Primary Instrument: Band/ensemble/orchestra
Torque Trio is a piano trio and plays modern jazz which is influenced by harmonies and rhythms from pop and classical music. The trio stands out due to an exceptional interaction developed from years of collective playing experience. This becomes apparent considering that they recorded their debut album„Forward“ in just one day. It was released in 2011 on neu·klang records. „A piano trio full of variety, individuality and depth,“ according to Jazzthetik magazine.
Torque Trio has played on the Jazz Dag (Rotterdam), at North Sea Round Town (Rotterdam) and on East of Eastern (Nijmegen). In May 2012 they appeared on the Dutch television programme Vrije Geluiden (VPRO), recorded at the Bimhuis (Amsterdam). They are continuously looking for challenges by inviting guests for projects, leading to collaborations with jazz and classical musicians as well as dancers.
In March 2013, Torque Trio recorded their second album, yet untitled, due to be released in October. The musicians say about their new album: „There’s a lot that inspired us to make this album–working with great artists, travels, foreign cultures, but also film music, literature and art. The idea of the trio is to find the ideal balance between openness, versatility and stability. We are an exceptional group of artists as we know each other for a long time and we had the chance to grow up together as musicians. We have a common musical history together, so we’re really a band–not just another project. Our music is straightforward and deep and at the same time accessible, melodic and very rhythmic.“
These guys understand each other perfectly and deliver a stunning cd which can be bought blindly by devotees of contemporary jazz. Audiofreaks
But Schalkwijks trio Torque with Antoine Duijkers on drums and Mathias Polligkeit on bass goes one step further than e.s.t. on some points. Like e.s.t., Torque flirts with sounds and grooves from pop and funk, cites Bach and Chopin and interweaves it all into songs of haunting beauty. But they develop further into the musical now, the textures of which are being weaved more rapidly and densely. And they stand out from other e.s.t. epigones with authenticity and vigor. Kultur-Tipp
The music of this trio belongs to the category ‘young progressive musicians contribute to the modern metamorphosis of the piano trio’. The trio is remarkably tight together. They use rock- and classical influences to perform highly modern jazz. This is a trio to keep in mind peculiarly! Jazzflits
A young Dutch trio that presents itself with rhythmic drive and a big (pop-) melodic gesture. Pianist Koen Schalkwijk has found a level of accordance with upright bass player Mathias Polligkeit and drummer Antoine Duijkers in which many details unfold playfully without the music getting lost in arbitrariness. Stereoplay
In general, these three allow themselves so much balance that the cd gets stuck in one’s head quickly. Pianonews
Driving songs with narrative, where the cohesion of the trio is stressed. The musicians show vast musical capabilities on ‘Forward’. Torque is a distinguished piano trio. The musicians understand each other with remarkable ease, which makes the whole sound particularly cohesive and grown. Jazzenzo
“Forward” is a brilliant album of talented young musicians. Citizen Jazz
The Dutch/German trio Torque is not the only ensemble to further develop the e.s.t. concept, but it is one of the most convincing. In the music of Torque, harmonies derived from the Romantic period are combined with frequently repeated musical cells as known in minimal music or in rock music in the form of guitar riffs. And jazz is forming the framework to all of those heterogeneous elements. The debut album ‘Forward’ sounds as if the musicians were veterans already. There is no boasting or virtuosic showing off as often heard on first albums. Torque works on their concept to play modern jazz that sounds beautious in spite of all the complexity. JazzNow (SR 2)
Through the sporadic use of repetitive motives by Schalkwijk, the rock groove infused drums by Duijkers and the ostinato groove by Polligkeit, a flow emerges which it is hard to escape from. A piano trio full of variety, individuality and depth. Jazzthetik
Tracks: Forward; Der kleine Nasenbär; Jungle; Bologna; Drunk; Wasserfall; Wehmut; Halbmond; Appelwangetjes; Housemouse.
Personnel: Koen Schalkwijk: piano; Mathias Polligkeit: upright bass; Antoine Duijkers: drums.
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