Morten Georg Gismervik - Starfall (2026) [Hi-Res]

Norwegian guitarist and composer Morten Georg Gismervik releases his fourth album, Starfall, on Purple Theory Records on 16 October 2026. Having debuted in 2018, he builds his voice around the electric guitar as a lyrical, storytelling instrument; his previous album, Dunes at Night, came out on Hubro in 2023. The material for Starfall was written for the prizewinner’s concert at the Sildajazz festival in 2023, after he received the festival’s prize in 2022. It was recorded with his working quintet and five guest string players.

The album’s starting point is the night sky. Acoustic and electric sounds sit side by side throughout, while jazz, classical music, prog and modern sound design move in and out of one another; the mood shifts between the intimate and the expansive, and the narrating voice passes from one musician to the next. Inspirations include Lars Danielsson, Tigran Hamasyan, Eivind Aarset and Esbjörn Svensson Trio.

The quintet’s distinguishing feature is its two keyboardists: Øystein Folkedal and Harsha Jerome trade piano, Rhodes and synth from track to track, so the band’s colour keeps changing without any change of lineup. The string palette comes not only from the guests but from within the group: Håkon Huldt-Nystrøm plays bowed double bass, and Jon Espelid takes an orchestral approach to the drums. Strings appear on six of the eleven tracks — from sparse melodies on “Ptolemy’s Chamber” to more central roles on “The Way of All Things” and “Epilogue”, where Tuva Halse is the violin soloist.

Critic Audun Vinger wrote in Jazz i Norge in 2023 that Gismervik is exactly the guitarist Norwegian jazz needs right now: sophisticated, yet with a slightly gnarly 80s prog/fusion style.

T H E Q U I N T E T
Morten Georg Gismervik electric and acoustic guitar
Øystein Folkedal piano, Rhodes and keyboards
Harsha Jerome piano and keyboards
Håkon Huldt-Nystrøm double bass
Jon Espelid drums

G U E S T M U S I C I A N S
Tuva Halse violin, soloist on "Epilogue"
Ragnhild Lien violin
Lise Sørensen violin
Isa Holmesland viola
Ellen-Martine Gismervik cello

Tracklist:
01-01 Morten Georg Gismervik - The Stars Align [5:20]
01-02 Morten Georg Gismervik - Galaxy's Centre [6:22]
01-03 Morten Georg Gismervik - Ecliptic’s Motion [2:01]
01-04 Morten Georg Gismervik - Starfall – Part 1 [3:38]
01-05 Morten Georg Gismervik - Starfall – Part 2 [6:53]
01-06 Morten Georg Gismervik - The Earth and the Heavens [7:15]
01-07 Morten Georg Gismervik - Ptolemy’s Chamber [5:13]
01-08 Morten Georg Gismervik - Legacy [7:10]
01-09 Morten Georg Gismervik - Interlude [1:22]
01-10 Morten Georg Gismervik - The Way of All Things [5:29]
01-11 Morten Georg Gismervik, Tuva Halse - Epilogue [6:07]