Harmen Fraanje Trio feat. Michael Moore - Avalonia (2021)

This CD presents improvisations, standards, little sketches and original compositions, both new and old. Harmen Fraanje is a super-musician or rather 'magician' who can do anything he wants on the piano. His playing is so very refreshing and energizing. A multi-faceted pianist who played with many big names and of course has his own fantastisc trio.

Harmen Fraanje writes in the linernotes: "At her first birthday, we gave my niece Luna a music set that had a xylophone, castanets, a glockenspiel and a little drum. She was absolutely fascinated with the sounds we let her hear from the various instruments. Naturally, she then tried them out for herself, testing each one. By then, I should say, I was beating on the drum myself as though my life depended on it. It became an intense, pleasure-filled musical experience, our faces showing laughter and surprise, there were squeals of delight and even dancing on all fours – that done by my niece, mind you. It was as though we were driven to act as we did at the moment. During that mini-concert with my 1-year-old niece, my pleasure in music-making was no less complete than it has been in many of the concerts I’ve played in together with my favorite musicians. There was so much embracing of the moment, so much contact, so much expression, so much sincere surprise. Increasingly, I am beginning to realize that it is precisely these things that are for me the most important aspects of music, perhaps even of life in general."