Eksterordinare by Troll's Toy

A power trio is a rock band format, traditionally having a lineup of electric guitar, electric bass and drums, with one or more band members typically singing while playing their instruments. Troll’s Toy subverts tradition and creates its own unique, purely instrumental variation of the power trio.

The music is based on Jorge Loura's electric guitar, supported by the rhythmic momentum of João Martins' drums. There is no bass, and its absence is not missed, as the guitar fills the space, sometimes taking over the role of the bass.

Gabriel Neves' saxophone, an instrument usually associated with jazz, completes this twisted power trio, adding his zigzag agility to the mix. This music may defy convention and not conform to tradition, but “power” is certainly something that’s not lacking in this trio.

In 2019, Troll's Toy released their debut album '18:05', which already displayed its fierce originality: Energetic music that blurs boundaries, crossing the universes of rock and jazz. On 'Eksterordinare', the trio takes this energy to new heights, exploring contrasting environments - from explosive tension, shock and confrontation, to moments of atmospheric calm.

The title of this album is actually the Esperanto word for “point outside the norm”, “extraordinary” in the sense of “outside the ordinary”. There is no turning back. This music is beyond the norm, it is beyond the ordinary, it is truly extraordinary.

Linear notes by Nuno Catarino

Structure and chaos, war and peace. Gabriel Neves (Tenor Saxophone), João Martins (Drums and Percussion) and Jorge Loura (Baritone Guitar) imagined what it would be like if Frank Zappa, Wayne Shorter, Richard Wagner and Egberto Gismonti met at a Tool concert and formed a trio. From this mathematical impossibility Troll’s Toy was born.

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