Sometimes, album titles tell all: sometimes they tell little or nothing. Slow Eastbound Train sits somewhere in between. Train? No obvious examples. Eastbound? Hmm. Slow? That pretty much describes the pace of much of the music on this album, by Norwegian musician and composer Daniel Herskedal. But none of these three words come close to describing the grace, inventiveness and beauty of this lovely recording.
Herskedal plays tuba and bass trumpet, both with a fluidity and melodic strength that are not always associated with these relatively unusual instruments. His tone on tuba especially is warm and soft, which lends a comforting friendliness to his every appearance on the instrument. He's been recording since the early '00s but really came to the attention of the jazz world with Neck Of The Woods (Edition Records, 2012), which paired him with saxophonist Marius Neset. On Slow Eastbound Train he's joined by pianist Eyolf Dale, percussionist Helge Andreas Norbakken and the Trondheim Soloists, a string chamber orchestra.
Herskedal's compositions are strongly atmospheric, readily creating musical imagery that for the most part fits well with the title of each piece. A quick glance at the track listing makes it clear that weather and climate are key influences—the stately "Slow Eastbound Boat" and "Slow Eastbound Train" being exceptions. "The Mistral Noir" is an exceptional scene-setter, Heskedal's playing taking center stage on a tune that evokes a sense of warmth and calmness, in contrast to the Mistral wind of the title. On Mussorgsky's "Bydlo"—the one non-original track—Herskedal's tense, upper-register, playing is counterbalanced by the stately Trondheim Strings.
Pianist Dale sets the tone on the skittering, anxious, "Monsoon Coming" before Herskedal and the Trondheim Soloists enter and the anxiety gradually dissolves. "Daniel's Dust Devil" acts as a coda to "The Solar Winds' Effects On Earth" and the introduction to "Slow Eastbound Boat": a solo tuba performance with its emphasis on rhythm, Herskdal plays with a rasping, fruity, tone that gives the tune a touch of light-heartedness. "Snowfall" is a joyful celebration, the strings and piano playing swooping, darting rhythms like children chasing snowflakes. - Bruce Lindsay
A young tuba and bass trumpet player from Molde, Norway and now based in Copenhagen, Daniel Herskedal has been active on the Nordic jazz scene for the past decade and a half and recently released the noted Neck of the Woods in 2012 with saxophonist Marius Neset and a choir ensemble.
From the very first notes, Slow Eastbound Train immediately captivates and plays like an elaborate suite. As suggested by the title, the cover artwork and the looped chord progression and breathed-through rhythm imitating an old steam engine, listening to the album is tantamount to boarding a train carriage progressing across an ever changing landscape.
On Slow Eastbound Train, every instrumental permutation is playfully explored through a wonderfully eclectic mix of styles – from Middle-Eastern music to jazz improvisation – whereby the tuba or the bass trumpet constantly switches between solo lead and musical dialogue with the piano, the string section (in pizzicato or bowed mode) or the highly original percussions of Helge Andreas Norbakken.
The tuba on the beautifully titled “The Solar Winds Effects on Earth” has a cosmic resonance, and similarly, most song titles induce synaesthetic metaphors with “Rainfall”, “Moonsoon Coming” or “Sea Breeze Front” eliciting a variety of sounds, smells and colours. The ethereal and textured acoustic quality of the tuba or bass trumpet is also at times reminiscent of Jon Hassell’s processed trumpet sound and his “Fourth World” approach.
Ten of the eleven tracks on the album are new compositions and “Bydlo” is a reprise of the 4th movement of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”, one of the rare classical parts written for solo tuba.
Combining a wonderful melodic flair with constantly shifting rhythms, virtuoso improvisation and subtle loops or layering, Daniel Herskedal’s Slow Eastbound Train is a true delight for the senses. - GUILLAUME
Tracks
01. The Mistral Noir
02. Rainfall
03. Monsoon Coming
04. The Solar Winds' Effects On Earth
05. Daniel's Dust Devil
06. Slow Eastbound Boat
07. Slow Eastbound Train
08. Snowfall
09. Crosswind Landing
10. Bydlo (Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky/Arr. Daniel Herskedal)
11. Sea Breeze Front
DANIEL HERSKEDAL tuba, bass trumpet
EYOLF DALE piano
HELGE ANDREAS NORBAKKEN percussion
THE TRONDHEIM SOLOISTS string chamber orchestra
Music composed by Daniel Herskedal, except (10) by Mussorgsky
Recorded March 25-26, 2014 at Bark Studio, Oslo and 29-30, March 2014 at Nidaros Studio, Trondheim
Edition Records – Edition EDN1057