Liner notes
October 5th, 2003. Another rainy day in Brugge! Jeff and I wanted to do some sightseeing. As the weather was chilly, we decided to stop somewhere for a bite to eat and to drink one of these gorgeous Belgian beers, a Triple from De Garre. Later that afternoon we visited guitarist Gilbert Isbin, whom Jeff never met. Things immediately clicked between the two musicians and Jeff invited Gilbert to play a couple of concerts in L.A. in February 2004. Afterwards, when Gilbert returned home to Brugge, we listened to some recordings that they had made in Jeff's studio and they sounded incredibly good. It was as if they had been playing together for many years. It seemed obvious that they should make a proper recording some day.
That same year Jeff returned to Belgium to do a couple of concerts with Gilbert. We discussed the project and they thought that they would like to record with a bass player. As I was very impressed by Scott Walton's playing with the Vinny Golia Quintet (check out our twofer TS018/019), I proposed Scott as the right person for this music. Both Jeff and Scott liked Gilbert's compositions and so the trio was born. We recorded in November 2005 at the Cryptogramophone studios in L.A. with master recording engineer Rich Breen.
The whole project was recorded in only two afternoons. The result is amazing! There are two suites of improvisations on this recording; the Venice Suite for the trio, on which Scott plays the piano in a most wonderful way, and the Brugge Suite for violin and guitar duo, documenting the original duo of Gilbert and Jeff. There was electricity in the air! We hope you enjoy this CD as much as we do.
Jos Demol
------------------------------------
EJAZZNEWS By Glenn Astarita
It's a joint production taken on by Southern California-based Cryptogramophone and the Belgian, Jazz'Halo record label by a trio that irrefutably rises to the occasion. Violinist and Crypto label chief Jeff Gauthier established a rapport with Belgian guitarist Gilbert Isbin via some California concerts and an interest in each other's artistry. Subsequently, fellow West Coast musician bassist/pianist Scott Walton was deemed the right man for the job with rounding it this wonderfully enticing and genre-hopping studio date. In effect, there's quite a bit going on under the proverbial hood.
Gauthier combines the flair of a concert violinist with dense improvisational acumen to complement the musicians' weaving of hypnotically melodic lines with richly textured themes. They often interrogate each other's voicings while occasionally mixing it up within avant-garde like frontiers. On the piece titled "Shine," the violinist executes a sweet melody atop Isbin and Walton's bouncy undercurrents. Yet, the trio also inject moments of dissonance into the grand scenario where plots develop and ultimately morph into a regeneration of musical notions. Then on "Why Was That," Isbin lays down a haunting ostinato as Walton subsequently stretches out with ascending lines. For the finale, the trio covers fabled song sleuth Nick Drake's "River Man.". Finesse, discernible ingenuity and a highly entertaining form-factor are but a few of the attributes uttered throughout this unit's musicality.
JAZZHOT N°640, 2007, Michel Bedin
Deux suites, celle de Venise et celle de Bruges, pour guitare et violon, avec une basse ou un piano, pour parfairele trio, et de petites pièces pour ce trio singulier. On est en pleine musique contemporaine savante. Les compositions sont essentiellement du guitariste classique Gilbert Isbin, formé à Villa-Lobos, en nettement plus moderne, plus qu'au swing manouche. Mais elles émanent aussi du trio (« Venice Suite ») ou du guitariste et du violoniste (« Brugge Suite »). Beaucoup de pièces sont manifestement écrites comme des études. On est à des éloignements sidéraux du jazz. C'est beau quand même, n'en déplaise aux gardiens du temple. -Michel Bedin
BRIDGE GUITAR REVIEWS, Henk te Veldhuis, 2007
Gilbert Isbin is a versatile acoustic guitarist from Belgium. He made many albums as well solo as with fellow musicians. The last CD I do remember was with the Hungarian guitarist Sandor Szabo. Gilbert likes to experiment with music and on "Venice Suite" he plays in a trio with violinist Jeff Cauthier and Scott Walton on double bass and piano. The music has a jazzy feelings but goes far beyond that. Most pieces have very experimental structures and are at a brilliant way woven to masterpieces. The penetrating violin of Jeff Cauthier sets often the tone for each composition, with a melancholic and dramatic feeling, which reflect abstract musical patterns with go far beyond the surface and take one on a wonderful musical journey. Total 16 tracks with various setups, sometimes with piano like "When All Is Said and Done" have a more contemporary jazz feeling. Nick Drake's
"River Man" is a stunning piece where Gilbert Isbin's classical guitar is very intriguing. The musicians all interact perfect at that's why this CD is a recommendation for any music enthusiast.
