Wijnen, Bob: NYC Unforeseen

Born in the Netherlands, now based in New York City, pianist/composer Bob Wijnen's debut album NYC Unforeseen will certainly make waves in the jazz world. He is an outstanding pianist and although this is his first solo effort as a band leader he is also a member of the bands Triplicate and Equinox.

Besides Wijnen on the ivories we have Peter Bernstein (guitar), Dezron Douglas (bass) and Billy Drummond (drums), a sampling of some of the best jazz musicians NYC has to offer.

Throughout the disc Wijnen displays a subtle touch and deft of hand honing these nine tracks with a depth of craftsmanship that is just hard not to like. The rest of the band complement his playing in a way that only serious veteran jazz musicians can.

From the moment the title track starts the disc and the complex drumming of Drummond reels you in, any fan of jazz cannot possibly look the other way. Urgent rhythms and repeated piano chords extend into a swinging groove where crisp lead guitar notes and Wijnen's subtle yet memorizing piano flourishes evolve in a tasteful and satisfying way. The beginning of "Treehouse" is much calmer as pretty guitar and a sentimental piano melody set the tone before the band settles into another nice groove. Burt Bacharach's "The Look Of Love" is quite different from the first two pieces offering only piano and bass dancing the around the other in a most complementing way. The band quickly gets back to the swing of things with "Baby Steps" where tasty guitar fills and adventurous yet melodic piano makes for another great listen.

Stevie Wonder's "If It's Magic" is a beautiful piano and guitar led piece setting a sentimental tone before "The Jellyfish Blues" closes out the album with a blast of bluesy jazz showcasing Bernstein's excellent guitar soloing and Wijnen's persistent piano rhythms and solos.

NYC Unforeseen is really quite a fabulous debut from a very talented group of jazz musicians. Any way you slice it this is an excellent disc and one I highly recommend.

Track Listing:
1. NYC Unforeseen (6:09)
2. Treehouse (7:24)
3. The Look Of Love (3:24)
4. Baby Steps (5:46)
5. Sublime Indifference (7:34)
6. E For Eye Opener (4:39)
7. Bring It Together (5:50)
8. If It's Magic (3:11)
9. The Jellyfish Blues (Says Dez) (5:43)

Added: February 18th 2016
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1879
Language: english

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