Jorge Rossy Vibes Trio

INTRO

Puerta, Jorge Rossy’s first ECM recording as a bandleader, is also his first release of a trio recording in which he plays vibes and marimba. When he began to perform as a vibes player 7 years ago, Jorge focused on playing in larger ensembles and arranged his compositions in ways that did not necessarily feature the vibes as the central instrument. In this recording, he puts the vibes and the marimba front and center and in this sense, too, the CD represents his evolution as a vibes player. 

On this album, Jorge is accompanied by Jeff Ballard on drums and Robert Landfermann on bass. With such strong players and in a trio session, the compositions allow for an intimacy and a space that give all three musicians an equal musical presence. The transparency of the sound enhances this sense that each musician takes an equal role in shaping the character and mood of the tunes. 

Jorge and Jeff have known each other for years. They developed their musical voices largely in the same community of musicians around the New York jazz scene of the early ‘90s, and they have continued to play with many of the same people over the past three decades. Jeff’s polyphonic approach to the drums provides a dense and very rich texture to the tunes. It is rooted in a deep understanding of different folk drumming traditions. 

Robert Landfermann is from a younger generation of Europe-based jazz musicians. Jorge first played with him just a couple of years ago when he was invited to play vibes as a guest with Pablo Held’s trio, of which Robert is a core member. His imagination and array of sounds on the bass expands the sonic, conceptual and expressive scope of the band. He alternates between an austere approach that anchors the foundation of each tune and an incredibly skilled and imaginative voice that weaves its way through each composition.