Eventually Jacob Young, Mats Eilertsen, Audun Kleive

• 1Eventually06:15
• 2I Told You In October04:20
• 3Moon Over Meno05:50
• 4One For Louis05:45
• 5Schönstedtstraße05:01
• 6Northbound03:17
• 7The Dog Ate My Homework02:54
• 8The Meaning Of Joy04:02
• 9Inside05:18
• Total Runtime42:42

Info for Eventually

Jacob Young’s fourth leader-recording for ECM not only presents the guitarist’s first pass at the guitar trio format, but moreover offers a broader view of his compositional pallet, as he, bassist Mats Eilertsen and drummer Audun Kleive explore a wide variety of pulsations, temperaments and styles, all tied together by Jacob’s always melodic embrace. On his last effort, 2015’s Forever Young, the guitarist was joined by Trygve Seim and the Marcin Wasilewski Trio, performing what The Guardian called, “a set full of undemonstrative surprises and contrasts”, where “the quality of the composing matches the formidable powers of the band.” Eventually continues that record’s gentle lyricism, while Audun Kleive’s percussive injections add counterpoint to Jacob’s in turns balladic and more rhythmically overt elaborations, lending this set its sharp edge.

“Young often plays quietly and obliquely, but he likes grooves,” The Guardian has noted and these qualities are ever-present here, organised in constant juxtaposition with each other throughout the set. Long-time partner Mats Eilertsen, who appeared on Jacob’s label debut Evening Falls (2004) and Sideways (2007), contributes a confident foundation, simultaneously complementing and challenging his colleagues in a vivid, contemporary jazz programme.

Jacob: “It took quite a while to make a new album after Forever Young, because I had to get older. I had to dare to just play with bass and drums – no piano or horns. When Mats and Audun agreed to do this recording with me in the classic guitar, bass and drums trio format, it was important for us not to go ahead and make ‘just another guitar-trio record’, but to make it sound fresh, like something we’ve never done before.”

Part of the freshness here comes from the fact that Jacob doesn’t draw from obvious references to or quotes of the past guitar-greats he admires, but instead concentrates on developing his own voice as a composer and guitarist – one defined by subtle chord-melody harmonisations. Jacob: “When I am the only chordal instrument it gives me more freedom playing these harmonically dense pieces, because when playing single lines during an improvisation and only having the bass beneath more notes are available. Then I can throw in a chord that sounds good with the bass without having to adjust to a piano’s voicing and sound, or any other chordal instrument.”

Jacob also emphasises the significance of his sidemen in the process of making the album: “We treated the material like equals. I was the leader in the sense that I composed the music, but more than anything, it’s about the interplay with these two masters. Mats and Audun make improvising easier for me – it’s one of their mutual abilities. To make other people sound better.”

Whether it’s in the descending lines of the title track “Eventually”, the underlying groove of “I Told You In October”, the subtle balladry of “Moon Over Meno” or the more robust approach taken on bluesy “One For Louis” – Jacob calls the song his “personal take on ‘Rollover Beethoven’” – there’s indeed a particular, electric friction at play between the three musicians as they search for (and find) fresh modes of expression across nine inventive new originals by the guitarist-composer.

Jacob Young has previously released three recordings as a leader for the label: Evening Falls (2004), Sideways (2007) and Forever Young (2014), recorded in the company of ECM stalwarts like late drummer Jon Christensen, saxophonist Trygve Seim, Marcin Wasilewski and more. He was also part of Manu Katché’s group on Third Round (2010) and the drummer’s compilation album Touchstone for Manu (2014).

Besides his role as an esteemed and in-demand sideman for numerous ECM projects – among them albums by Bobo Stenson, Tord Gustavsen, Mathias Eick, Trygve Seim or Wolfert Brederode –, Mats Eilertsen has released his own acclaimed leader-albums for the label, in quintet on Rubicon (2016) and trio on And Then Comes The Night (2019).

Audun Kleive too shares history with ECM, going back to Terje Rypdal’s Chaser from 1985. He has appeared on over a dozen other recordings, often with Terje but also on Mathias Eick’s The Door (2008), Arve Henriksen’s Cartography (2010), with Jon Balke’s Magnetic North Orchestra on Further (1994) and Kyanos (2002) Marilyn Mazur’s Small Labyritnhs (1997) and more.

Jacob Young, guitar
Mats Eilertsen, double bass
Audun Kleive, drums

Jacob Young
Born in Lillehammer in 1970, Young was introduced to jazz by his American father. At the age of 12 he took up the guitar and was, initially, self-taught on the instrument. After studying music at the University of Oslo, he received a scholarship to the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in Manhattan. His years there were devoted to learning the standard jazz repertoire as a starting point for a broader understanding of improvised harmonic music. Young’s principal teacher was the great guitarist Jim Hall, Jacob’s warm, glowing, rounded tone acknowledges the influence, with whom he studied both privately and in ensemble settings. He also took lessons with John Abercrombie, who later praised his “great playing in and out of the tradition”, and studied jazz composition with Richie Beirach, Bob Belden and Ken Werner. After attaining his degree in 1993, Young freelanced around New York for two years playing with, amongst others, Rashied Ali, Marc Copeland, Arnie Lawrence, Junior Mance and Larry Goldings.

His recording debut as a leader came in 1994 with this stellar group of talented young musicians; Nils Petter Molvær, Larry Goldings, Bendik Hofseth, Terje Gewelt and Per Oddvar Johansen. He starter to play festivals and small tours in Norway.

After returning from New York City to live in Oslo, Norway in 1996 he formed a quintet with Trygve Seim, Vigleik Storaas, Mats Eilertsen and Per Oddvar Johansen and recorded his second album “Pieces of Time” for the Curling Legs label.

Around this time legendary Norwegian jazz singer Karin Krog contacted Jacob after hearing him play on the radio. The two started a collaboration together, which includes the John Surman produced album “Where Flamingos Fly” from 2001 and regular touring all over the world for several years as a duo. In 2002 he was booked by the Kongsberg Jazzfestival with a quintet to do a concert with original material, this was the start of the Jacob Young Group, his main focus to this day.

Jacob has played guitar as a sideman on and off with artists such as Bendik Hofseth, Jan Erik Vold, Knut Riisnæs, Sidiki Camara, Bugge Wesseltoft, Karin Krog, Trygve Seim, The Source, Manu Katche, Allessandro Galati and the jazz/rock trio Interstatic co-led with Roy Powell and Jarle Vespestad.

In 2017 he started the local, modern jazz music label , Oslo Session Recordings, in collaboration with old friends. The label focuses on releases in the 180 grams Vinyl format - in limited editions - as a free venue for Jacob's sideman projects outside the ECM basis. The first release "The Maze" featured an all-star group consisting of a mix of new and old collaborators. Mike Mainieri, the legendary founder of Steps Ahead on vibes, Paolo Vinaccia on drums, Mats Eilertsen on bass and Bendik Hofseth on saxophone.

The label's second release "Rathkes gate 12:21:58" came out in Norway in August 2017 and features a trio with Jacob Young, Paolo Vinaccia & Bendik Hofseth and features original music by all three musicians.

Jacob has also started a new duo with talented Norwegian singer Siril Malmedal Hauge. Together they are working on material for a recording with both standards from the pop and jazz world, as well as originals.

Booklet for Eventually