sincerely Billy Hart

I was familiar with Robert’s music before and think he combines a true sense of tradition with his own concept. As well, he has a good group to support him. A wonderful pianist.

Dave Liebman .

New York 2010

Liner notes Tribute To Jochem 2010

The post Liner notes Tribute To Jochem by Dave Liebman and Billy Hart appeared first on THOMAS WINTHER ANDERSEN.

Rook is a former mathematician and computer programmer, which may be the reason why he dissects the most complex chord changes with such precision, yet he is first and foremost a romantic. He commands the entire dynamic spectrum, from delicate harmonic veils to thundering climaxes, and all this with such unconditional commitment that he sometimes even stands up for some added emphasis.

As with all contemporary pianists you can point out influences, such as Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and Lennie Tristano, but in Rook’s case these are completely absorbed and therefore almost irrelevant, as is his sometimes slightly predictable choice of material. Whether he’s playing Autumn Leaves, Stella By Starlight or another evergreen, he turns it into his own capricious but solid tension arc, with an irrepressible, natural swing that is rare, certainly for the Netherlands, and phrasing that, down to the smallest nuances, sounds like the only right one for that moment. That is why the technique on show never came across as an attempt to overawe; there were two-handed acrobatics when the music demanded it, but Rook also knows the power of a few simple but well-placed notes.

Before the intermission he performed in a trio setting, with bassist Thomas Andersen and drummer Dick Verbeeck who gave him alert support and responses, and the music was already teeming with surprising brain waves that pulled the pieces into another direction. But during the second set tenor saxophonist Rob Armus joined them, and the interaction and unpredictability became even greater. Wayne Shorter’s Nefertiti was a fitting choice, because in its maneuverability and freedom within clear agreements, the quartet was strongly reminiscent of the Miles Davis group in which this composition was baptized. Impressions by John Coltrane, a steaming highlight, made it clear that Armus knows how to handle the declamatory style of that tenor sax titan, and that Robert Rook the accompanist is also a strong personality.

Frank van Herk, de Volkskrant, Kunst & Cultuur, Februari 27th 2006

The post Liner notes Dangerous Cats 2 appeared first on THOMAS WINTHER ANDERSEN.

Hymn For Fall

Drained Feelings is a truly emotional ballad written for my wife Henriette. It was recorded as quintet on the CD Out From a Cool Storage. As played by this trio, it has developed into a floating medium tempo. The composition uses combinations of chords that never quite resolve as expected and their traditional functions change from relative relationships to a tonic centre to independent sounds. In romantic music, similar musical effects are described as deceptive. The melody successfully glues these weak harmonic connections together. To my mind, the way Robert treats the song suggests the flow of Herbie Hancock’s composition “Dolphin Dance,” which we recorded on the live CD Dangerous Cats.

Roving Rook is based on Robert’s arrangement of the song “Nefertiti” by Wayne Shorter. It could serve as an example of how jazz often evolves gradually from a reference source into an entirely new composition. Robert’s new chord progression changes the character of the melody and better suits this faster tempo than the original would have. After I added a new melody, the transition was complete. Listeners may perceive, however, that there’s still some Shorter left. The 16- bar chord sequence has been twisted inside out, with prominent feature space provided for all three players. The title was taken from Schoenberg’s book Structural Functions of Harmony. He uses the term “roving harmonies” to characterize chords without a ‘home feeling’ that suits continuation without confirming a tonality

Insinuation has a Brazilian-inspired character as the trio float into and out of a double-time bossa nova rhythm. The piece is anchored in the note G. Melodic minor, Phrygian and Major scales colour this root in different parts of the composition. The original version was composed with some specific cluster voicing to indicate these modes. Bill Evans was masterful in treating such sounds and has inspired me in numerous ways

Magic Moments is a tribute to the marvelous pianist Steve Kuhn. I heard some fine trio recordings of his even before several other keyboard masters were brought to my attention. I’d written this piece about ten years earlier, after having spent a summer learning the songs from Steve’ Life is Magic LP. Robert later suggested that Joe Henderson could be the composer. I considered that a compliment, although I knew little about Henderson’s music at the time. I can only say this: although good jazz isn’t always new, it’s hopefully fresh.

Kitta’s Bop Tic takes its name from a quartet I worked regularly with during the Nineties. Kitta was the nickname of the bandleader and saxophonist Kees Smith. We used to play a Latin number called “Soy Califa” by Dexter Gordon. Both Robert and Kitta eventually stretched this song so far in all directions that only its rhythmic feel remained. Eventually, I was inspired to write something a little closer to their improvising style. Although the melody is a happy one, its relation to the bass line creates tension that’s unusual for a tune in this style. The mood gradually grows a bit dense and assumes a somewhat ironic twist.

Global Perspective is a 3/4 ballad with a neat melody. The harmonies – based on relationships in thirds – was inspired by Phil Markowitz’ composition “Sno’ Peas.” Whereas that tune uses minor 7th chords moving in thirds, mine uses major 7th chords moving in thirds. Robert is one of just a few musicians able to play this one almost as if it were a familiar standard, treating a challenging and somewhat abstract chord progression with coherence and smoothness. This tune was also recorded with Quartet Sketch in 1998.
Thomas W Andersen

The post Liner notes Hymn For Fall appeared first on THOMAS WINTHER ANDERSEN.