JAZZ COLOURS , N°5, 2007, Enzo Boddi (Translation from Italian)
"Recorded in Los Angeles in November 2005, at the Cryptogramophone Studios belonging to the record company having the same name and run by Gauthier, the album is the result of effective team work as well as the composition, and essentially reflects the cross conception of Isbin, able to merge many influences into a homogeneous expressive character. On the other hand, looking at the resumes of Gauthier and Walton there should be no surprise. Among the several collaborations, the former can count Vinny Golia, Mark Dresser, Yusef Lateef and Gregg Bendian, whereas the latter can count George Lewis, Leo Smith, John Carter and Anthony Davis. The opening "Gift to the Fall" is already a hint of how the previous experience with Oregon has provided fruitful results: sometimes it reminds of "Violin", a record by that historic band featuring the late celebrated Polish violinist Zbigniew Seifert. The guitar style of Isbin reveals different but complementary worlds: a dry melodic sense and the harmonious refinement by Ralph Towner; the percussion touch by Egberto Gismonti; the popular verve and the black absence by Villa Lobos and Brouwer; the cerebral approach by Castelnuovo Tedesco. This trio often acts in symbiosis, as a sort of European-like reply to the "String Trio of New York." They are reminiscent of serial post-Webern criteria and sometimes provided with a rhythmic way with Bartok-inspired roots. In particular, "Venice in Bloom" is founded on an atonal structure with a special focus on the timbre values, whereas the violin-guitar duo of "Begijnhof Sonnet" unveils some analogies with the "Sequenze" by Berio. On the other hand, the work on the dynamics and expressive resources of the instruments is the undisputed leader here, as proven by the richness of pianos and pianissimos in "Reflection at Maribou's", or the geometric theme and the jarring developments in "Cute Movements". The remarkable balance between classic-contemporary, jazz and folk matrixes finally finds a delicious, as much as unexpected epilogue in a piece by Nick Drake, "River Man", to whom Isbin had especially devoted an album to in 2000. A value added is the short length of nearly all of the tracks that, especially in the two suites, participate in the composition of "unity mosaics".
JAZZRYTMYT (Finland) 02/07)
The new record of Jazzhalo includes interesting and inspiring acoustic music. To begin with we listen to three compositions by Gilbert Isbin. The expression of the material is constrained in the sense that there are no long solo improvisations in the design. In my opinion this is by no means any common muzak – it features intelligent arrangements and the authenticity of the sound supports the compositions, and the assertiveness ensures that the pieces will not be resigned to mere background music. After these three compositions "The Venice Suite" follows. This is the first of a three-piece improvisation. Somehow the trio manages in a very short time to create a lot of content here. "Venice In Bloom" becomes the climax – we find a lot of sensitivity here. Pieces numbers 7 to 10 are compositions by Isbin. In this kind of material his acoustic keystrokes are allowed to play in an efficient way, and the sound of the guitar is natural in an exemplary way. Piece number 8, "Shine", feels particularly memorable. The ensemble somehow succeeds to achieve a lot out of very little. Even if the music in many places feels simple, it manages to hold your attention and it never bores you. Of many of the pieces I can but say that they sound good. The second three-piece improvisation, "The Brugge Suite", is a duo with Isbin and Jeff Gauthier, the violinist. This is musical improvisation at its best, where the interaction between the musicians really works. There, I said it; the most important word in relation to music, the reason why I like this record so much: interaction. Number 13, "Why Was That", is an excellent composition by Isbin, where I recommend that you pay special attention to the bass lines. Also number 14, "Invocation", is a composition by Isbin. Number 15, "Cute Movements, was composed in co-operation with Luiz Marques. Between simple and efficient themes the music grows, and becomes very free. Lastly we hear "River Man" by Nick Drake. Here the arrangement works flawlessly, creating a very integral and elegant entity. In short, I find this a very fine record.
