Places and Other Stories

Gentle, contemplative, and melancholic best describes the music on this excellent debut by the S-E-A trio - pianist Bjorn Bolstad Skjelbred, bassist Tine Asmundsen and drummer Terje Engen. They have produced an album of contemporary jazz akin to much of what we expect to hear from piano trios across Scandinavia, Norway in particular. The trios of pianist Espen Berg and Tord Gustavsen are obvious points of reference when listening to the S-E-A trio. Comparisons are marginal though - Skjelbred, Enger and Asmundsen have their own distinctive and unified sound. Skjelbred's beautiful compositions are the perfect antidote to today's troubled times.