Solid Trio Jazz
Stephen A. Smith | Boston, MA | 03/18/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I had a piano teacher who used to rail against modern pianists for playing too high and for grabbing too many notes. "They want to stuff every damn tension on every damn chord," he used to grumble. "Just keep it simple!" He'd like Kasper Villaume.
He was right, of course. Pianists emulate Bill Evans and they try to lather every chord with spice and richness, and it sounds like mud. What you want to do instead is to grab only the two or three notes that you really mean, and sell them. Kasper Villaume has got that locked. He doesn't play anything "just because," and the result is solidly old-school. It's a great record.
He's backed up by Jesper Bodilsen on bass and Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. American writers always focus on Tain because he's the only guy they know, and that's a shame because Bodilsen ranks with Vinding and Lundgaard as European bassists who are real heavyweights, guys that every American writer should know about. And because Villaume leaves plenty of space in his playing, all three players drive this album -- which is smart, because these guys are some of the most dynamic performers on their respective instruments, and if you're going to put propellers on a boat then you might as well put it in the water."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1