Danish pianist-composer Lars Fiil Fredslund presents a new piano trio on his seventh album as a bandleader, New Ground. Fill – literally – searching for a new sonic ground that augments the acoustic soundscapes with ambient electronic textures and he attempts to suggest a fresh take on Nordic jazz that is fed by its rich legacy but at the same time points forward. «This album is about having the courage to venture into unknown territory while daring to stand firm in who you are and where you come from as a musician», says Fiil.

Fill is known for the indie-jazz I Think You’re Awesome band as well as his own projects Frit Fald and Fiil Free, and the duo with Danish-Palestinian oud virtuoso Bilal Irshed. On New Ground and with the new trio, he alternates between the piano and the synth. He is accompanied by bassist Nicolai Kaas Claesson (of Horse Orchestra and Dødens Garderobe) and American drummer Matt Carroll (of Ohmme), with guests trumpeter Jakob Sørensen (of Bagland) and clarinetist Carolyn Goodwin (of Copenhagen Clarinet Choir). These musicians assist Fiil realize his exploratory vision that blends openness and curiosity, delicate piano melodies and ethereal synth sounds, and effects and off-kilter drumbeats.

Fill is gifted with sketching instant, beautiful, moving melodies. Fill’s music for New Ground is rooted deeply in the Legacy of Nordic jazz with its familiar sparse yet nuanced, lyrical and story-like atmospheres but now it gently swings – literally – toward more uplifting, almost dance-oriented spheres and cinematic ambiances. The addition of Goodwin in «A Question of Time» anchors Fill’s new trio in a chamber, Nordic jazz ambiance while Sørensen colors the title piece and the last, «Epilogue», with a warm, whispering-singing voice that corresponds with the influential one of Arve Henriksen.

Eyal Hareuveni

Lars Fiil (synthesizer, piano), Nicolai Kaas Claesson (electric bass, effects), Matt Carroll (drums), Jakob Sørensen (trumpet), Carolyn Goodwin (clarinet)