Two things stand out on Black Ice, the debut disc from the Wolfert Brederode Trio: The Dutch pianist’s strong melodic sense and the ease of interplay among the musicians, particularly Brederode and Icelandic bassist Gulli Gudmondsson. No surprise the latter, since the two have been acquainted since the 1990s, when they met while studying at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, and have played in several ensembles together (as well as on their own in various groups, too).
When Brederode went to assemble a classic piano trio, he immediately thought of Gudmondsson, and was drawn to Dutch drummer Jasper van Hulten – both were in the rhythm section of a band called Gatecrash. “I really enjoyed Jasper’s subtle but sharp playing, which is also influenced by rock and pop, and his dedication to the music, whatever the context,” the pianist says.
That strong lyricism of Brederode’s is abetted by the highly sympathetic playing of his rhythm section. It leaps out on the second track “Olive Tree,” with Gudmondsson playing a strong bluesy line and van Hulten a highly syncopated Latin-style percussive drumbeat, as Brederode plays a meandering, stop-start tune over dense left-hand chording. The melody is icy on the title track “Black Ice,” which is all mood. That mood is one of incipient danger heightened by the portentous bass line and van Hulten’s skritchy cymbal work.
Drummer van Hulten’s presence is particularly strong on the tune “Fall,” which comes in two versions on this generous 13-track program. On the main version, he sketches out a slow rock beat on snare and kick, with more of his tone-sensitive cymbal work, while the piano and bass dance counterpoint around that beat in melodic interplay until they finally surrender to the insistent rhythm themselves. The variation is a shorter and more somber affair with the drums deeper and more forward in the mix, Gudmondsson playing arco bass in swooping downward glissandos and Brederode sketching cool, dark chords.
I’m particularly taken with “Glass Room,” which was inspired by English author Simon Mawer’s novel The Glass Room (which in turn was partly inspired by the cool rationality of Mies van der Rohe’s architecture). I might be imagining it, but I also hear some ’80s pop influence in the melody.
Black Ice has a shiny surface, to be sure, but it also has hidden depths that will make for continued exploration of this album for some time to come.
(ECM, 2016)
Wolfert Brederode has a website, and you can listen to samples on his ECM page.
