Van Asselt Vistel Project - Tierra A La Vista (2014)

This session sprang from cross-border encounters between its principals. Dutch pianist Van Asselt invited Cuban trumpeter Vistel to perform with him in Holland, and Vistel reciprocated by organising a get-together in Madrid.
A self-confessed melodist, Van Asselt is given to pensive moods, which contrast with Vistel’s eagerness to be on the go. This difference is exploited by the pianist in his opening composition. The Cuban defers to his partner’s prevailing sensibility in Para Elis, though the keyboard vocabulary is being extended to match the trumpet’s panache. By the fourth track a band is being put together with the arrival of Vistel’s saxophonist brother, Maikel, who also features on a further two numbers.
At all times, the pianist is a formidable comping presence but during his solo travels, though tasteful and considered, he’s not as adventurous as either of the horn players and returns to a more comfortable zone once the saxophonist has stood down.
In pianist-trumpeter terms, mutual veneration is almost bound to be lopsided, because the trumpet can barely accompany, and in Cyclops and Blues Para Monk – re-harmonised genuflections towards Coltrane and Monk himself – Van Asselt is clearly working with his partner’s restlessness in mind. It’s an interesting work in progress.