Oslo Puzzle Anders Aarum Trio

• 1Oslo Puzzle04:05
• 2El Jucan04:44
• 3The Wandering Lilly03:28
• 4Tune In, Drop Out!05:14
• 5Spaghetti Junction05:00
• 6Ivory Tower05:45
• 7Jason Paradisa & the Beautiful Fire03:34
• 8Subway Acrobat04:59
• 9Drachmanns Point of View03:51
• 10Pata Paso06:13
• Total Runtime46:53

Info for Oslo Puzzle

After 15 years of waiting: Audio portraits of Oslo's tragic heroes by Norway's least Nordic piano trio.

The idea for the album came to Aarum after reading "Oslo originals" – a book about the fascinating residents from the Norwegian capital's history. Each track on the album, he decided, would paint a portrait of one of these personalities. Take “El Jucan”, a tribute to Einar Olsen, who walked the streets as a fakir, swallowed swords, flames and glass and lay on a bed of nails.

In an inspiring twist of serendipity, the recording studio happened to be in the immediate vicinity of a mental hospital. This set the mood perfectly, as many of the personalities captured on the album battled with alcoholism and deteriorating psychological health.

The entire album, the first one by the current line-up of the trio after 15 years, was recorded in a single 1,5 hour short session. Thanks to this impressive achievement, the Anders Aarum trio are now originals as well. They, too, have now become part of the Oslo puzzle.

"One of the very few albums that I wanted to listen to several times in a row, which, when you have so many reviews in front of you, at least for me, already says a lot about how high the quality of the music on this album is, which, by the way, is also convincing in every respect in terms of sound. This album is simply terrific! A revelation for anyone who has even a little affection for trio jazz and a real tip for the connoisseurs of the genre!" (Claus Volke, hoeren-und-fuehlen.de)

Anders Aarum, piano
Jens Fossum, double bass
Hermund Nygard, drums

Anders Aarum Trio
started off as the house band for weekly jam sessions at the legendary Oslo jazz club "Herr Nilsen» in 2004. After years of collaboration, and also as regular backing for international soloists, the trio has reached an almost telepathic level of musical interaction, now to be heard on the album «Vaudeville». Over the years, the trio has nurtured a rich repertoire of compositions by pianist Anders Aarum, «Vaudeville» being his 5th release. Stylistically, the pieces range from melancholic, minimalistic dreamscapes, all the way to rough, tough swing, always with a focus on melodic invention and lyricism.

The trio has a collective backpack bursting with an eclectic range of influences: European classical music; Nordic jazz such as Bobo Stenson and Svein Finnerud; and yet from the other side of the pond, echoes of Ahmad Jamal, Paul Bley and Herbie Hancock. There are even pockets holding the pungent fragrance of old gospel, Caribbean cooking, and "second line" from New Orleans. Since the trio's first release in 1999, the members have been constantly evolving and contributing to various other projects. They can be heard together on albums with artists such as Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen, Julie Dahle Aagård and Randi Tytingvåg. Anders Aarum - Piano, Jens Fossum - Bass, Hermund Nygård - drums

Booklet for Oslo Puzzle