CD: Longing

Everything, writes the poet Nelly Sachs in her poem, begins with longing: "Everything begins with longing, / There is always room in the heart for more, / For more beautiful, for greater things." Sehnsucht is called "Longing" in English, and "Longing" is the title of pianist Martin Sasse's new album, which he recorded with bassist Martin Gjakonovski and drummer Joost van Schaik. At last there is another trio album by Martin Sasse, in that concentrated, intimate formation that makes so many melodic and rhythmic expressions, variations, moods, atmospheres and emotions possible. And Martin Sasse exploits them all, profoundly, elegantly and with an incredible lightness, as if it were not the slightest effort to make all the wonderful sounds, melodies and harmonies swing, sing, pearl and dance so lightly as a feather. For more than 25 years Martins Sasse's trio has existed in changing formations, the first trio album was released in 2000 under the programmatic title "Here We Come". Since then, the trio has not disappeared from Sasse's creative work: In the current line-up of Martin Sasse, Martin Gjakonovski and Joost van Schaik, it has been playing together for quite some time now....