A Dutchman, a Belgian and a German walk into a bar…

If it is true that the finest Belgian ale is brewed by contemplative monks, it must follow that the best music is produced by contemplative musicians.

Oliver's Cinema had its genesis in a visit by Dutch trumpeter Eric Vloeimans to a Belgian bar, where, over a pint of the local, he listened to a CD of accordionist Tuur Florizoone. A duo was quickly formed, then expanded into a trio with the addition of German cellist Jörg Brinkmann. Each of the three players contributed original compositions to assemble a performing repertoire unique to the ensemble. The inclusion of film soundtrack pieces from "Cinema Paradiso" and "Rosemary's Baby" suggested to Vloeimans a cinema-themed title for the project, which, not-so-coincidentally, is an anagram for his name.

Fourteen short pieces survey a range of moods from playful to contemplative to elegiac. The album has been described as a 'soundtrack for imaginary films' but that shorthand characterization doesn't really do it justice. The pieces are thoughtfully arranged frameworks on which the players develop melodic improvisations in folk-classical mode: waltz, musette, klezmer, and Near-Eastern themes weave together in a seamless fabric.

The opening piece, Vloeimans' "Aladdin", begins with a lilting melody in 4/4/4/5 rhythm played by the cello on plucked strings. Cellist Brinkmann is equally adept carrying a bass line or bowing elegant, legato phrases. The accordion enters, a blend of keyboard and button registers, layering the accompaniment with chords and single-line melodies. Finally we hear the Hub van Laar trumpet that provides Vloeimans with a broad palette for shaping his tone. The facility with which Vloeimans can bend notes suggests that he's using one of van Laar's quarter-tone models with the extra valve; but in a video of the group, Vloeimans can clearly be seen playing a three-valve instrument. Perhaps both instruments were used in the recording.

So consistent is the quality of work throughout the set, that it can be enjoyed in shorter or longer listening segments; the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Bert van der Wolf's recorded sound projects the ensemble into your listening room in a close perspective that is appropriate to the intimate mood of the performance, with generous room ambience haloing the instruments. The recording venue is not named in the liner notes or the Challenge website, but it sounds more like a studio soundstage than a church or concert hall. Low-level details, an occasional click of the accordion keys, breathiness from the trumpet, are distinct at higher or lower listening levels.

Oliver's Cinema is perfect late-night music, best matched with a Belgian abbey ale—triple, of course.

Copyright © 2015 Mark Werlin and HRAudio.net

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