Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr: Safe Place

There is a place where jazz, classical and chamber music converge and it is home to German brothers Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr. Trumpeter Julian and pianist Roman, both outstanding musicians, have been releasing albums on the ACT Music label since 2006 and captivating global listeners with their distinctive approach. Their compositions are both rigorously crafted and hauntingly emotional, creating an enveloping soundscape that defies easy categorisation.

They are joined by Jorg Brinkmann, one of Europe's most celebrated cellists, with whom they recorded their previous album Relaxin' in Ireland (ACT Music, 2018). He has worked with Michael Wollny and Ernie Watts and is equally at home with classical performance as he is with improvisational skills; he makes a key contribution to the album. The acoustic landscape on Safe Place is further broadened by the addition of saxophonist Paul Heller on two of the ten tracks, nine of which were composed by the brothers.

The compelling dialogue of opener "Vent Chaud" is an ideal introduction to the gentle rhythmic patterns and painstaking interplay that are the trio's hallmark. Piano and cello build revolving patterns before Julian joins with a reflective trumpet improvisation that weaves through the melody. "Dodo" is more light-hearted before the melody of "Dancing Windmills" may have you checking to see who wrote the original. The superb trumpet melody seems instantly familiar.

Beyond drawing inspiration from unconventional muses like horses, cats and the pandemic, the Wasserfuhr brothers frequently incorporate intriguing cover versions into their musical repertoire. Their excellent rendition of Sting's "Fields of Gold" exemplifies their approach: Roman's mysterious piano vamp sets the stage, with Julian elevating the melody through a soaring improvisation that naturally embeds the song within the album's broader musical narrative. Heller's saxophone brings contemplative colour to "Solitude," while his subtle interplay with trumpet and cello on "El Caballo Valiente" reveals a folk dance-like musical conversation.

The brothers explain that the album's title track "Safe Place" embodies both a sense of familiarity and warmth, as well as the underlying feeling conveyed through their music, perhaps akin to the Danish concept of hygge. They describe it as "the song from the record that we love to play on stage the most. In other words, it's the absolute 'safe place' for all three of us." Brinkmann's pulse drives a memorable series of instrumental combinations, with each member of the trio weaving around the melody and finding moments to shine.

Elsewhere the gentle piano phrases and mournful trumpet of "Luzifer" turn more hopeful towards the close and Roman's piano has a strong European classical influence on the elegiac "Movimiento." The album, which is obviously a deeply felt project for the trio, closes with the precise and delicate "Perfect Tiny Moment."

This is something rather special; the musicians knit these pieces together with a relaxed ease that belies the sublime technique needed to paint these atmospheric musical landscapes. Whether you classify this music as jazz, classical, or something else entirely, genre boundaries become irrelevant on such a polished and expressive journey. It is a work that combines improvisational flair within strong, haunting melodies, offering an appeal that transcends traditional categories.

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