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Seppe Gebruers: Playing With Standards
The Belgian Gebruers is an improvising artist and member of the quartet Rorschach with Erik Vermeulen, Marek Patrman and Eric Thielemans, a trio with Hugo Antunes and Paul Lovens, the large ensemble Ifa y Xango, and Bambi Pang Pang with guest Andrew Cyrille. With this solo project he utilizes two pianos tuned a quarter-tone apart, a 1900 Rönischto and a Schiedmayer built in 1868, to effect a ghostlike otherworldly sound. In the notes, Gebruers eschews the notion of copyrights to classic standards like "La Vie En Rose," "Donna Lee," and "Bye Bye Blackbird" because he approaches the music as merely memories and "copies of copies."
Gebruers' copies perpetuate the idea of half-conscious impressions of these standards. One hand on each piano delivers dreamlike versions. The closest comparison might be to Thelonious Monk with "Playing With 'Just a Gigolo.'" Like Monk, Gebruers takes the classic piece at a snail's pace, injecting an off-kilter stride keyboard against his microtones. He also delivers multiple versions of several compositions, varying the approach as if having the same dream repeated throughout the varying stages of sleep.
Track Listing
CD1: Playing With ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’; Playing With ‘In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning’; Playing With ‘Just A Gigolo’; Playing With ‘You And The Night And The Music’ 1; Playing With ‘You And The Night And The Music’ 2; Playing With ‘You And The Night And The Music’ 3; Playing With ‘I Loves You Porgy’; Playing With ‘Everything Happens To Me’; Playing With An Intermezzo 3; Playing With An Intermezzo 4; Playing With ‘Just Friends’; Playing With ‘La Vie En Rose’; Playing With ‘La Vie En Rose’ and ‘Just A Gigolo’; CD2: Playing With ‘Never Let Me Go’ 1; Playing With 'What Is This Thing Called Love' 1; Playing With ‘Never Let Me Go’ and 'What Is This Thing Called Love’; Playing With ‘Never Let Me Go’ 2; Playing With ‘Never Let Me Go’ 3; Playing With ‘Never Let Me Go’ 4; Playing With ‘Never Let Me Go’ 5; Playing With ‘Never Let Me Go’ 6; Playing With ‘Never Let Me Go’ 7; Playing with ‘Never Let Me Go’ 8; Playing with ‘The Folks Who Live On The Hill’; Playing With ‘Bye Bye Blackbird' and 'The Folks Who Live On The Hill’; CD3: Playing With ‘It Never Entered My Mind’; Playing With ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ 1; Playing With ‘The Days Of Wine And Roses’ 1; Playing With ‘The Days Of Wine And Roses’ 2; Playing With ‘Everything Happens To Me’; Playing With ‘Last Night When We Were Young’ 1; Playing with ‘Born To Be Blue’; Playing With An Intermezzo 1; Playing With ‘Last Night When We Were Young’ 2; Playing With ‘The Days Of Wine And Roses’ 3; Playing With ‘All The Things You Are’ 1; Playing With ‘Donna Lee’ 1; Playing With ‘Donna Lee’ 2; Playing With ‘Donna Lee’ 3; Playing With An Intermezzo 2; Playing With ‘Never Let Me Go’ and 'Everything Happens To Me’; Playing With ‘Never Let Me Go’ 9; Playing With ‘The Days Of Wine And Roses’ 4.
Personnel
Seppe Gebruers
pianoAlbum information
Title: Playing With Standards | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: El Negocito Records
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