Like a lot of music issued under the banner of jazz these days what you get on Two only corresponds with some of your expectations and certainly lands a world away from swing rooted American jazz or furiously paced hard bop. It's unusual to have a violinist as leader and Tuva Halse who is from Molde in Norway certainly impresses in that demanding role with the originality of her tunes often hymnal and dreamy and her fine playing often imbued with a strong percussive sense and intent on deftly florid breakaway passages. On trumpet Oscar Andreas Haug sounds a bit like Mathias Eick and as on an Eick record you get lots of bittersweet melancholia and some great tonal smears and detours ahead. The quintet is completed by pianist Benjamín Gísli Einarsson, bassist Gard Kronborg and drummer Øyvind Leite. Together the five conjure a certain turn down the lamp mood that has plenty of shivery pleasures to it - Halse is well worth discovering. Out today
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