The New York Second – Café Madrid

Dutch pianist Harald Walkate offers us music of great serenity.

Sometimes in a quartet, sometimes in a duo with American vibraphonist Rob Waring, he explores his own compositions, which give pride of place to melody. Most of the themes are played at a slow tempo and manage to captivate the listener without ever becoming tiresome, thanks to the rich harmonies and melodies.

The interaction between the piano and vibraphone is central here, each instrument displaying a sumptuous sound whose intertwining timbres are fascinating to follow.

A poetic and dreamy universe unfolds throughout the tracks, a world of sound of great delicacy that the protagonists contribute to feed with highly legible melodic lines. In places, it brings to mind the collaboration between Gary Burton and Keith Jarrett, who produced a remarkable album a few decades ago. But that’s where the comparison ends, because The New York Second does not look back.

On the contrary, the group has forged a specific identity linked to the ability of the two main instruments to improvise with great fluidity, while on the themes performed as a quartet, the double bass and drums provide them with remarkably dense and refined support.

This group offers us a truly beautiful recording, a work with shimmering contours that gives the impression that this music is ageless and naturally finds its place in a timeless aesthetic.