Morten Haxholm Blends Nordic Jazz and Personal Memories on “AETHER II”
Danish bassist and composer Morten Haxholm has returned with a new album called AETHER II, which follows up on 2023’s AETHER. Similar to its predecessor, the new album sets out to reimagine the modern ballad through “minimalist textures, Nordic lyricism, and delicate electronic elements.” This go-around sees Haxholm pushing even further into the concept by playing with dynamic extremes.
“The AETHER albums revolve around the ‘ballad’ as a concept,” he explains, “but this time, I wanted to challenge that stillness — stretch it dynamically, add density, and let discrete electronic elements enrich the acoustic world.”
Haxholm drew on his personal stories to build out his sonic ideas. “Magnolia” is an instrumental remembrance of childhood afternoons in his grandparents’ garden, while “Coda” includes field recordings from the forest where his brother lives.
Check out the rolling bass textures on the ethereal “Winterkeeper”:
AETHER II is streaming now on Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more.
AETHER IITrack Listing
- Abstract (intro)
- Silveon
- Untethered
- Coda
- Magnolia
- Siren Song
- Winterkeeper
- Elegy
- Shimmers
- Incarnadine
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
