Jesper Nordberg is a young Swedish double bass player, based in Malmö, who has studied at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and has worked with prominent musicians in the Copenhagen scene like Jesper Zeuthen, Tomasz Dąbrowski and Michala Østergaard Nielsen. Nordberg leads a chamber jazz trio with fellow Swedish musicians – violinist Stefan Pöntinen and trumpeter Ruhi Erdogan. Trio is the debut album of this band, recorded in January 2023 in Copenhagen, after three years of working together.

Trio brings together the diverse backgrounds of the three musicians – Nordic jazz and Swedish folk music, expressionism (Pöntinen is known for creating music for various chamber constellations and orchestras) and Balkan music (Erdogan is a descent from a Turkish-Kurdish family). Nordberg uses the unique instrumentation of the trio to suggest musical landscapes that cover the spectrum from Miles Davis to a Turkish village wedding. Add to that a close and emphatic interplay and generous room for interplay.

The music of the trio is mostly introspective, reserved and lyrical, focusing on sketching free-associative, engaging stories articulated by Erdogan. But on the free improvised pieces like «Flugjakten» and «Frispel» this trio takes risks and experiments with challenging timbres. The most beautiful and touching «Till Amanda» is dedicated to Nordberg’s partner. A promising debut album.

Eyal Hareuveni

Jesper Nordberg (b),  Ruhi Erdogan (tp), Stefan Pöntinen (vio)