On Strange Hands, guitarist Eivind Aarset’s regular quartet sounds sharper and more unpredictable than ever. The quartet, with bassist Audun Erlien and drummers Wetle Holte and Erland Dahlen, has been playing together for years. The music returns to its core: fewer embellishments, more direct expressive power, while retaining the mysterious, cinematic character so typical of Aarset’s sound.

The Norwegian guitarist (1961) began his career in heavy metal, with Jimi Hendrix as a key influence. He later discovered jazz and went on to play with Ray Charles, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jan Garbarek, Nils Petter Molvær and Bugge Wesseltoft, on whose label Jazzland Strange Hands was released in March 2026. He draws on ambient, post-rock, drum and bass and noise to shape a sound in which electronic processing and acoustic playing become a single instrument. Yet it is above all his clear tone and phrasing that make him recognisable.

Eivind Aarset guitar, Audun Erlien bass, Wetle Holte drums, Erland Dahlen drums