On their UK tour last year, the Espen Eriksen Trio were joined by English saxophonist Andy Sheppard for two concerts. They struck an immediate chord. The interplay was bang on, with 2017 tours in Norway and South Korea, followed up by an album recording.
The trio have in a short space of time built up a strong position on the international jazz scene. Their “melodic minimalism” is uniquely at the forefront time after time, with powerful themes and a less-is-more approach to arrangements and performance. They have released three recordings on the prestigious Norwegian label Rune Grammofon, all of which have been praised by international media heavyweights such as the BBC, The Independent and KulturSpiegel.
Throughout a career spanning over four decades and in partnership with among others George Russel and Gil Evans, Andy Sheppard has proven himself to be one of Europe’s most prominent saxophonists. At the moment he can be heard with his own quartet with releases on ECM, as well as a longstanding trio collaboration with Carla Bley and Steve Swallow.
Listeners can look forward to compositions from all of Eriksen’s trio albums, as well as a premiere airing of entirely new pieces written especially for this constellation.
Line-up:
Andy Sheppard – saxophones
Espen Eriksen – piano and compositions
Lars Tormod Jenset – double bass
Andreas Bye – drums