Photo: © Tingvall Trio
Tingvall Trio [S,Cuba,D]
MARTIN TINGVALL PIANO | OMAR RODRIGUES CALVO BASS | JÜRGEN SPIEGEL DRUMS
The Tingvall Trio are crowd favorites, and for good reason. Their albums are titled “Birds,” “Skagerrak,” and their latest, “PAX”—meaning peace. The covers feature forests shrouded in mist and a road in the morning haze. Naturalness, idyll, and peace: this seasoned trio embodies everything that music can and should be. At the center are three distinctive personalities: Omar Rodriguez Calvo, arguably the most melodic bassist in the jazz world; pianist Martin Tingvall with his crystalline touch; and drummer Jürgen Spiegel, whose virtuosity lies above all in his ability to listen. Three vertices of an equilateral triangle.
For over twenty years, they have been developing their shared language: Swedish, Cuban, German, and yet a single one. Multiple recipients of the Echo Jazz award, at home in Europe’s great concert halls, yet never losing the chamber music character of their beginnings. “PAX,” released in August 2025, is more restrained than its predecessors and at the same time more dense. Rodriguez Calvo’s bass no longer functions merely as a foundation, but as a second melodic voice. Those familiar with the trio know: here, complexity unfolds without any showy gestures. Those who aren’t familiar with it have picked a good day to change that.
