Hoff Ensemble - Polarity (an acoustic jazz project) 2018

POLARITY has been conceived as a cohesive experience where the compositions themselves, the moments of spontaneous inspiration during performance and the natural sound world of the church acoustic all affect the final result. 

"The Elder" was composed in film director Ingmar Bergman's study on the island of Fårö. The ambience in Bergman's house and the view of the unending expanse of the Baltic Sea induced in me a sense of melancholy but also an almost ecstatic mood that resulted in what is really a homage to the legendary director.

The title track "Polarity" started out as an improvisation which I was working into a finished melody. We supplemented the ensemble’s palette of sounds by introducing an analogue synthesizer that grows in intensity, its sound filling the room with autonomous power. 

"Justice" is my emotional response to the experience of witnessing officialdom intervene in a family situation and how this affected all involved. "Innocence" and "Within" both have their take-off point in acutely vulnerable emotional conditions, where to show weakness can be experienced as a sign of strength. "Sacred" is based on a simple major and minor tonality, with the synthesizer and the coll'arco bass line central elements.

The character of "Euphoria" is elated – the spontaneous improvisation between the piano and drums driving the melody to a no-holds-barred level of energy. "Beginning", with its minimalistic calm, is in marked contrast; dark melancholy and gloom find release in a spirit of reconciliation. "Pathway" is a set of variations on a series of chords; the variations unfold with the piano and double bass taking on different roles as the piece develops. "Home" was originally composed as a backdrop to Knut Hamsun's poem "I ungdommens vår" (In the Spring of Youth) but has been fleshed out to a trio ballad. 

The idea to work on a project for a trio came to me a few years ago, but it is only recently that the idea has really begun to take form. The choice of musicians was not difficult, with Audun Kleive and Anders Jormin both having long track records on the Scandinavian jazz scene, and both still eager to explore and energize the established trio format. This is the first time the three of us have made a recording like this together, vacating the usual studio setting in favour of the acoustics of a church. My main goal is to create a specific identity for each album and to make the music come alive.

"My main goal is to create a specific identity for each album I make. This time I chose to involve Anders Jormin and Audun Kleive, two of Scandinavia's finest jazz artists. The result is Polarity, an album based on both new and older compositions of mine, recorded in a unique acoustic setting" — Jan Gunnar Hoff 2018

1 Innocence 5:07

2 Revamp 4:35

3 The Elder 6:45

4 Polarity 4:54

5 Beginning 3:14

6 Justice 4:53

7 Moving 3:42

8 Euphoria 2:43

9 Within 5:59

10 Sacred 3:01

11 Pathway 7:47

12 Home 5:55

Hoff Ensemble 

Jan Gunnar Hoff, piano 

Anders Jormin, bass 

Audun Kleive, drums

Anders Jormin / Karin Nelson / Jonas Simonson - Tantum (FOOTPRINT RECORDS 2018)

Tantum showcases the exceptional talents of Karin Nelson, Anders Jormin and Jonas Simonson who once again treat us to a genre-bending musical experience. It’s playful, a generous give-and-take, where their combined backgrounds in classical music, improv and world music fuse into a sum surpassing the parts, an artistic smörgåsbord feast of genres spiced with tradition and history. Tantum is the second album featuring this project; a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Songs in Meantone released by Footprint Records.

KARIN NELSON, an organist much in demand as a soloist, is an authority in the fields of free improvisation and in Early music. She regularly gives master classes and serves as a jury member in international organ competitions. Currently, she is Head of organ and church music both at the Norwegian Academy of Music and at the Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg.

ANDERS JORMIN is a renowned jazz bassist with the world as his workplace, touring with various constellations of internationally acclaimed names within jazz/ improv. A recipient of numerous awards and prizes for his unique artistry, he also holds an honorary doctorate at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts, Helsinki. In addition to this, he is Head of Improvisation at the Academy of Music and Drama, Gothenburg University.

JONAS SIMONSON has carved out a solid reputation as a flutist in the folk and world music genres. He’s also contributed significantly to the evolution of modern Nordic folk music. For the past 30 years, he has traveled the globe with his rhythmic and personal style of musicianship. His work is featured on numerous recordings and he is a highly experienced and respected educator at the World Music department of the Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg.

Bobo Stenson Trio - Contra la Indecisión (ECM January 19, 2018)

The great Swedish trio of Bobo Stenson takes a stand against indecision in a decisively beautiful new album. As ever, the trio draws upon a wide range of source materials. A yearning title song by Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, Bartók’s adaptation of a Slovak folk song, a piece from Mompou’s Cançons i Danses collection, and Erik Satie’s Elégie are integrated into the program, alongside original compositions by Stenson and Anders Jormin and group improvising. So strong is the group’s character and the musical identity of each of its members that the integration of this material always feels organic and logical. Stenson’s lyrical touch, Jormin’s folk-flavored arco bass and Jon Fält’s flickering, textural drumming are all well-displayed on Contra la indecisión, the trio’s first new recording in six years. Produced by Manfred Eicher, the album was recorded at Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI studio in May 2017.

1 Canción Contra La Indecisión 4:12

2 Doubt Thou The Stars

3 Wedding Song From Poniky

4 Three Shades Of A House

5 Élégie

6 Canción Y Danza VI

7 Alice

8 Oktoberhavet

9 Kalimba Impressions

10 Stilla

11 Hemingway Intonations

Bobo Stenson, piano

Anders Jormin, double bass

Jon Fält, drums

Ferenc Snétberger - Titok (ECM 2017)

Hungarian guitarist Ferenc Snétberger made a lot of new friends with his ECM solo debut In Concert (“a beautiful, assured performance” – All About Jazz) and will make many more with Titok, which features his trio with Swedish bassist Anders Jormin and US drummer Joey Baron.  Recorded at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio in May 2015 and produced by Manfred Eicher, it’s a warm and involving album, with an emphasis on intensely melodic improvisation and interaction which draws the listener gently into its sound-world.  The rapport between Snétberger and Jormin is evident from the outset, as both guitar and bass explore the contours of Ference’s compositions. Throughout, Joey Baron’s drums and cymbals provide shading and texture with restraint and subtlety.

1.COU COU (Ferenc Snétberger) 02:53

2.TITOK (Ferenc Snétberger) 02:18

3.KÉK KERÉK (Ferenc Snétberger) 04:01

4.RAMBLING (Ferenc Snétberger) 07:22

5.ORANGE TANGO (Ferenc Snétberger) 05:13

6.FAIRYTALE (Ferenc Snétberger) 05:24

7.ÁLOM (Ferenc Snétberger) 07:05

8.LEOLO (Ferenc Snétberger) 05:53

9.EASE (Ferenc Snétberger) 05:23

10.RENAISSANCE (Ferenc Snétberger) 05:14

11.CLOWN (Ferenc Snétberger) 05:09

12.RUSH (Ferenc Snétberger) 01:53

13.INFERENCE (Ferenc Snétberger) 02:16

Ferenc Snétberger  guitar

Anders Jormin  bass

Joey Baron drums