Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Eric Vloeimans: Hyper

365

Eric Vloeimans: Hyper

By

Sign in to view read count
Eric Vloeimans: Hyper
The year was 2006, the setting was the Lantaren/Venster Theater in Rotterdam, and the initial culling from this live performance by Gatecrash—led by trumpeter Eric Vloeimans—appeared under the rubric Gatecrashin' (Challenge, 2007). The remaining material from that performance is released as Hyper and, just as its predecessor, it does not thwart the best jazz has to offer in any of its stylistic mores.

"Magnolia," like a lot of the material interpreted by this ensemble, has a delightful, catchy and simple melodic character. Infectiously rhythmic, it opens up with a keen Fender Rhodes solo, followed by an equal one from Vloeimans on his Hub van Laar trumpet, enhanced by doubling electronic effects. Its tail dissolves rather effectively.

"Prince of Darkness" is an ode to Miles Davis and is loosely based on Davis' "Tutu." Once again, simplicity effectively masks depth but not strength of character or communication, as the bassist and drummer convey an efficient swaggering feeling. This gives way to an initial set of accompanying electronic washes from keyboardist Jeroen van Vliet that, teamed up with the leader's noirish, muted and high-graded performance throughout, duly conveys the quasi-mystical coolness embodied by Davis' artistic persona. The second half of the performance belongs to van Vliet, whose ideas are to the point. His touch is divine and his musical wisdom shows in his capitalization of the sonic range available to him, through both the Fender Rhodes and the enhanced keyboards.

Vloeimans describes "Bonzi" as "the funny little lapdog in the front of my car." Judging by what is going on in this ditty, it seems that Vloeimans owns a Middle Eastern Iberian Chihuahua that would have fit rather well as an ultra-chic European character in the Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) movie.

The bonus track, "Voix du Fou," is yet another fascinating ditty that, given its Henri Michaux-derived subtitle, seemingly seeks to assail insanity as a means of preventing the death of one's voice. If this is Vloeimans' idea of insanity and expression of one's voice, let me be the first to utter a deranged shout!

Bassist Gulli Gudmundsson hails from Iceland and, for Vloeimans, the Nordic musical sense of emptiness and serenity is quite important. Gudmundsson appropriately wrote and performed as such in "Ravens and Wolves."

The rest of the material attests to the fact that Gatecrash's music is breathable, seriously unpretentious, fun, beautiful, profound and just plain good.

Track Listing

Magnolia; Prince of Darkness; Hyper; Bonzi; Piccolo David; Ravens and Wolves; Voix du Four.

Personnel

Eric Vloeimans: trumpet and effects; Gulli Gudmundsson: acoustic and electric basses and effects; Jasper van Hulten: drums; Jeroen van Vliet: Fender Rhodes and keyboards; Michel Banablia: sample (7).

Album information

Title: Hyper | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Challenge Records

Comments

Tags

Concerts


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.