22. Circular Changes

This Second of Jazz post is about the lyrical and peaceful album playing on my stereo in the moment of writing. “Circular Changes” by Michael Bloch Trio ended up in my record collection due to a visit to the Django Bar in Oslo a couple of weeks ago, where this trio was creating a relaxed atmosphere. The trio features Michael Bloch on piano, Frode Berg on bass and Anders Thorén on the drums.

Anders Thorén is a Swedish drummer, producer and composer, based in Oslo, Norway. He has an educational background from the US, and brings his experience and openness into his music. I’ve heard him play on many occasions and he’s always bridging the gap between musical cultures and genres. It goes without saying that Frode Berg is a wonderful contribution to the jazz scene. He is one of our leading bassists, and he’s known from classical, contemporary, jazz, pop and rock scenes. As a youth he started out playing the piano and trumpet, though he ended up studying the classical bass. He spreads joy and warmth on the stage.

Michael Bloch started out playing the piano, and had already turned some heads at the age of 16. However, his musical path wasn’t going to be a straight line. He later became known as a saxophonist, before he left his music career behind for a couple of years and worked as a nurse. After a while his inner creative voice once again claimed it’s right, and he returned to music. He started taking saxophone lessons, but was soon back at challenging the tangents.

Bloch’s musical path sort of puts this album into context. The first track is called “waking up”. The final track is called “back again”. The album title makes me wonder though, what comes next? Among my favorites are “Our Song”, “Superlative”, “Moving in Circles” and “Agape”.

You can listen to the album here.