JAZZENZO, JAZZMOZAIEK : /Mischa Andriessen (Translation fom Dutch)
For the very latest release on the Jazz'halo label, Jos Demol brought together three musicians he has admired for quite some time. Guitarist Gilbert Isbin, violinist Jeff Gauthier and bassist Scott Walton, who also features on piano on a number of songs. A stroke of genius by all accounts, as "Venice Suite" has come up trumps. The three musos have an intuitive sense of understanding each other, performing Isbin's compositions like a dream. Gauthier is a violinist who is equally well versed in jazz as he is in classical music, not to mention the fact that, same as Isbin, he manages to extract a wonderful sound from his instrument. Walton, who previously stood out favourably as part of Vinny Golia's band and who will be gigging with Cosmologic in Holland and Belgium this coming spring, has a solid but especially warm sound which lends body to the somewhat dreamy compositions. The great thing about "Venice Suite" is that the music is extremely adventurous without ever sounding contrived or cerebral, with the adaptation of Nick Drake's "River man" which concludes this CD, probably being the most straightforward example. The rendition sounds simple enough but is performed to technically astonishing standards and, what is far more important, it has an incredible impact. Charles Moffett once wrote a song entitled "Avant garde got soul too". "Venice Suite" is living proof.
MAZZMUZIKAS #60 (Translation from Dutch) :
It's a while ago that Jazz'halo released a new Cd but it was worth waiting with this Venice Suite. As it was always the case in the past this project is once again a CD for connoisseurs. Gilbert Isbin (acoustic guitar), Jeff Gauthier (violin) and Scott Walton (upright bass, piano) present 16 pearls of musical finesse. There are a few improvisations brought together into Venice Suite ( with Walton on piano) and The Brugge Suite (a duet for violin and guitar). No special effects or abundant contours, just three highly professional musicians who play together under the motto 'back to basics' and this by using original material, (mostly written by Isbin) and an arrangement of Nick Drake's River Man. As adventurous architectures they create very personal patterns and forms. The blue and orange tinges of the cover reflect perfectly the feelings which this music evokes. We think that improvisational chamberjazz is the best description for this music. (GTB)
GONZO CIRCUS (B), 01/2007, Patrick Bruneel ( translation from Dutch)
"The CD by this trio consisting of guitarist Gilbert Isbin, violinist Jeff Gauthier and double bass player cum pianist Scott Walton takes our very own Bruges as its underlying point of departure. One rainy day, Jos Demol, who runs the Jazz'halo label, was all set to go out on a leisurely city walk in the company of Jeff Gauthier, the label owner of Cryptogramophone which peddles in stylish jazz. On the day however heaven's gates decided to open with a vengeance, which literally saw the planned walk washed out. Going into a Bruges pub to shelter from the rain, Demol presented Jeff to Gilbert Isbin, who happened to be there enjoying a drink, which immediately sent sparks flying between the two musos. Gauthier duly invited Isbin over to Los Angeles to play a couple of gigs together and as they sat down to listen to the live recordings made on the nights, the pair decided to strengthen the bonds even further by putting out a CD together. Both Isbin and Gauthier felt their duo format could do with a double bassist, which prompted Demol to put them in touch with Scott Walton (Vinny Golia Quintet). However much it may have been Demol who put the three of them in touch, the first time all three of them played together they proved a match made in "heaven". The music, recorded in just two days' time at Gauthier's studio, sounds divine. Isbin had the upper hand when it came to writing the songs, as all compositions are his, but he was wise enough to leave plenty of room for improvisation, something which all three of them amply availed themselves of. The result being jazz that sounds like classically inflected chamber music. ‘The Venice Suite' presents the trio in which it is Walton's inventive piano style in particular that stands out favourably. ‘The Brugge Suite' rekindles the chemistry of the original duo. Acoustic guitar and violin conjure up the heyday of Bruges at its cultural peak. The CD's concluding song is a surprising rendition of ‘River Man', originally written by Nick Drake. The song meekly submits to the trio's chamber music treatment which could well prove to be Gilbert Isbin's first step on the international ladder in the world of jazz. Bruges is back in the ball game in the world of jazz."
