Emil Brandqvist Trio - Poems for Travellers

The Emil Brandqvist Trio plays in the top tier of European Piano Jazz formations. After they advanced to No. 2 on the German Jazz Charts with their last album and were saluted with a Special Award for 50 million streams of their successful pieces in 2024 – an undisputedly seldom achieved volume for the Instrumental Jazz genre – this brand-new project will surely prove to be a clincher with the steadily growing fan community.

This is the first time the three Scandinavians have opted to refrain from featuring guests in the studio and only recorded the mix of well-crafted melodies and intricate arrangements so popular with their fans as trio. A highlight thereby: all three members of the band appear as composers, too. The gripping opener, “A Visit To Reality”, readily signalizes that this time the trio is in the midst of the action: all three protagonists are correspondingly present as soloists. Yet drummer Emil Brandqvist doesn’t spare on the catchy melodies the native Swede is so valued for either; in this case, for example, the touching ballad entitled “Endless Like The Sea”. Equally presenting himself in the best of form is Tuomas A. Turunen, whose pearling piano runs add polish and panache to his own composition, “Shades Of Leaving”. He’s also the author behind the song “Run Away”. As soloist this native Finn steps up with a feature on solo piano, the classically influenced “Interlude No. 2” by Emil Brandqvist. It remains reserved for Max Thornberg to set the culmination to the album with his composition, a soulful ballad named “Evening Land”. In a nutshell, “Poems For Travellers” is yet another highlight in the documented career of this Scandinavian trio that has racked up successes for over ten years.