# CD review: Eyolf Dale & André Roligheten – Departure 2019: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2019/05/11/cd-review-eyolf-dale-andre-roligheten-departure-2019-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2019-05-11T21:56:10+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**This follow-up to Eyolf Dale‘s 2018 album Return to Mind, as with its 2016 predecessor,
Dale’s Wolf Valley, features André Roligheten on tenor sax and clarinet. **

But crucially, on Departure Dale and Roligheten have dispensed with a rhythm section.
This is not a new format since this Norwegian pair had played in a duo configuration
under the name of Albatrosh, and as a result winning the Jazzintro award in 2008.
They released their debut album Seagull Island in 2009, and have produced a further
four Albatrosh albums since then.
 Dale’s aptly titled opener, “First Clue” does
indeed proffer an indication of the ensuing tracks. The chiaroscuro meanderings 
range from pastoral to Roligheten’s more visceral tenor sallies. But always the 
two musicians trace a symbiotic path together.

On Dale’s “Just Woke Up,” there’s a change in the piano approach which becomes more
vibrant and, initially, follows an ostinato chordal pattern but regularly references
the main motif of the piece. But always Roligheten evinces a volley of limpid high
register notes which serve to enchant and, at times, mesmerize. Dale’s deft, fleet-
footed piano lines on “Moon Jogger” perfectly complement Roligheten’s serpentine
saxophone which oscillates from sombre to strident, frequently within the same breath.

Roligheten’s “Reflection” epitomises the lyrical nature of the compositions whilst“
Accelerate Wormhole” is a collective improvisation that clearly demonstrates how
the two musicians play together with a near-telepathic sensibility. This synergy
is repeated in their other jointly composed track “Crystalline.” Overall the music
is characterised by a dreamlike quality and aligns itself more to contemporary classical
conventions and improvisation whilst studiously eschewing jazz clichés, thus rendering
the album intriguingly idiosyncratic. — AllAboutJazz

 1. First Clue
 2. Just Woke Up
 3. Take Me Home
 4. Reflection
 5. Accelerate Wormhole
 6. Celestial Bodies
 7. Moon Jogger
 8. Crystalline

**Personnel:** Eyolf Dale: piano; André Roligheten: tenor saxophone, clarinet.

![Image result for Eyolf Dale & André Roligheten - Departure](https://i0.wp.com/
f4.bcbits.com/img/a1763444584_10.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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