The new album “HAIHARA” by Robert Jürjendal & Arve Henriksen was released in January 2025 by the Norwegian record label Smalltown Supersound Records. The creative process for the album began in 2018 and recording took place in Finland, in the Haihara district near Tampere and in Mölnlycke, Sweden.

The material for “HAIHARA” was born while Robert Jürjendal was in a creative residence in Finland at the invitation of Tampere City Council. Intense recording sessions took place in a lakeside cabin at the edge of the forest, during which an entire album’s worth of music was completed in a week. Later, Arve Henriksen added layers of trumpet, vocals and electronics, enriching the works with his unique musical feeling.

Composers and musicians Robert Jürjendal (guitar, electronics) and Arve Henriksen (trumpet, keyboards, electronics) began their collaboration in 2013, when they completed the film music album “Victoria” inspired by the works of Knut Hamsun. They also shared the stage at Christmas Jazz 2018 with percussionist Madis Metsamart, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and conductor Kaspars Putniņš.

Although the album’s release was delayed for several years due to the pandemic, it is now available both physically in LP format and digitally. You can find more information and purchase the album through Boomkat.

Prolific Norwegian trumpeter and ECM veteran Arve Henriksen returns with Estonian guitarist/composer Robert Jürjendal in tow, matching his idiosyncratic shakuhachi-style melodic condensations with Jürjendal’s glassy electro-acoustic soundscapes and sonorous percussion. Fans of Jon Hassell & Brian Eno, Daniel Schmidt and Badalamenti, this one’s for you ✨ – Boomkat Product Review