Carsten Dahl Trio

On their brand-new album The Composer’s Suite, they take us with great intensity and fearlessness all the way to the edge of where we thought the jazz world ended. But as one reviewer wrote about Carsten Dahl: he always surprises me — and surely others as well — because he can. Or because he simply cannot help it. A true wizard surrounded by equals.

Line-up:
Carsten Dahl: grand piano
Daniel Franck: double bass
Martin Andersen: drums

Reviews:
Ivan Rod (GAFFA): “For me, the Danish jazz pianist Carsten Dahl is always an intensely fascinating encounter. I have followed him for years and ‘recognise’ him and his music every time he performs or releases something new. And yet he always surprises me (and surely others as well), because he can. Or because he simply cannot help himself.
Carsten Dahl is profoundly musical. He can see and hear. He possesses a remarkable ability to listen — but also to perform. That is why he is a powerhouse when it comes to creation, as demonstrated here with Golden Ratio Trio, which, besides Carsten Dahl himself, consists of Swedish jazz bassist Daniel Franck and Danish jazz drummer Jakob Høyer. Carsten Dahl clearly listens to the others and contributes based on what he hears, and the others do the same. Therefore, the meeting between the three skilled musicians in Golden Ratio Trio is what one might, in old Danish, call deeply refreshing.

Interpretations – The Norway Sessions, as the title suggests, was recorded over two days in two Norwegian studios. The trio recorded 13 original compositions — two by Carsten Dahl, one by Daniel Franck, and ten composed collectively. Regardless of authorship, the material holds together organically. At the same time, however, the two sessions, recorded respectively in January and March 2024, are fundamentally different. They were recorded in two different studios, and the soundscapes therefore differ as well. The January recordings are warm and melodically structured. The March recordings are freer, rougher, and more aggressive. As a result, the album almost seems to split slightly in the middle. Yet everything still remains unmistakably the sound of Carsten Dahl and Golden Ratio Trio.

Once again, Carsten Dahl appears both sensitive and disciplined, yet also bold and untamed. In interplay with Daniel Franck and Jakob Høyer, everything — regardless of temperature — becomes rich and intense, multifaceted and fantastic. Suspended between action and pause, harmony and disharmony, the ‘interpretations’ emerge. And all of it is compelling. Personally, however, I am most captivated by the first session and its immediately accessible music — perfectly shaped pieces such as Kristallkorall and Vacker.”