Oddgeir Berg Trio, Oddgeir Berg, Karl-Joakim Wisloff & Klaus Robert Blomvik - In the End of the Night (2019)

First, Before Dawn, now In the End of the Night - the first two albums by the Oddgeir Berg Trio essentially take place at the same time: The hours before the break of day, this unreal and meditative phase which the Portuguese call madrugada. Outwardly, not a lot has changed in terms of the music. In the End of the Night still featues an equally withdrawn and cinematic sound, subliminally resonating grooves as well as the bittersweet harmonies of Oddgeir Berg's piano. And yet, this album is definitely not without its surprises.

Not a year has passed since the Oddgeir Berg Trio presented its debut. On paper, it looked like the work of three hungry young instrumentalists. In truth, the individual members had long established themselves as top-notch session musicians on the Norwegian scene. The courage to 'do their own thing' has paid off: The album received rapturous reviews in publications worldwide, from All About Jazz to Japanese mag JazzSpace and Germany's renowned Jazzthetik. On the ensuing tour, the band managed to magically translate the sound of this unique record to the stage. At the same time, they also opened themselves up to experimentation. Some of the results have now found their way to the new album.

In the End of the Night certainly seems to be inspired by the suspenseful tight rope act of the live gigs. On the one hand, pieces like "List" still feature the recognisably intimate interaction between Berg, bassist Karl-Joakim Wisløff and drummer Klaus Blomvik. On "The Escape", meanwhile, the band add electronic sound effects to their palette, making Berg's minimalist piano motives sound like an electro bass. It is opener "Vagabond", however, which constitutes the most radical departure from routine here: For four minutes, the trio luxuriate in their characteristically dreamy melodies, before Wisløff suddenly unleashes hell, running his arco bass through a fuzz box and channeling the ghost of Jimi Hendrix.

Tracklist:
01. Oddgeir Berg Trio - Vagabond
02. Oddgeir Berg Trio - American Dream
03. Oddgeir Berg Trio - The Escape
04. Oddgeir Berg Trio - List
05. Oddgeir Berg Trio - Travellers
06. Oddgeir Berg Trio - Way Home
07. Oddgeir Berg Trio - Future Has Come
08. Oddgeir Berg Trio - Lullaby for A.O.
09. Oddgeir Berg Trio - Stars Aligned
10. Oddgeir Berg Trio - In the End of the Night