Triosence at the San Javier Jazz Festival

German Jazz wows San Javier as Triosence present Turning Points

San Javier Jazz Festival welcomed the most exciting new act to hit the stage at San Javier this year on Saturday night: Triosence, a German Trio comprising Bernhard Schüler (piano), Matthias Nowak (bass) and Stephan Emig (drums).

It’s so easy when attending festivals which last for several weeks to think, maybe I´ll give this one a miss, another piano trio I don´t know anything about …… but sitting here thinking that post-working week weariness ( and 9 consecutive nights out during summer festival silly season) may have prompted missing out on discovering this particular trio doesn´t bear thinking about.

Triosence are one of the big success stories of German Jazz, with a serious number of accolades under their belts and more than 10 years of development, along with 5 albums, the latest of which is Turning Points, around which their performance focused this weekend.

Although the music is composed by Schüler, the three members of the trio view themselves as equal partners and the empathy between these three artists created an energetic synergy giving vibrancy and a flowing cohesiveness to their music, which swirled, ebbed and flowed, pulling the audience into its depths.

Few attempted to backpaddle and were swept along in a glorious current of soft melody, masterfully understated  percussion, and rippling notes of subtly increasing intensity, culminating in a double standing ovation and the biggest queue at the CD sales point that San Javier has seen in years.

Turning points contains some masterful compositions, the powerfully tearing poignancy of no one’s fault, the energising tranquility of summer rain, the rhythmic warmth of winter rain, enveloping music which wrapped concertgoers into a smug cocoon of well being and satisfaction.

Sometimes Jazz can be so self-indulgent concertgoers are left in no doubt as to the virtuosity of the performers although can´t quite decide whether they admired the set or enjoyed it, but in this case there was no compromise to the ego of the performers, the audience treated to nothing but glorious music, and this concertgoer is already putting a towel on the front seat ready for the next time Triosence come back to Spain.
 

More great music still to come at San Javier, Click for programme of remaining concerts: San Javier Jazz 2014