Sinne Eeg & Jacob Christoffersen: Shikiori 想帰庵

Vocalist Sinne Eeg and pianist Jacob Christoffersen have been collaborating for two decades. Surprisingly, though, this is their first duo album. And it's a beaut—truly well worth the wait. The musicianship from each is first-rate, their chemistry is palpable, the material—a balanced mix of originals and familiar fare—is both highly sophisticated and completely accessible, and the recording quality is excellent.

Shikiori—a 150-year-old home in the Japanese countryside—possesses an aura of tradition and reverence that permeates this entire recording. Restored by bassist Seigo Matsunaga and transformed into a concert venue, it proved to be the perfect sanctuary and stage for Eeg and Christoffersen. In September of 2024, in front of an audience, with recording engineer Katsunori Fukuoka at the ready, they crafted this absorbing music.

Opening on Eeg and singer-songwriter Søren Sko's "Losing You," they present their own brand of quiet-storm soul. The singer's "Hebi," a sinuous beauty, follows. Her wordless vocals transfix as Christoffersen creates a flowing fantasia that supports and surrounds. Production values create a heavenly ambience around the entire piece. Christoffersen and REMI's "Soba Flower," with Japanese lyrics, is, again, something else entirely, offering folk touches with its largely cycling, sing-song nature.

A string of covers begins with an appropriately classy take on Billy Strayhorn's immortal "Lush Life." Eeg absolutely owns the lyrics and sentiment(s), Christoffersen has a little space all to his lonesome and meshes beautifully with singer and vehicle, and these fellow Danes move together with an ease that is all too rare. David Wheat and Bill Loughborough's waltzing "Better Than Anything" brings greater energy into the picture. That classic gives Eeg a chance to scat to her heart's delight and finds Christoffersen in the soloist's zone. Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's "Maria," beautifully paced and shaped, and offering a slight change in lyrical perspective, has serious resonance in every turn and at each tender moment. And Annie Lennox's "Cold," drawn from the Scottish singer-songwriter's solo debut, Diva (RCA, 1992), fits this pair like a glove.

Save for a trip through the Gershwin brothers' timeless "But Not for Me," the remainder of Shikiori is given over to originals. Christoffersen and Lisa Freeman's "A Second Chance at Love" is a master class in controlled storytelling. Eeg's "Don't Be So Blue"—the title track from her 2010 album—is balladry with complete commitment. Christoffersen and Helle Hansen's "Seems Like Yesterday" alludes to a bouncing undercurrent and offers another glimpse at Eeg's scat strengths. And a second look at the pianist's "Soba Flower" (sans "Flower" in the title) closes out the program with concord and quietude. The essence of this longstanding partnership—presented with clarity from first note to last—is truly a sound to behold.