Key Element Music
Daan Herweg (piano); Jeroen Batterink (drums); Lorenzo Buffa (double bass); Matthias van der Brande (tenor & soprano saxophone); Suzan Veneman (trumpet & flugelhorn); Henk Kraaijeveld (vocals)
A new name to me, this is a hugely impressive album from the Dutch pianist. A little research reveals that Herweg divides his time between working as a freelance writer, often as the composer of hit pop songs, and a parallel career as a jazz artist.
As a pianist his influences and source materials are equally diverse, from his classical studies and interest in the works of Bach, Brahms and Debussy he found his way into free improvisation and jazz. It will come as no surprise after even a cursory listen to this album that his influences include Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans.
To these ears on this outing Herweg exhibits little of Monk’s rhythmic and melodic eccentricities or Evans’s introspection, but does have a lyrical and flowing approach that suggests Herbie or perhaps even Chick Corea’s touch at the keyboard.
His forays into free improvisation do not find their way into his composing, all the material is by Herweg apart from the solitary standard ‘Tonight’ by Bernstein which is a feature for solo piano, and Herweg writes in a structured no nonsense manner. This is not to say there is no room for the soloists, it is just that he knows what he wants and is able to express this clearly in his notated scores.
The album is nicely varied featuring three quintet performances, two of which are with trumpeter Suzan Veneman that open and close the set, and one with vocals. In between there are pieces for quartet with saxophonist Matthias van der Brande and a couple of superb trio pieces.
With such variety it can be all too easy to sacrifice quality, but that is certainly not the case here, and each of the different line ups could easily justify a full album in their own right. The two pieces with Suzan Veneman’s trumpet and flugel alongside the tenor saxophone of van der Brande offer up writing possibilities that suggest a larger ensemble is at work, and the wordless vocals of Henk Kraaijeveld on the title track are cleverly multitracked to give a very subtle yet highly effective vocal choir that the saxophone alternates unison lines and counter melodies.
Of the quartet pieces featuring saxophonist van der Brande, ‘Ingvald’ is one of those catchy melodies that is hard to shake off and brings out expressive and cohesive solos from the tenorist and Herweg, while soprano is the horn of choice for the ballad ‘Tyrion’ and the percussive and spritely ‘Sisyphus’.
Perhaps if pushed I may admit that it was the two trio tracks that made the greatest impression. The writing while still sharply focussed seemed to allow a little more breathing space, and the compositions were particularly memorable. ‘Onderweg Naar Bloemfontein’ is another of those infectious melodies that are becoming a trademark of the pianist with its companion piece moving from quiet reflections alternating with rhythmically driving passages that the trio somehow manage to pull together into a satisfying whole.
And a satisfying whole is what this fine album is. It may seem to offer many possibilities and directions for the pianist to follow, but on the evidence here Herweg has the technique, feel and compositional know how to bring any or all of them to fruition.
