The record explores universal human themes such as life, death, love, joy, and sorrow. “I wrote the material for the album over a four-year period, beginning during the COVID-19 pandemic with reflective and serious tracks like ‘Murky Waters’ and concluding with my upcoming fatherhood in mind, with soulfully joyful and naive pieces like ‘Punktum’ whose title (the Danish word for the punctuation mark ‘period’) referenced the size of my then-unborn son,” says Kristoffer Vejslev.

With beautiful melodies and captivating grooves, the lyrical compositions on ‘On A Human Level’ guide the listener through a diverse array of influences. The music transitions from expansive landscapes with atmospheric grandeur to tightly orchestrated ensemble musicianship with wild soloistic flourishes and improvisation.

Red Gazelle Trio has existed since the three core musicians first took their formative steps into the world of jazz together, resulting in musical bonds and an almost telepathic sense of listening and interplay between them. They’ve gone on to make their mark on the Nordic jazz scene with two critically acclaimed album releases, international radio play, editorial playlisting on Spotify’s Jazz X-Press, Jazz Today and Destination:Jazz, and extensive touring across Denmark. 

Venturing beyond the trio format for the first time, the music on ‘On A Human Level’ was written and arranged with the unique sound and personality of Jacob Sørensen and Ned Ferm in mind.

In tracks like Murky Waters, Antidote, Could Have Been, and Boundless, Sørensen’s crystal-clear Nordic tone adds a melancholic beauty, while Ferm shines on Punktum and While We Wait with country-inspired tones and raw energy in the punk-infused track De Levende. The orchestration, ranging from classical-esque acoustic guitar solos to duet, trio, quartet and quintet textures creates exciting new dimensions in the group’s sonic universe, captivating the listener without letting go.