Little North - Crossing Currents [LP]

Format: LP 
Catalogue No.: ACTLP8045-1
Barcode: 0614427804518
Release Date: 26 Jun 2026
Genre: Jazz

 It is ten years since Little North released their debut recording, ‘Yonder’. The Danish piano trio’s new album ‘Crossing Currents’ marks that anniversary and sees them fulfilling long-cherished dreams: not only does the new recording feature American vibraphone innovator and co-producer Joel Ross, it was also made in hallowed New York surroundings, The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn. And before entering the studio,
pianist Benjamin Nørholm Jacobsen, bassist Martin Brunbjerg Rasmussen and drummer Lasse Jacobsen made sure that they took time to immerse themselves in the New York jazz scene and to draw inspiration from it. “For us, Joel Ross is quite simply the representative of that world,” says Jacobsen. “His approach is intellectually and spiritually clear, but also emotionally so. It is respectful, and he appreciates wonderful melodies. He has a particular kind of energy that doesn’t look back. And that is absolutely what we wanted on our album.” 
 That energy also suited the trio’s second guest, Swedish saxophonist Hannes Bennich, whom Little North have known since their early days. “We had already worked with Hannes on other projects,” says Lasse Jacobsen. “In this case, he acted as a kind of ‘sparring partner’ for Joel Ross. He brought his own energy, he’s a true virtuoso, and has real knowledge and affinity for the music that Ross stands for. At the same time, we needed someone who could step straight into a recording situation with confidence and could contribute a musical voice that is entirely his own. Hannes was exactly the right person!”
 ‘Crossing Currents’ creates a very special atmosphere which is defined by two things: the juxtaposition of contrasting characters and the interplay of European and American influences. A memorable hallmark of Little North’s ACT debut ‘While You Wait’ was that they created a special magic by opening up their musical connectedness - grown and developed through their many years of working together - to a soloist. On that earlier occasion, it was the Norwegian trumpeter Oscar Andreas Haug. But here they have taken that a stage further: whereas Haug can be seen as an extension of the same musical world which the trio inhabit, ‘Crossing Currents’ is about opening up to different energies, venturing out of one’s comfort zone, and being inspired by the spirit of the creative cauldron which is New York.
 The musicians’ openness towards one another, their mutual respect and regard are palpable and run like a strong thread through the album. ‘Crossing Currents’ is an encounter on equal terms, sustained by alertness in listening to each other, and an intensity that can often be conveyed with no more than a few notes, harmonies or textures. This is particularly the case with the amount of space which the two harmony instruments - piano and vibraphone - allow each other. Pianist Benjamin Nørholm Jacobsen often lays the harmonic foundation, whilst Joel Ross plays finely nuanced melodies over it, frequently interwoven with the lines of saxophonist Hannes Bennich. And when the energy level increases, it happens collectively and with a shared intensity.
 ‘Crossing Currents’ is never about one individual taking up a lot of space, but rather about balance, about sharing. The creative drive is strong, and yet there isn’t any pressure. There are different currents - but they flow together.

Tracklisting
Friend
Into Insanity
Hold On
I Hope We Meet Here 
Again
Ross
Say
When We Break
Heart Plant