In their new video for the track “No One’s Fault,” German jazz band Triosence skillfully encapsulates their sound through visuals that befit an arthouse short. The first images shown are of each member’s instruments, kicking off the track. A striking female dancer appears, dressed all in black and lying on a black floor, dancing her way upright. The band plays around her as she rises, spinning. She later transforms, through sound and smoke, smiles and acknowledges the band, sparkling in a dress fit for the finest of jazz clubs. At the song’s denouement, she faces the camera with her hair falling down, her eyes not looking directly at the viewer but somewhere into an expansive distance, punctuated by the last smooth tap of a cymbal.
Triosence is Bernhard Schüler (piano), Matthias Nowak/Ingo Senst (bass), and Stephan Emig (drums). Since forming in 1999, Triosence has won almost every jazz competition there is to win in Germany. The German magazine Stern (star) called them “the new faces of German jazz.” Their release First Enchantment debuted in Japan, granting them a wider, global presence. It was a fitting title for a first release, as the band’s sound is both enchanting and evocative.
Triosence describes their sound as “the emancipation of piano, bass and drums,” actualized through Bernhard Schüler’s original compositions and the intense individual style of all three musicians. Through this innovative approach, each instrument can, as they describe, “take the lead.” This gives Triosence a more extensive reach beyond the more traditional trio sound audiences have come to expect. Their music incorporates aspects of jazz, fusion, folk, pop, and world sounds to create one that’s uniquely their own. Triosence’s emphasis on melodies and their clarity creates a new style that the band has coined “songjazz.”
Triosence’s most recent album, One Summer Night, was recorded live and released in 2014. It transports listeners, making them feel as if they’re swaying bare-armed under twinkling lights on a patio somewhere on a warm summer night, outside. The album is live; you can hear the cheers and claps of the audience after tracks.
The trio will bring their original “songjazz” to life for four shows over two nights at Dégagé Cafe, January 30 and 31 in Maumee. Be there to see this German jazz phenomenon bring their sonic magic to us tonight.
$10. 7:30 & 9:30pm, Friday, January 30th and Saturday, January 31. Dégagé Jazz Cafe, 301 River Rd., Maumee, 419-794-8205.
