PASCAL NIGGENKMEPR TRIO Pascal Niggenkemper: bass Robin Verheyen: saxophone Tyshawn Sorey: drums feat. Johannes Lauer on track 5 & 9 To put the Pascal Niggenkemper Trio in a certain spotlight seems to be difficult as the music takes each time endless new ways. Pascal's compositions expand and elaborate on a combination of influences that spans from the 20th century european music heritage and european improvisation to the recent life and music experience of living in the new yorker cultural melting pot. The result plays like a soundtrack, energetic, spontanous and captivating. ------- recorded: may 17, 2007 by jay anderson at mountain rest studio, new palz, ny mixing: christian heck at www.loftkoeln.de mastering: paul wickliff at www.skylinepro.com producer: pascal niggenkemper art work: jorgo schäfer painting: „blue head (1)“, 2002, jorgo schäfer ------- review by Terrell Holmes: All About Jazz September 09 While essentially a jazz album, Pasàpas, by bassist/composer Pascal Niggenkemper’s trio, explores various musical landscapes with vigor and solid musicianship, presenting a nicely diverse lineup of original tunes. “Reverie Espagnole” opens with the symphonic lament of Niggenkemper’s sonorous arco and then moves into an uptempo rhythm, where saxophonist Robin Verheyen unleashes a wicked soprano. Tyshawn Sorey provides his usual alchemy on drums with sophisticated and complex rhythms. On ballads, Verheyen’s tenor is ruminative and melodic, whether he’s complementing Sorey’s cymbal caresses on “Penser à Vous” or engaging in a lovely dialogue with Niggenkemper on “Tree Free”. While several tunes on Pasàpassound improvised, only a pair of them are officially listed as such. On “Improv #1” Niggenkemper and Verheyen (on tenor) work off of Sorey’s percussive metronome. The trio moves between free jazz, R&B and funk idioms, but the payoff is less than satisfying. On the other hand, the vortex of Verheyen’s passionate tenor drives “Improv #2”, which is so crisp and sure-handed that it sounds composed. Guest Johannes Lauer announces himself with an elephantine burst from his trombone, this humorous introduction typifying the carnival-like “Popov” and “OK”. Lauer’s style and sound are perfect for the band and his over-hill-and-over-dale interplay with Verheyen is especially good. Niggenkemper displays impressive range in his playing, from the growling arco on “Improv #2” to his splendid pizzicato on “Baobab”. Sorey is dynamite with sticks, brushes or bare hands and Verheyen is simply an excellent sax man. Hopefully Pasàpaswill be just one of many releases to come from this fine trio.