JAZZAROUND, N°27, 2006, Claude Loxhay
La démarche de Jos Demol, au travers du label Jazz'halo n'est pas sans parallèle avec celle de Leo Feigin pour Leo Records : une même fidélité à l'égard des musiciens invités, une même souci d'explorer les chemins de traverse. Révélateur de cet sprit de découverte, son intérêt pour le parcours atypique du guitariste Gilbert Isbin, entre tradition classique et inspiration contemporaine, entre jazz acoustique et musique improvisée. Après 'Blue Sounds and Touches' gravé pour le label anglais HWYL, un projet de duo avec Philippe Deschepper, un autre dédié à la musique de Nick Drake et puis ce 'Water With A Smile' (Jazz'halo) aux parfums brésiliens, gravé en compagnie de la vocaliste Lea Van Loo, voici le résultat d'une rencontre avec deux musiciens croisés à Los Angeles : Le violiniste Jeff Gauthier avec qui le guitariste avait fait différents concerts aux Etats-Unies en février 2004, puis Scott Walton, contrebassiste que Jos Demol avait découvert au sein du quintet du multi-instrumentiste Vinny Golia. Pour cet album enregistré au studio Cryptogramophone de Los Angeles, le répertoire comprend 'the Venice Suite' écrite à trois, avec Scott Walton au piano, 'The Brugge Suite' en duo violon-guitare, puis une série de thèmes composés par Gilbert Isbin comme cet Open Mind qui traduit si bien sa personnalité profonde. Dans cette production entièrement acoustique, on navigue, en compagnie des trois cordes, entre rhythmes virevolants (Shine) et mélodies lyriques à souhait (Why Was That). La rencontre avec Scott Walton n'a rien de fortuit car l'univers de Gilbert Isbin n'est pas sans parenté avec le travail de Nels Cline à la guitare acoustique auprès de Vinny Golia sur l'album 'The Entire Time' pour le label Nine Winds, de Los Angeles. Notons encore que l'album se clôt sur Cute Movements qu'Isbin avait composé avec Luiz Marquez, le saxophoniste de 'Blue Sounds and Touches' et sur 'River Man' une ballade de Nick Drake : la boucle est bouclée.
JAZZFLITS N°20, 24/12/2006, Herman Te Loo, translation from Dutch
The Belgian acoustic Gilbert Isbin is a busy guy. Following his Cd with Hurdy-gurdy player Iep Fourier (Avoid A Void) another s one has been released. Although the recordings date from a year ago it was certainly worth waiting, because the trio with the Americans Jeff Gauthier (violin) and Scott Walton (bass and piano) is exceptionally. On the CD 'Venice Suite' they perform especially works of the Belgian, and he knows how to write excellent compostions which cannot be caught into a stylistic genre. It's not really jazz, certainly not modern classical, either worldmusic nor rock. Although bits of these genres can be noticed into this music. Sometimes the music is moody,modest, sometimes danceble, but always melodic, with a light melancholic undertone. Characteristically is that as last piece a Nick Drake composition was chosen. Isbin proved already before to be a fan of the works of this melancholic songwriter with his CD Gilbert Isbin plays Nick Drake' Apart from the melodic work, 'Venice Suite' contains also improvisations (like in the title piece), which have lesser impact than the improvisations on the Isbin wrtitten material.
