bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, contrabass clarinet Jóel Pálsson concert grand piano Hannes Helgason double bass Valdimar Kolbeinn Sigurjónsson drums Magnús Trygvason Eliassen recorded by, mixed by Albert Finnbogason words by Jóhannes Birgir Pálmason Dalalæða’s Dysjar is an artwork that intertwines music, poetry and social history. Musically speaking, this is a gloomy approach to the form of jazz -some sort of “doom jazz”- characterized by slow progression, mysterious atmosphere and impressionism. The sound of the traditional jazz piano trio is merged with a neoclassical texture from bass and contrabass clarinet as well as electric sounds and recordings taken from the Icelandic environment in the city and nature.
Another aspect of the project is a connection to the centuries old tradition of Icelandic poetry and rhymes, where spoken words in Icelandic are used instead of singing. This, together with the underlying jazz music, has a certain resemblance to the poetry readings of the beat poets in the fifties in the United States.
The subject of the album's lyrics was taken from Icelandic history in recent centuries, based on sources from the project “Dysjar hinna dæmdu” (Cairns of the Condemned) whose aim was to search for the individuals who were executed by laws in Iceland in the years 1550-1830.
Label Code: VAX 001 (Comes with sticker on front )