Svein Finnerud Trio

* Strictly limited edition of 500 audiophile copies on black vinyl. * Led by pianist Svein Finnerud, “Thoughts” is the trio´s deepest, darkest, most personal and reflective album, and in our ears their finest hour on record. The original is quite rare now, selling for very good money on the secondhand market. Something of a forgotten treasure (as it indeed was for 11 years), this re-issue is long overdue and comes in a strictly limited edition of 500 copies. The original sleeve design has been perfectly restored by Nick Alexander and the sound has been re-mastered by Helge Sten specifically for this vinyl edition, sourced from the original master tapes and restored before being transferred to 24bit/96kHz for the best possible listening experience. The vinyl cut was done by SST in Germany.

In 1970, Svein Finnerud Trio (as they were then named), released “Plastic Sun”, still one of the most iconic albums in Norwegian jazz. Being their second, issued on the Sonet label in an eye catching, psychedelic gatefold sleeve, it also attracted due attention from the more curious sections of the rock audience. The same year would see the only release from another great trio, Min Bul, sharing the same rhythm section of Bjørnar Andresen and Espen Rud, this time with guitarist Terje Rypdal as the leader.

Although “Plastic Sun” would mark the beginning of a very fruitful period in Norwegian jazz, with Jan Garbarek and Terje Rypdal releasing strong ECM debuts the following year, it was probably dawning on the more commercially oriented sections of the record business that the sales didn´t exactly hit the roof. Thus, when it was time for a follow-up in 1974, the already recorded “Thoughts” was shelved due to lack of funding and potential labels getting cold feet. It wasn´t to be released until 1985, on Henie Onstad Art Center’s in-house Prisma label. The center was like a home to the trio, they played concerts there and “Thoughts” was actually recorded at the center. HOAC always had a special connection with the more experimental music scenes right from the opening in 1968, with groups, artists and composers like Soft Machine, Henry Cow, John Cage, Terry Riley, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Arne Nordheim and many others performing.