Courvoisier’s long-running trio with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Kenny Wollesen has toured on both sides of the Atlantic, along with recording three albums so far. Writing for National Public Radio affiliate WBGO-FM, critic Nate Chinen pointed to the “rare degree of intuitive insight” this group has achieved over the course of its three albums, while
DownBeat declared Courvoisier, Gress and Wollesen to be “one of the most exciting piano trios at work today.” Courvoisier’s first trio album with Gress and Wollesen,
Double Windsor (Tzadik), was named one of the best albums of 2014 by both
Slate and
New York City Jazz Record; it also received the “CHOC” distinction from
Jazz Magazine and
Jazzman in France.
International Piano magazine hailed
Double Windsor as “a highly original recording, boldly juxtaposing the freely improvised and the through-composed, and crackling with energy. That ‘rhythmic feel’ is less about swing or groove than a non-stop, jump-cut dynamism that gives the tunes a real kick… Courvoisier’s trio drives its intricate interactions through every tricky twist and tumble in exhilarating fashion.” The trio’s second album,
D’Agala (Intakt, 2018), was another hit with critics, garnering a four-star review in
DownBeat. In its review,
JazzTimes described the record as “a wonderland of piano-trio surrealism that is nonetheless grounded in rhythmic earthiness.” It was ranked as one of the year’s best jazz albums by
The New York Times and
Los Angeles Times, as well as
New York City Jazz Record. In his liner notes to
D’Agala, NPR jazz critic Kevin Whitehead compared the venturesome interaction of this trio with the infectious music of a pioneering jazz figure from the 1950s: “There is something Herbie Nichols-like about the Courvoisier-Gress-Wollesen trio’s feel: collective music-making as light-on-its-feet fun; it’s genuine trio music in which bass and drums are full partners with piano.” In 2020, Courvoisier, Gress and Wollesen released their third album as a trio:
Free Hoops (Intakt). Whitehead, in his liner notes for this album, went into colorful detail about the range of atmosphere explored by the group: “This music harbors a misterioso, dreamlike quality… induced by a wistful ostinato or moonlit piano arpeggio, or by a quiet episode that underscores the depth of the trio’s sonic space, as when a slapped-strings piano bass cluster explodes into the void. They also do that good stuff we prize jazz for: the happy swinging, the coming together when they make complex material sing.” The critical response was again widely positive, with
All About Jazz saying: “The three musicians work together so sympathetically that it can be easy to forget just how challenging these compositions are, and how much coordinated artistry is required to bring them to life.” Courvoisier’s newest ensemble, Chimaera, released its eponymous debut album in October 2023 via the Swiss label Intakt Records. The atmospheric, shape-shifting
Chimaera features the pianist alongside Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet, Christian Fennesz on guitar/electronics, Nate Wooley on trumpet, Drew Gress on double-bass, and Kenny Wollesen on drums and vibraphone. In many ways,
Chimaera represents Courvoisier’s most ambitious ensemble work to date. Reviewing
Chimaera, UK magazine
Jazzwise praised the album’s “dream-like ambience and luminous textures,” while
All About Jazz noted: “It’s not the musicians’ skill that most impresses, but rather their ability to cast a sustained spell for over 80 glorious minutes. A triumphant recording, and one of 2023’s highlights.” Chimaera has a flexible lineup on tour, with drummer
Nasheet Waits on board for an expanded rhythm section. == Further Collaborations ==