Eyolf Dale

Eyolf Dale
Eyolf Dale performing in 2017
Eyolf Dale performing in 2017
Background information
Born (1985-03-05) 5 March 1985 (age 41)
Skien, Telemark, Norway
GenreJazz
OccupationsMusician, composer
InstrumentPiano
LabelsRune Grammofon
Curling Legs
Edition
WebsiteOfficial website

Eyolf Dale (born 5 March 1985) is a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer.

Career

Dale has established himself as one of Norway's leading jazz pianists, with numerous record releases and extensive international touring. Both as a sideman and a solo performer, he has performed all over Europe, as well as on tours in the United States, Japan and China.

Dale is known from both his solo work and collaborations with a great number of jazz artists, including Eyolf Dale's Wolf Valley octet, Albatrosh, Daniel Herskedal, Hayden Powell Trio, and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. With the duo Albatrosh, alongside reedsman André Roligheten, he was awarded "Young Jazz Musicians of the Year 2008" in the JazzIntro competition, and the duo was also awarded "Best Band" at the European Jazz Competition in 2010 at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam. He was nominated for Spellemannprisen — the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy Award — both in 2013 and 2016 for his solo albums.

In recent years, the Eyolf Dale Trio — featuring bassist Per Zanussi and drummer Audun Kleive — has become the central vehicle for his work. The trio's debut album, Being, was released in 2021, followed by The Wayfarers on 27 January 2023. The Wayfarers was recorded at Oslo Concert Hall and is noted for its blend of Norwegian folk, jazz and classical music, including the use of a Hammerspinet. The album received five-star reviews from Aftenposten and received coverage in Jazziz magazine. On The Wayfarers, Zanussi and Kleive were involved in the compositional process at an earlier stage than on previous recordings, reflecting the trio's growing collaborative dynamic.

In October 2024, Dale released The Space Between Two Notes, his seventh album on Edition Records, which reimagines compositions from Being and The Wayfarers with orchestral arrangements by the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, conducted by Miho Hazama. The trio's most recent album, When Shadows Dance, was released in February 2025, recorded at Oslo Concert Hall in June 2024.

Dale has also worked in orchestral formats, composing his first piano concerto, Echoes in Oslo, performed with the Telemark Chamber Orchestra at Oslo Concert Hall and released in 2023.

In addition to his performing career, Dale serves as an associate professor in jazz at the Norwegian Academy of Music.

Awards and honors

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Year recorded Title Label Notes
2009 Seagull Island Inner Ear with André Roligheten (tenor saxophone)
2010 Mystery Orchestra with Grenager & Tafjord Inner Ear with André Roligheten (tenor saxophone and bass clarinet), Hild Sofie Tafjord (French horn), Lene Grenager (cello)
2011 Yonkers Rune Grammofon with André Roligheten (tenor saxophone)
2011 Hotel Interludes Curling Legs Solo piano
2013 Hometown Interludes Curling Legs Solo piano
2014 Tree House MNJ with André Roligheten, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra
2014 Night Owl Rune Grammofon with André Roligheten (tenor saxophone and bass clarinet)
2016 Wolf Valley Edition With André Roligheten (tenor sax, clarinet), Hayden Powell (trumpet), Kristoffer Kompen (trombone), Rob Waring (vibraphone), Adrian Løseth Waade (violin), Per Zanussi (bass, saw), Gard Nilssen (drums)
2018 Return to Mind Edition With Per Zanussi (bass), Gard Nilssen (drums), Andre Roligheten (sax, clarinet), Hayden Powell (trumpet), Kristoffer Kompen (trombone), Rob Waring (vibraphone), Adrian Løseth Waade (violin)
2019 Departure Edition With André Roligheten (tenor saxophone and clarinet)
2020 Being Edition With Per Zanussi (double bass), Audun Kleive (drums)
2021 A patch of old snow EP Edition Solo piano
2023 The Wayfarers Edition With Per Zanussi (bass, saw), Audun Kleive (drums)
2023 Echoes of Oslo – Piano Concerto Edition With Telemark Chamber Orchestra
2024 The Space Between Two Notes Edition With Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Miho Hazama (conductor), Audun Kleive (drums), Per Zanussi (bass)
2025 When Shadows Dance Edition With Audun Kleive (drums), Per Zanussi (bass)

Collaborative works

References

  1. ↑ "Kampenjazz konsert med Eyolf Dale" (in Norwegian). NordicBlackTheatre.no. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  2. 1 2 Mosnes, Terje (5 October 2011). "Pianoperle fra Eyolf Dale" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  3. ↑ "Eyolf Dale". Last.fm. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  4. ↑ "Eyolf Dale". Edition Records. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  5. ↑ "About". Eyolf Dale Official Website. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Eyolf Dale". Edition Records. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "About". Eyolf Dale Official Website. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  8. ↑ "Eyolf Dale – The Wayfarers". Edition Records. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  9. ↑ "Eyolf Dale | The Wayfarers". Edition Records. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Eyolf Dale – The Wayfarers". Edition Records. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "The Space Between Two Notes". Bandcamp. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  12. ↑ "When Shadows Dance". Bandcamp. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  13. ↑ "Echoes of Oslo – Piano Concerto". Edition Records. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  14. ↑ "About". Eyolf Dale Official Website. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  15. ↑ Mosnes, Terje (19 July 2012). "Store kroner til stortalenter – Kronedryss over Anja og Albatrosh på Moldejazz" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  16. ↑ "André Rolighetens – Soloist prize". Young Nordic Jazz Comets. Retrieved 31 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  17. 1 2 no:Spellemannprisen 2013
  18. ↑ Mosnes, Terje (16 October 2013). "Nye sanger, kjente grep" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. Retrieved 31 October 2013.