Bento Box Trio, Tuva Halse & Benjamín Gísli
Biography Bento Box Trio, Tuva Halse & Benjamín Gísli
Bento Box Trio
is an acoustic trio consisting of three very exciting names from the new Nordic jazz generation - Tuva Halse, Benjamín Gísli Einarsson og Øyvind Leite. Since the trio met at Jazzlinja in Trondheim in 2019, they have collaborated closely and developed a personal acoustic soundscape. The debut album "Boxed" (Fjordgata Records 2022) received several good reviews, describing the album as "an astonishing curiosity" (indiemusic) and "an immediate pleasure" (Jazznytt). The trio themselves are often refered to as a collective with originality and maturity in terms of expression, and they have impressed reviewers with communication, direction and sound. As individuals the three of them has have also made a name for themselves as strong voices on the young Norwegian jazz scene.
With original compositions, the trio is constantly exploring new and fresh approaches to playing. Their music draws impulses from classical and contemporary music as well as free jazz, and is further influenced by artists such as Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Adam Baldych and Aaron Parks. The trio has already played at many of the central jazz scenes in Norway, such as Oslojazz, Moldejazz, Vossajazz og Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene. The summer of 2022 the trio were finalists in Jazzintro 2022, a competition for the most promintent jazz bands in Norway.
Tuva Halse
(b. 1999) is an improvising violinist and composer from Molde, Norway. In 2022 she completed her bachelor's degree in performing jazz violin at the Conservatory in Trondheim, before proceeding to the masters program at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. She has already played at several of the main jazz stages in Norway with her own and others' projects, including names such as Mathias Eick, Tord Gustavsen and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, in addition to contributing to a number of releases in different genres. With a background as a classical violinist, she creates music at the intersection between Nordic jazz and classical art music.
In May 2024 she was awarded the NTNU ambassador price during Trondheim Jazzfestival, commended for “a rare courageous sensitivity in tone and way of playing”. She has also received several other talent prices (Sparebanken Møre, Sparebanken SMN, Handelsbanken, Drømmstipendet), and the summer of 2022 her trio Bento Box were finalists in Jazzintro - the selection of "young jazz musicians of the year" during Molde International Jazz Festival. The same year she was a young artist-in-residence during the classical arts festival Fjord Cadenza, playing solo, with the trio and also composing a commissioned work for an orchestra. Previously referred to as a "down-to-earth, sneaker-wearing master violinist" (Audun Vinger, Jazz i Norge), she has made a name for herself both through her presence on stage as well as her melodic compositions.