Three of the five original compositions on this CD are based on standards: Klm (Sal Mosca), All Of Me ; Iota Go – Sal Mosca , All The Things You Are; Raeba – Halperin, I Didn’t Know What Time It Was Lullaby Of The Leaves, an advanced tune from 1932 with a great verse (not heard), written by Bernice Petkere who also wrote, Close Your Eyes (1933), another winner.

What I’m saying is that the tune selection on this CD is an integral part of the overall balance. By the way, when a great artist (Tristano) comes up with a large creation which influences other artists then those under the influence should not be thought of as imitators, but rather as expanders! Jimmy Halperin would be an original on anybodies team!

Irv Rochlin  April, 2005, The Hague, Holland.

The post Liner notes East of the Sun appeared first on THOMAS WINTHER ANDERSEN.

Line up

Liner Notes, Out From a Cool Storage.

I wish I could give you a good concise explanation about this music. If I said Jazz and you responded by being curious it would be easy. Is there a description of music that helps before listening? Could I give you a little secret to enrich the experience of hearing this band? I doubt it. The musical terms that could be applied are numerous: harmony, counterpoint, lines, odd meters, swing, songs, improvisation, instrumentation and sound. Each of these terms require a book and there are many good books about them, but it says little about the spirit behind our playing and of this particular recording.

As an illustration of how this project materialized. I thought of a chapter from Dostojevskij`s book “Notes From The Underground” (1864). I took the liberty to compress a passage into this digestible tidbit: Even if science would calculate what is the best for humanity and compiled it into a directory. It will fail! Man shall always live according to his own foolish will, and need one thing only: An independent desire, whatever that independence costs and wherever it may lead him

The title “Out From A Cool Storage” was taken from a Norwegian paper reviewing our first CD. This nonsense headline could regard any art changing in expression from cold, harsh, cynical, calculated to warm, expressive, human and colorful. I don’t think this band ever noticed such a change. We have always had a passion for what we do and we can only relate to the conclusion.

To place the band in a context of the enormous amounts of music that exists, I describe our style as music with a reference to the fifties and sixties. Cool Jazz, a stylistic distinction of that time, has lost most of its value according to the way we sound now. We still try to capture and continue the spirit of our musical ancestors, but the music develops and alters. The opening track Counter Action, insinuates the need for us of getting further out from a cool storage. The only question is where do we take it next? Enjoy!.

Thomas Winther Andersen

The post Liner notes Out From a Cool Storage appeared first on THOMAS WINTHER ANDERSEN.

A few comments regarding some of the pieces:
Giant Steps is arranged with an abundance of metric changes. Two bars of 6/4 and two bars of 4/4 repeated. Then 3/4 and 4/4 interchanging every bar. The duration of each chord is extended which enables the arranged double stops to be clearly heard. Creating a new rhythmic scheme opens up a realm of possibilities for improvising on this Coltrane classic.

Black Orpheus contains an irregular rhythmic sequence of 4/4, 5/4 and 6/4 which lifts the form off the ground while creating a feeling of instability; a feeling one might experience while attempting to ride a wave on a surfboard or simply by trying to stand on a spherical object such as a basketball.
Too Much Bass part one was inspired by the long notes of the Didgeridoo. It has often been my experience that when a long tone or a chord is hanging in the air it elicits melodies which are not actually produced. Part three features an interchange between bowing and pizzicato techniques which is intended to give the impression of two parallel ideas flowing simultaneously. The improvised parts are connected with short melodic cues.

The conception of these arrangements were very much inspired by my musical collaboration with Chander Sardjoe. He always contributes a plethora of ideas which leads to fun interaction. Chander is a great master of his instrument and he seems to thrive when the arrangements become more complex and dense. Occasionally we exchange instruments to twist our musical perception, although this is not yet part of the performance. For now it’s just “Too Much Bass.”

Thomas W Andersen

The post Liner notes Too Much Bass appeared first on THOMAS WINTHER ANDERSEN.

Composing jazz is as much bringing together the right players as writing the music. This ensemble has a blend that has proved to be a success since our first tour in 1995. I feel very fortunate with these musicians and I give them all the credit for the result. Although I have been writing tunes and arrangements my role as a bandleader is merely the task of organizing. Assembling these five musicians living in three different countries seemed at times like an impossible mission. But their dedication to this project and their serious approach to music inspired me to create possibilities for us to play together.

The band explores a style that originates from “cool jazz” as developed by musical personalities such as Lennie Tristano and Warne Marsh. The musical ideas contain elements such as applying different meters on top of each other, arpeggiated reharmonised chord structures, or melodic lines composed on an existing chord sequence. Before concerts we prepare a set that has a total form, not only an order of miscellaneous tunes, but as one piece of music. Some tunes are played in a reduced combination of the instruments, others are very arranged or we just count off a tempo and start playing. The emphasis is always on improvisation. This studio recording mirrors what we do live on stage.

I hope you enjoy our unconditional passion for the music.

Thomas Winther Andersen, Amsterdam 1998

The post Liner notes Line Up appeared first on THOMAS WINTHER ANDERSEN.