HET NIEUWSBLAD 21/12/2006, Stefaan Van Volsem
Gilbert Isbin raakt met zijn muziek wereldwijd
Gilbert Isbin uit Sint-Andries trok naar Los Angeles om een full-cd op te nemen met violist Jeff Gauthier en bassist-pianist Scott Walton. Het resultaat: Venice Suite. Gilbert Isbin (geboren als Dewaele, geen familie van 2 Many Dj's) blijft ook op zijn 53ste een bezige bij. In het voorjaar bracht hij een plaat uit met de Blankenbergse draailierspeler Iep Fourier.
Intussen heeft hij alweer een album uit: Venice Suite , vorig jaar in november opgenomen in Los Angeles, samen met violist Jeff Gauthier en bassist-pianist Scott Walton. Hoewel Isbin met zijn muziek een klein publiek bereikt, reikt zijn fanbase over de hele wereld. ,,Ik krijg reacties van uit alle windstreken. Dat is te danken aan het internet. Het wereldwijde web draagt ertoe bij dat je zielsverwante muziekliefhebbers makkelijker kan bereiken'', meent Isbin.
Hij profiteert ook van de verspreiding van zijn muziek. ,,Ik werk aan een compositieopdracht voor de Italian Guitar Society.''
Op zijn nieuwe cd staan o.a. twee suites: The Venice Suite en The Brugge Suite , geïmproviseerde stukken, bestaande uit telkens drie aan elkaar gelinkte bouwstenen. ,,Het resultaat is een heel eind weg van jazz'', vindt Isbin. ,,Ik zou de plaat als hedendaagse klassieke muziek omschrijven. We hebben trouwens erg snel opgenomen. In nauwelijks twee dagen hebben we met zijn drieën alles ingeblikt.'' (svv)
EXIT 147, Frank Gevaert
Gilbert Isbin vult al jaren een bijzondere plek binnen het muzieklandschap. Isbin maakt muziek voor finproevers, muziek die voor de luisteraar enige inspanning vergt. Zelf omschrijft hij zijn muziek als eigentijdse klassieke gitaarmuziek. Onlangs zag ik hem gelabeld als karmerjazz. Iets tussen klassiek en jazz dus. Isbin heeft al een omvangrijk oeuvre bij elkaar gepseeld en gecomponeerd. En daar komt nog een CD bij : Venice Suite. Isbin speelt hier samen met violist Jeff Gauthier en bassist-pianist Scott Walton. Op het nieuwe schijfje vinden we The Venice Suite en The Brugge Suite. Stuk voor stuk brokken zuiver muziek, zonder franjes. Isbin bewerkt opnieuw een nummer van Nick Drake, River Man. Eerder maakte hij al een CD met werk van deze legendarische songwriter. Isbin een goede medicijn tegen muzikale oppervlakkigheid maar net als bij echte geneesmiddelen hou je best de dosering in de gaten.
All music composed by Gilbert Isbin except "The Venice Suite" by Gilbert, Jeff and Scott, "The Brugge Suite" by Gilbert and Jeff, "Cute Movements" by Gilbert and Luiz Marques, and "River Man" by Nick Drake.
This recording is a joint production of Cryptogramophone and Jazz'halo.
lieu d'enregistrement : Cryptogramophone Studios, Los Angeles, USA
- Released : 01/12/2006
- Recorded : 19/11/2005 -> 20/11/2005
- Reference : TS024
- Support : CD
- Label : Jazz'Halo - Tonesetters - VKH
