by Phil Freeman

Pianist Jorn Swart‘s album Malnoia will be released on the excellent Brooklyn Jazz Underground label in two weeks, on May 26. Pre-order it on iTunes.

The album features Benni von Gutzeit of the Turtle Island Quartet on viola, and Lucas Pino on bass clarinet. So you know going in it’s more of a chamber jazz thing than a traditional piano trio. And indeed, the music combines jazz with classical elements inspired by composers like Maurice Ravel and Bela Bartók. It’s highly melodic, lyrical music, but there’s a relatively high degree of abstraction amid the romanticism and melancholy.

We’re premiering a video from the album today. Check out “Elefante Triste”: