Eivind Opsvik Presents Overseas V, the Latest, Post-Punk-Influenced Entry in the Bassist-Composer’s Ever-Involving Series of Albums Featuring Some of New York’s Top Jazz Players. Overseas V sees Opsvik teamed with longtime confreres: saxophonist TONY MALABY, guitarist BRANDON SEABROOK, pianist JACOB SACKS & drummer KENNY WOLLESEN “Eivind Opsvik has an unusual gift for writing small, poignant pieces of music. His melodic shards are strong, as are the chord sequences moving underneath; to a degree, the musicians take a subordinate role to the written concepts. This is no small thing: He has the distinction, in a time when jazz compositions are increasingly opaque, of writing catchy tunes.” — The New York Times Bassist-composer Eivind Opsvik, born and raised in Norway but resident in New York City for some two decades, has developed an utterly individual musical soundprint, one that blends the song-minded composition and creative studio craft of art rock with the virtuosic edge and spontaneity of progressive jazz. Opsvik’s sequentially numbered series of instrumental albums dubbed Overseas, begun in 2003, continues with Overseas V, to be released digitally and on CD/vinyl by Loyal Label on March 17, 2017. Time Out New York called Overseas IV one of the “freshest” albums of 2012, extolling its “depth.” The hooks-galore writing, artful production and sublime playing remain constant in Opsvik’s work, but in the place of the Baroque atmospherics of Overseas IV are post-punk influences, from the melodic bass lines of Joy Division/New Order to the funky stutter of Talking Heads. Then there is the inspiration of Brian Eno’s early avant-rock LPs – catchy, off-kilter songs played by great musicians – and the lessons young Opsvik learned from experiencing guitarist Terje Rypdal and other of ECM’s Scandinavian jazzers live, not just on record. The latest, road-honed version of Opsvik’s Overseas band features close longtime friends, who happen to be some of the most compelling improvisers on New York’s creative music scene: saxophonist Tony Malaby, guitarist Brandon Seabrook, keyboardist Jacob Sacks and drummer Kenny Wollesen, all for whom quality of sound matters more than quantity of notes. The nine tracks of the LP-length Overseas V are also concise and immediate, with no songs hitting six minutes and only three over five. “The concision stems partly from being a dad now and having less time to get caught up in music,” explains the 43-year-old Opsvik. “The last album was cinematic and pored over. The songs appear during life now, like one I came up with while singing to my toddler daughter, Iris. Song titles often come from things she says or does. I love when music follows the patterns of life. I came up with another tune while jamming along on toy piano while she played a shaker. Really, rhythm more than melody and atmosphere are the basis of these pieces, with a lot of the drum grooves written out. I’m also using the tenor sax not always as a top-line feature but within the fabric of the band, almost as a rhythm-section instrument. Though we’re elastic with time and pitch, even the improvisations are more concise. When we play live, there’s more stretching out, as the music can go anywhere. That’s reflected on the record in the coda of ‘First Challenge on the Road,’ basically a very short song where the last section is extended for almost four minutes, with Brandon getting to do his rock-chording thing. This record was also influenced by Overseas performing a lot on the road – I write specifically for the players in the band, their sounds in mind. In another nod to the world of vintage rock, a conceptual video was shot for the exciting, evocative, otherworldly alt-funk of “Brraps!” Opsvik says: “Brandon’s wife, Anais Blondet, directed the video. I’m playing the main character, a disheveled, mad-professor type. I think modern jazz can get a bit too serious and intellectual at times – so whether it’s catchy tunes or a music video, I think it can lighten up.”