Harald Walkete’s The New York Second Trio
“After The Hours, The Minutes”
NY2 Records, May 13Th, 2023
Harald Walkete (piano)
Lorenzo Buffa (bass)
Max Sergeant (drums)
1. Prelude,
2. Professor Nelson Strikes Again,
3. Song About Nothing,
4. The Great Wait,
5. There But The Grace Of God,
6. Moon 2018,
7. After The Hours,The Minutes,
8. Your Cat Got My Rabbit,
9. What The Bagelman Saw,
10. Allez Les Bleu,
11. Let’s Go Where The Mountain People Go
I introduced the album “Music At Night”, published in 2022 by Dutch pianist Harald Walkete, with her ensemble called The New York Second, hosted by award-winning trumpeter Teus Nobel, in Jazz Dergisi. This time Walkete presents The New York Second in a trio project. Italian bassist Lorenzo Buffa and Dutch drummer Max Sergeant are the other members of the trio.
All tracks in the album “After The Hours, The Minutes” are composed and arranged by Walkete. The pianist describes these compositions as the traces left by the passing time. Inspired by Dutch writer Paul van Tongeren’s essay “On The Passage Of Time”.
“Proffesor Nelson Strikes Again,” one of Walkete’s compositions included in the album, has an interesting title, reminiscent of an adventure movie. However, her source of inspiration is Richard R. Nelson’s 1977 book “The Moon And The Ghetto”, which he read at the suggestion of a friend of the pianist. Walkete later had the opportunity to interview the author of the book, Professor Nelson, who compared and questioned the problems of setting foot on the moon and the ghetto.
“Song About Nothing” and “The Great Wait” are again Walkete’s modern works in which he transfers his intellectual conflicts to his music. Pieces of The New York Second Trio’s “interplay” sharing and adorned with fluent solos…
“There But For The Grace Of God” is a minimalist work in which the questioning yet mystical feelings evoked in Walkete by Van Tongeren’s “On The Passage Of The Time” are crystallized.
The star of the track is drummer Max Sergeant. A few years ago, Harald Walkete’s wife gifted him a photograph of Dutch photographer Ilona Langbroek titled “Moon, 2018” for her birthday, which inspired the modern ballad “Moon, 2018”.
“After The Hours, The Minutes”, “Your Cat Got My Rabbit”, “What The Bagelman Saw”, “Now, We’re Talking”, “Allez Les Bleus”, “Let’s Go Where The Mountain People Go”, Walkete’s other compositions that capture the spirit of time. Of course, with The New York Second Trio’s interpretations of European modern jazz, which are understated, fluent and like a needlepoint…
