Closer Floris Kappeyne Trio

• 1 Mirror II 06:04
• 2 Closer 06:17
• 3 Fantasy 05:29
• 4 Demon 05:21
• 5 Inner Monologue 09:00
• 6 Powder Blue, Burgundy and Sage 06:27
• Total Runtime 38:38

Info for Closer

Overwhelmed by the return to the hustle and bustle of normal life after the long void of the pandemic, pianist and composer Floris Kappeyne found himself longing for the sense of tranquility he had become accustomed to. Designed to aid himself and his audience in slowing down and reconnecting with themselves, his upcoming record “Closer” is set to release on April 14th 2023.

The new release follows the trio’s 2019 album ‘Synesthesia’, an exploration of the coming together of contemporary classical, jazz, and electronic music. The lead single from their first album ‘Interchange’ has been streamed over 157k times on Spotify alone.

Drawn to jazz at a young age due to its emotional depth, Kappeyne’s early influences include John Coltrane, Joshua Redman, and the titans of bebop. Exposure to Western Classical music was the catalyst for the pianist’s falling in love with his instrument, and today he takes inspiration from the works of Debussy, Chopin, and Scriabin (whose first concerto Kappeyne has performed with a symphony orchestra!).

“For me, music is a way to explore the spiritual side of life and to find peace and healing.” Recorded in the warm living room of a French castle next to a crackling fire and a beloved dog, ‘Closer’ employs recording techniques popularized by the rising trend of ASMR including binaural recording to create a sense of intimacy.

Ethereal contemporary classical harmony and emotive improvisations are heard alongside recordings of sounds from inside the castle and the surrounding nature to create a sense of calm and relaxation. Hypnotic rhythmic patterns, immersive electronic timbres and the textural accompaniment of Tijs Klaasen on bass and Wouter Kühne on drums support Kappeyne’s sparse, contemplative piano playing in a style that breaks down the boundaries between composition and spontaneity.

Coming together through their studies at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, ‘Closer’ coincides with the ensemble’s 10 year anniversary. Highly active members of the Netherland’s vibrant jazz scene, the trio have averaged 35 performances per year since 2017. Kappeyne is also a member of several other active ensembles including Alistair Payne’s Reflex, Mo van der Does’ Motet, Anti-Panopticon, the Tijs Klaassen Quintet, and Govreen/Sever.

Floris Kappeyne, piano, synthesizers
Tijs Klaassen, double bass
Wouter Kühne, drums

The Floris Kappeyne Trio
was set up in 2015 by the pianist. The trio consisting of separate Prinses Christina Concours winners (2012) met in their early teenage years when the pianist invited Tijs Klaassen and Wouter Kühne to play a gig after seeing them on Youtube. During the last year, the trio has worked on achieving an authentic concept by combining the classic sound of the McCoy Tyner trio from the sixties with Senegalese sabar rhythms and abstraction from modern classical music. The result can be heard on their debut-album “Interchange”, which was released in June 2017 on Challenge Records International. In 2018, the trio will bring new repertoire to the concerts featuring modern classical compositions in the form of 12 preludes, featuring improvisational elements in an out-of-ordinary fashion, in an attempt to question the difference between classical and jazz music in the contemporary music world.

At age 14, Floris Kappeyne van de Coppello (1995) won a second prize in the Prinses Christina Jazz Concours 2010, followed by a first prize in 2012. In 2017, Floris was awarded the prize for “Best Soloist” in the yearly Jazzcontest in Mechelen. He performs with the Floris Kappeyne Trio at different venues in the Netherlands and abroad. He has performed at festivals in different formations including North Sea Jazz Festival, and internationally in France, Switzerland and Tanzania.

This album contains no booklet.