Moon Trio: Moon Trio: Earth-Time

Graceful melodies and grooves merge together effortlessly on the debut album of this recently formed trio led by Dutch pianist Jeroen Van Vliet. With the help of occasional electronic effects, Van Vliet and his trio create soundscapes of a dreamlike quality that trigger and inspire the imagination.

While it is far from uncommon for contemporary jazz musicians to resort to technical showmanship, these three musicians wisely refrain—and it becomes them. On Earth-Time you will find no complex melodies , ungraspable polyrhythms or bizarre harmonies. Instead, the music finds its beauty in simplicity, and is characterized by a certain lyrical aesthetic that may remind one of Scandinavian composers such as Helge Lien or Tord Gustavsen.

Most pieces on the album are kept delicate and serene, though the brief dynamic outburst of Spider successfully manages to maintain the possibly wandering attention of the unfocused listener.

Though this acoustic piano trio may not be the most surprising or avant-garde, they make up for it with their charming compositions as well as their refined playing, and are definitely worth fifty-seven minutes (or more) of your time.