Athmospheric uplifting music from Iceland with the one and only Anders Jormin on bass.

Hope is the most appropriate title for this album, hope with this music - hope for peace, hope for closure, and hope for happiness. The album starts with the spacious title track, Hope, with a beautiful bass intro by Anders Jormin. Uplift is also a song connected to the theme of hope, an uplifting tune that changes between the meters of 11/8 and 6/4 with a strong, yet subtle, melody inspired by folk music. The third piece, the highly lyrical Chant, starts with an improvised piano intro. Then the singable melody starts. This is truly a piece that could be sung, even without lyrics. Singing has a healing power, so perhaps this is a chant for healing. Eftir allt was written during an artist's residency at the historic Hólar Cathedral in Iceland in the summer of 2021. The title translates to 'after everything'. This is the only song I have written inside a church, which seems fitting for this album since my mother was very religious. The slow dance, Hægur dans, was written with a specific drum beat in mind for Magnús Trygvason Eliassen to explore. But later, the beat goes astray, and collective improvisations take over. April Dreams is a dreamy blues from one of these improvisations. It has a peculiar melody based on intervals. The song features great soloing by both Hilmar Jensson and Anders Jormin. Life continues even though there are bumps along the way. Continuation explores sweet folk music melodies but spices them up with expressive free improvisation. Desember is a song written in December, but it is definitely not a Christmas song! Desember symbolizes the end of the year and is about accepting how things are. To leave things on a slightly more energetic note, the album ends with Escaped. I chose that name because one morning I felt an overwhelming urge to create, as if the music needed to escape from within me.
Ingi Bjarni Skúlason, September 2024

Ingi Bjarni - piano
Hilmar Jensson - guitar
Anders Jormin - bass
Magnús Trygvason Eliassen - drums

Track Listing

• Hope
• Uplift
• Chant
• Eftir Allt
• Hægur Dance
• Aril Dreams
• Continuation
• Desember
• Escaped

Additional Details

Label: Losen Records

Genre: Jazz

Run Time: 52:33 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 03/07/25

UPC: 7090025832994