Skydive Trio - Sun Moee (2015) [Hi-Res]

On the album Sun Moee we encounter guitarist Thomas T. Dahl for the first time as the leader and driving force of a band. The Skydive Trio is a good, old-fashioned guitar trio that is solidly rooted in a melodious landscape, and is nourished by rich harmonies and the sonorous guitar wizardry of Thomas T. Dahl. His playing surfs on the rhythmic waves made by Finnish drummer Olavi Louhivuori (Oddarang, Tomasz Stanko) and Norwegian bass player extraordinaire Mats Eilertsen (Tord Gustavsen).

Dahl himself composed several of the pieces on the album, including “Slow Turn”, “Talbot” and the title tune “Sun Moee”, while Eilertsen and Louhivuori also contributed their own compositions. We are also treated to a fascinating cover version of the Portishead song “Sour Times”.

Thomas T. Dahl studied in the Jazz Programme at the University of Trondheim, and had his breakthrough as a member of the prize-winning band Krøyt featuring vocalist Kristin Asbjørnsen. His musical capacity is impressive, and he feels equally at home in a variety of styles and genres. On Sun Moee he paints a cinematic landscape where pop and rock elements, along with subtle electronic manipulation, intersect with the sound of strings. Dahl has previously released albums with the bands BMX, together with Per Jørgensen, and Dingobats, together with Eirik Hegdal, and has collaborated with Erlend Skomsvoll, Jon Balke, Hilmar Jensson, Nils-Olav Johansen, Ole Hamre, John Inderberg, Highasakite and Ephemera.

The members of the SkyDive Trio have worked together as part of a larger band for a number of years, and it shows. All three play on Mats Eilertsen’s Radio Yonder (2009) and SkyDive (2011), as well as in Eilertsen’s major work “Rubicon”, which had its world premiere at the Vossa Jazz Festival in 2014.

Mats Eilertsen has released four albums under his own name on the HUBRO label so far. He is known for his warm and lyrical bass style. He is a steady and solid player, but at the same time experimental. He is firmly in control, but is also receptive to fresh ideas and always searching for new sounds. A very active and productive musician and composer, he has played on albums with Tord Gustavsen, The Source, the Wolfert Brederode Quartet, Parish, the Håkon Kornstad Trio, Food with Iain Ballamy, Jacob Young, Solveig Slettahjell’s Slow Motion Orchestra and the Håvard Wiik Trio.

Olavi Louhivuori is a strikingly talented young Finnish drummer and percussionist with a high energy level and a buoyant performance style. He challenges and encourages his fellow musicians to stretch themselves both creatively and musically. Louhivuori studied drums and composition at the Sibelius Academy. Three of the bands he has played in have earned the distinction “Young Nordic Jazz Group”: the Joon Toivanen Trio, the Ilmilekki Quartet and the Sun Trio. Olavi has toured and recorded with the legendary Polish trumpet player Tomasz Stanko, and has also played together with Anthony Braxton, Marilyn Crispell, Susanne Abbuehl and Kenny Wheeler. He has released several albums with his own band and as a solo artist, and was awarded an Emma Prize (Finnish Grammy) with the band Oddarang in 2007.