SOLID!

Bjørn Vidar Solli - guitar / Daniel Buner Formo - organ / Håkon Mjåset Johansen - drums

Norwegian organ trio SOLID! is back with their 5th album - 10 years after their last release and 20 years after the trio was formed.

After a 10 year break from recording, SOLID! is finally coming out of the woodwork, hence the title, and they are bringing a friend along.

On their previous album, «Visitor»  from 2001, the trio had a visit from saxophonist Seamus Blake, and this time they invited bass clarinetist and saxophonist John Ellis, whom Solli knew well from his years in New York.

So with an ensemble of instruments primarily made of wood - organ, guitar, drums and bass clarinet - and having written music specifically for this format - they had another reason to name their new album «Woodworks».

Solli has written 6 out of the 7 tunes on the album and since he knows each musician so well, he was able to compose arrange with their individual sound and unique qualities in mind. His goal was to explore the sonic possibilities inherent in this unusual combination of bass clarinet and a classic organ trio. And utilize this augmented format to compose with multiple voices and experiment with writing more parts in the arranging process, than he had previously done with SOLID!

With inspiration from a wide variety of genres outside of jazz, the result is an album that very well represents where SOLID! is at right now. A balanced mix of the complex and the catchy. The subtle and evocative - and the explosive and energetic.