‘Less is More’ Says Norway’s Espen Eriksen Trio

Description

For many serious listeners of improvised music, the piano trio is the ultimate — like a three-legged stool, all its elements equally balanced towards holding up the (seated) listener’s journey. With the core elements of rhythm, melody and harmony securely in place, and every player working in a different sonic frequency, the format offers an individual freedom to pursue collective goals.

Enter the Espen Eriksen Trio, a longstanding Norwegian piano trio who paint elegant, mellow musical soundscapes in a European idiom. While the pianist takes top billing, it’s a meritocratic, three-headed animal, where group improvisation unfolds over the group’s pretty, folk-ish originals with the organic purity of a flowing stream. Often compared to compatriot Tord Gustavsen and the Swede, Bobo Stenson — both longstanding ECM Records artists — Eriksen fits neatly into a long lineage of Nordic jazz that favour expression and texture over flashy solos and swing. 

The first notable Western jazz stars to appear at the new Drip Music residency at Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre, the group has been active since 2007, and arrive midway through promotions for their sixth album, Almost Here. Showtime is 20:00.