Still only 29 years old when composing and recording this album, Kjetil Mulelid is one of the brightest talents in Norwegian jazz, and these days that really says something. Kjetil was sceptical when we first suggested a solo piano record back in early 2018, fully aware that solo piano in jazz is considered the ultimate challenge. But the idéa slowly grew on him and when the pandemic exploded and other plans had to be scrapped, he suddenly had the time as well as the means to do it. Thus the bulk of the album was written in a hectic lockdown period and recorded on a steaming hot June day in the legendary Athletic Sound studio on their unique and characteristic Bösendorfer grand piano from 1919. Of the piano Kjetil says the sound is one of a kind, very clear and not typically “perfect” like most new ones. We can only wholeheartedly agree, it sounds great and is also very well recorded and mixed, giving the impression that you sit next to him, and not in a concert hall. In turn melancholy, joyful and playful, always elegant, the album fully shows Kjetil’s harmonic and melodic mastery and the influence from early introductions to classical masters like Debussy, Chopin and Beethoven. Whether staying with the tune or taking off on improvised flights, there is an ease and assurance in his playing that betrays his young age.

P R E S S

5/5 stars - UK Vibe (UK) 

“This is attractive music” - LondonJazzNews 

“Beyond beautiful” - Deichman music blog (NO)

"Extremely sonorous and beautiful" - Jazznytt (NO)

"Inevitable comparisons with Keith Jarrett" - Jazzwise (UK) 

“very melodic, lyrical and melancholic” - Adam Baruch (IL) 

“Richly melodic and harmonious. Beautiful” - John Eylas, All about jazz 

"Mulelid amplifies the material with intelligence and taste." - Textura (CA)

“The Secret World of the Grand Piano” - Audun Vinger, Dagens Næringsliv

“A virtuosic player who never feels showy.” - Gareth Thompson, All about jazz 

"This is music with a solid core. No pieces here appear unmotivated" - Ballade (NO) 

"This is a record I will be listening to a lot in the years to come." - Stemmegaffel (NO)

“Piano” demonstrates Mulelid’s range of emotions very well. - T-bones Substack (US)

"One of 2021's most delicious sit-in-front-fireplace albums"- Bærum folkebibliotek (NO)

"Virtuoso, smoky jazz from young Norwegian firebrand Kjetil Mulelid" - Boomkat (UK)

“He has produced a striking, transcendent album that I expect to return to endlessly” - Further (UK)  

“Mulelid treats themes and melodies in a new and elegant way" - Arild R. Andersen, Jazz i Norge (NO)

“«Piano» offers a perspective of a mature and articulate artist who spent the pandemic lockdown times.” - Eyal Hareuveni

“Kjetil Mulelid is one of the most important artists of his generation within the ever-vibrant Scandinavian jazz scene” - Music Map (IT) 

“Balance art. His music dares to be romantic in the expressive meaning of the word, without it bordering on pop ballads ”- Morgenbladet (NO)

“Throughout this exquisite recording, he demonstrates a remarkable command that makes one excited for what the future holds.” - Textura (CA) 

"It’ll be really interesting to follow Kjetil Mulelid’s career, he might become one of the big names in future jazz. Next stop: ECM" - Martin Schray, Free Jazz Blog

“Mulelid’s melodic themes are simply gorgeous & his playing, with its subtle balance of right hand melody and left hand rhythm, is superb throughout.” - TheJazzMann (UK)

- “I sometimes pick out Keith Jarrett's "Köln Concert" when life feels too "broken" and lonely. But now the one and only Jarrett gets strong competition from Kjetil Mulelid, because what he does on "piano" is unspeakably beautiful and optimistic, and music that goes straight to the heart and soul." - Jan Granlie, SaltPeanuts  (NO)

“Piano is Mulelid's first solo outing and reveals a virtuosic player who never feels showy. Performing with austere grandeur, Mulelid inhabits his own sacred space for these intense works.” - Gareth Thompson, All about jazz 

“The allegiance to Keith Jarrett is clear throughout this haunting suite of originals by this Nordic pianist Mulelid, whose subtle patterns fit right in alongside other ivory tinklers on Rune Grammofon.” - Jazzwise (UK)

"When you hear Kjetil Mulelid play, the romance is never far away. He has a distinct sense of good melody. His improvisational detours put nerves in the compositional lines. The effortless flow of the play makes the music whole. " - Arild R Andersen, Jazz in Norway (NO) 

“From the outset, the lightness of the touch, the characteristics of the attacks, the improvised aspect of the lines played and the form of spontaneity of the ensemble clearly position the Norwegian's point of view on the side of jazz” - etherreal.com (FR)