We will start 2024 with a top notch jazz trio, led by tenor and soprano saxophonist Frans Vermeerssen. He considers the trio line-up the smallest ‘complete’ band in jazz. A lot of his favorite music is trio music: A Night at the Village Vanguard and Way Out West by Sonny Rollins, for example, but also At the Golden Circle by Ornette Coleman, the works of the Ab Baars Trio, the trio works of alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe, and the illustrious Air featuring Henry Threadgill.

Together with bassist Dion Nijland, Vermeerssen has previously performed on our stage in the group talking Cows. Thomas Jaspers is a versatile, in-demand drummer, and a perfect match for this trio. For the new album, Vermeerssen wrote all the compositions. ‘In general, each composition will set the tone for improvisation’, says Vermeerssen. ‘Sometimes with just a melody, other times with a melody and a written bassline, and sometimes a melody with chords. The improvisations are collective in nature. Bassist and drummer are not just accompanists, but equal soloists. The pieces often refer the other music, without attempting to copy it. It’s music about music in the broadest sense of the word.’

Frans Vermeerssen tenor sax, Dion Nijland double bass, Thomas Jaspers drums