Mikael Máni Trio - Bobby (2020)

Icelandic guitarist & composer Mikael Mani leads his own trio in an album of compositions inspired by Bobby Fischer, the World Chess Champion, who lived in Reykjavik during the latter years of his life. He is joined by bassist Skuli Sverrisson and drummer Magnus Eliassen Trygvason. This complete artistic interpretation is an inspiring mental chess game that brings a breath of fresh air to the jazz scene. A new voice, an instrumentalist who loves lyrics and jazz, and combines the intellect of a composer and the honesty of a singer-songwriter. He is a young inspiring jazz guitarist that found inspiration reading Bobby Fischer's biography, and bases his debut album on a fictional interpretation of Bobby's life in self written songs that each captures an element of human nature. Mikael was born and raised in Iceland, but spending years in the Netherlands studying helped to create his vision. He has a unique sound combining impressionistic harmonies and jazz. You can choose how you experience the music; the songs can be stimulating intellectually, but you can also enjoy them as a feeling without drowning in the intellectual pool. There are also influences from many other genre's such as post rock and film music - a little bit as if Bill Evans had listened to Sigur Ros. The melodies are groovy and memorable and take after chamber jazz in the way that the forms are lineal but not a round form. All About Jazz wrote a very good review in May 2019 on the album - "a thoughtful, deft musician ready to add his voice to the roster of Scandinavians who continue to sculpt a distinctive jazz sound."