Daniel Herskedal’s childhood fascination with the tuba began through an unexpected combination of Norwegian children's entertainment and sibling influence. In 1980s kindergarten, a popular duo's storybook cassette featured a badger tale with just 10 seconds of tuba music – but those brief notes captivated him completely. Meanwhile, at age four, his older brother brought the instrument home, giving him his first hands-on experience with the deep, resonant sound that would shape his musical future. "I remember in his room at our house, I was playing the tuba while it was upside down, which is not even possible! That's my first memory of the instrument and the sound of it."
Molde, Norway proved the perfect backdrop for Herskedal's musical education, with the renowned Molde International Jazz Festival exposing him to exceptional music from an early age. His formal training spanned both classical and jazz traditions at Trondheim Conservatory of Music and Copenhagen's Rhythmic Music Conservatory (RMC). It was at RMC where he joined Django Bates' student big band StoRMChaser, appearing on the outstanding 2008 album Spring Is Here (Shall We Dance?) alongside future luminaries including drummer Anton Eger, bassist Petter Eldh, and sax player Marius Neset.
Released earlier this year, Movements of Air represents a significant milestone – Herskedal's fifth album with his celebrated trio featuring pianist Eyolf Dale and drummer Helge Andreas Norbakken. The release simultaneously celebrates Herskedal's tenth album with Edition Records and the trio's decade-long partnership that has evolved from their debut Slow Eastbound Train (2015) through the critically acclaimed The Roc (2017), Voyage (2019), and Harbour (2021). Throughout this decade, Herskedal has expanded the tuba's expressive possibilities, creating music that seamlessly blends introspective depth with cinematic grandeur.
Having mastered classical technique, Herskedal transcended what he describes as the restrictive expectations traditionally placed on his instrument. Inspired by other players, including musicians from other cultures and traditions where the tuba doesn't traditionally belong, he pioneered innovative techniques, particularly in the instrument's upper register. "I had to create my own way to be able to express something", he explains.
Reflecting on Slow Eastbound Train – recorded after just one rehearsal – and comparing it to his current work, does his approach to collaboration and creative spontaneity remain unchanged? "Absolutely. I mean, now is our 10-year anniversary. The tour we had this spring was the most inspiring so far. We know each other very well but we still surprise each other, challenge each other and lift each other up with every concert."
Herskedal's harmonic language draws from an exceptionally rich palette – jazz, classical, Arabic, Balkan, and South Sámi traditions – manifesting across intimate trio performances, film scores, and orchestral commissions, diverse contexts which continuously inform and enrich each other. He has recently completed a classical tuba concerto for August Schieldrop, one of today's most promising Norwegian classical tuba talents, and is about to embark on his first ballet score for Ottawa's National Art Centre.
“When I composed the tuba concerto, I had the idea of, okay, there are certain rules you should follow and you should do this and that, because I'm not playing it, it's only classical players. I started writing with that narrow mindset – it did not work at all. I threw it away and composed as I always do. The melodies, the uneven measures, all the musical landscapes I like to operate in are still there. That will also be super important in the ballet score, I think.”
For this five-date Music Network tour, pianist Helge Lien steps in for Dale, joining regular drummer Helge Andreas Norbakken. Herskedal reflects on these two musical compatriots: "The day before we recorded Slow Eastbound Train was the first time I ever played with Helge Norbakken. I saw him in concerts, and he did workshops when I was a student. He attracted me more than any musicians I ever saw. He's very often in the background, supporting the rest of the band, but then you zoom into how he communicates with his fellow musicians – I think that's what drew my attention. For me, he's the best ensemble musician I ever played with, he is one of a kind. There’s a lot of small details in the music that he can make a lot out of, because it's often in uneven measures, it's often in a different tonality than Western music – there's a lot there to work with.
“Helge Lien was already a well-established piano star when I was young, even though he's not that much older than me. I was listening to him a lot in different constellations – he's an amazing player and was my first choice when Eyolf couldn't do it. He's super busy, so I'm very happy.”
From Slow Eastbound Train to Movements of Air, Herskedal has undergone a fundamental evolution from technical preoccupation to pure sonic expression. He views a tune such as ‘Eternal Sunshine Creates A Desert’ [from The Roc] as being a pivotal moment in this transformation.
“I composed it in the studio the night before we recorded it. I was not sure if it was good enough – I showed it to Eyolf who thought we should give it a try. On the record, but especially live, I feel that we find a special atmosphere, a very honest expression which really connects with the audience and each other. It's super calm and intense at the same time. Technique is not important – it’s just the music and the storytelling, searching for different spaces. I don't want to have 10 super similar songs and then we play solo, one after another. I'm aiming for big contrasts – the song you just played should be played in a way that makes the next one more exciting but still be connected.”
Movements of Air also reveals Herskedal's newfound comfort with fragility – allowing these moments to breathe rather than being concerned about staying in them too long. How has his relationship with silence and space evolved as compositional elements?
“Silence is my favourite sound – actually, second favourite, waves hitting the shore is my absolute favourite sound. Silence is something I think about when composing but also when playing in an ensemble – especially this spring, we dared to play almost as silent as silence but still be in the music. And you can really feel that the audience are holding their breath. When I find the place I like in music, I stay there as long as I want without thinking about expectations from others.
“What I perform should come directly from my soul, somehow, without any filter. I like to create things with the audience in the room. I did not play concerts via video during Covid because I have to see the audience, I have to sit close to them. I should feel that they are expecting something real from me, and I want to give them that. In the studio it's different, but I still manage to end up in that atmosphere. I cannot describe it, but I know the feeling of it. It’s something I always look for.”
As he embarks on this tour, performing selections from Movements of Air alongside favourites from the trio’s back catalogue, Herskedal reflects on the journey: “It's 10 years since the first one, so it's exciting to pick up the older compositions because they have developed. We sound different from most other bands and we are quite far from the traditional way of playing jazz. I’m really looking forward to the tour. I have big expectations, for ourselves and for the audience.”