Personnel:
Nick Adema (tb), Lage Lund (g), Ben van Gelder (as), Maël Idris Mercier (p), Paddy Fitzgerald (b), Genius Wesley (d)
Reference: FSNT-726
Bar code: 8427328437264
Beginning like a march to conquer a castle in the Middle Ages, Incandescence launches right from the get-go into beautiful, well thought through compositions and serious improvisation on the highest level.
My introduction to Canadian trombonist, Nick Adema, was through a social media message about three years ago, in 2023. Nick reached out to inquire about playing on his record,Urban Chaos, and from that point on we’ve become friends and played on a handful of concerts together. As a saxophonist, I’ve also become aware of Dutchman Ben van Gelder's playing over the last decade; the remainder of the band with Belgian pianist, Mael Idris Mercier, Aussie bassist, Patrick Fitzgerald, and American drummer, Genius Wesley, is new to me through this album, but an absolute delight to “meet” them.
Incandescence showcases a number of important qualities: extremely satisfying compositions with tremendous orchestrating and part writing, strong personal identity one very one’s prospective instruments, playing their you-know-whats off with tasteful time-feel and harmonic sensibilities, and so on. But the most important component may be that of band unity; these five band members play together in away that gels, and my hope is there is more music making to be heard down the road from the ensemble.
—Noah Preminger
