Personnel:
Finn Genockey (d, lead), Josh Short (tp, flh), Rasmus Sørensen (p), Nico Klöffer (b)
Reference: FSNT-703
Bar code: 8427328437035
Official release date: June 20th, 2025
Finn Genockey is a young musician on the move. As drummer, pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader he stands out from his peers through his commitment to looking outwards, crossing boundaries of genre and reaching out across international borders at a time when our world is becoming ever more fragmented. The third generation of his family to pursue a career as a professional musician, he’s been gifted with valuable insights into the importance of maintaining genuine close relationships with his co-creators and collaborators, and avoiding the constraints of other people’s expectations. He’s already established a burgeoning reputation as a skilled, sensitive and highly versatile drummer, performing with jazz artists from Rufus Reid to Stan Sulzmann as well as pop and soundtrack sessions. Now with his debut recording Tacet Trust, he showcases his abilities as composer and bandleader at the helm of an international ensemble of forward-looking young musicians from across Europe.
Informed by his love of the music’s legacy artists as much as by his deep involvement with the contemporary scene, this is a startlingly assured set from a truly original independent creator. Rasmus Sørensen (Denmark) on piano and bassist Nico Klöffer (Germany) join Finn in the rhythm section, and Josh Short (UK) completes the finely balanced ensemble on trumpet. Each of these young players impresses with the maturity of their talent, but it is the balance and empathy of the ensemble that stands out as much as the individual voices.
The 'Yawning Sun' expands from its lyrical rubato opening into swinging post-Coltrane modal territory, while 'Tacet Trust' connects up intricate voice leading with a pulsing straight-eighths pulse. 'The Tree Atop The Hill' started life as a big band chart, with an evocation of the Devon countryside that’s at once intricate and accesibly melodic. 'Midnight 54' creates an eerie atmosphere with soaring flugelhorn suspended over hanging chords and the whole building into an anthemic climax. The lyrical waltz of 'More Than Yesterday, Less Than Tomorrow' looks to the future with a feeling of optimistic reflection, and by contrast 'Still Life' has an uplifting, upbeat accessibility that reaches towards a pop sensibility. There’s a palpable sense of swagger and attitude to 'I Was Born Yesterday, But I Stayed Up All Night' that gives a nod to the New York scene, and 'In The Bright Sleeve of The Sky' draws from Finn’s love of the folk songwriter tradition to create a shamelessly ear-pleasing tune led by Nico Klöffer’s bass. Finally, 'Avellino' was written for Finn’s grandfather Raffaelle, namechecking his Neapolitan hometown and celebrating his life in a eulogy and a celebration.
Finn says “Throughout a lot of this record I’m trying to follow my ear - to make music that people can connect up with feelings and stories, like they might do with a film soundtrack. I’m so happy with how the tunes ended up. There was so much spontaneity in the session, and the people involved are as important as the music itself.”
—Eddie Myer, NewGenJazz
