"I knew from the first time I heard the trio play that I would fit right in. I loved the melodic sense and vibe and was thrilled when I was invited to guest with the trio in London in 2016. Espen wrote a set of fantastic tunes for the recording session in Oslo. They played themselves and we had a ball recording, everything clicked and in two days we had made a very special album" – Andy Sheppard A new collaboration was born and since then Espen Eriksen Trio and Andy Sheppard have toured together in Norway and South Korea.
In October 2017 they recorded their first album together. The record will be released on the Norwegian label Rune Grammofon in May 2018, featuring eight new songs by Eriksen, this time specially written for the project. With a career spanning over four decades, working together with the likes of George Russell and Gil Evans, Andy Sheppard is truly one of Europe’s leading saxophonists. He’s also one of the few players in the world that can juggle a European lyrical sensibility with hardcore American post‐bop jazz chops – and also knows how to portion it out.
Lately, his main focus has been with his own band Andy Sheppard Quartet and the trio with living legends Carla Bley and Steve Swallow. Both acts are recording for ECM and showcase Sheppard’s supreme melodic and lyrical abilities. This new collaboration between Espen Eriksen Trio and Andy Sheppard will delight fans and without doubt attract many new ones.
http://www.espeneriksentrio.com/