flowing with enormous force, grinding away the stones in its path. When you first set foot in it you feel an enormous joy that stems from how you know that you belong in all of your surroundings.

This, in essence, tells The Observer that human emotion always relies on a connection between the body and the mind. Such is our collective nature, and we are all susceptible to modes of input.

´Universal Cycle´ was made in a time where it felt natural to embrace extroversion as a mode of output. It may not become the norm.

"Symbolically, the concluding piece is Sjøvaag's "On a Road That Never Ends," encompasses this excellent trio impressive vision and spirit." (AllAboutJazz)

"A prime example of how the best expressions of the Nordic Jazz style can craft dreamy soundscapes of beauty and still be active and engaging" (Wonderingsound.com)

Andreas Ulvo, piano
Sigurd Hole, bass
Jonas H. Sjøvaag, drums
Guests:
Mathias Eick, trumpet (on track 3, 4 & 7)
Ivar Grydeland, guitar (on track 1 & 5)

Eple Trio
is a Norwegian contemporary jazz trio playing their own original music. The group have been playing together for several years, slowly developing musical interaction and expanding the soundscape and possibilities of the modern trio.

All albums have received great reviews in the Norwegian and international press, and can be bought on ITUNES, CDON.COM, or in other online or physical record stores. Eple Trio's members are highly acclaimed musicians on the Norwegian music scene, collaborating with some of Norways finest, such as Karl Seglem, Mathias Eick and Jon Eberson.

On their third release, the double album ‘In the Clearing / In the Cavern,’ Eple trio shows how they are in complete control of their format. Since their last release in 2008 they have grown both in form and expression, and appear as confident musicians and representatives for modern contemporary jazz.

The album was recorded deep within the Swedish forests by Sjur Miljeteig and Peder Kjellsby. This is heard in both the sonic qualities of the recording, as well as in the qualities dwelling in the performances and the music stretching just beyond 60 minutes in total.

This album contains no booklet.