“The set has a life-affirming, celebratory quality … Antwerp stands out as a blue-ribbon piano trio album, certainly one of the year’s finest.” Dan McClenaghan, ALL ABOUT JAZZ
“Believe it or not, in all the years I’ve been reviewing jazz, this is my first encounter with such definitively distinctive jazz….it certainly shows a level of creativity that few players can achieve…” Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion
Available Worldwide: NOVEMBER 17, 2023 | For more information, go HERE
Carrying on a widely varied career over several decades, it’s through membership in several long-lived trios where Seattle drummer John Bishop’s musical voice is probably most apparent. With New York pianist Hal Galper’s acclaimed “rubato” trio over the last 15 years, the band Scenes with guitarist John Stowell for another 20, or the piano trio New Stories which started in the mid-80s, each provided a committed vision with a focus on the collective narrative. With that, it’s no surprise that Bishop would deliver another trio as the first album under his own name in 15 years. First meeting pianist Bram Weijters and bassist Piet Verbist in Belgium in 2010 through a quartet with trumpeter Chad McCullough, they went on to do yearly tours, performing 100+ concerts, and releasing 3 albums over its 8 years. Continuing yearly trips to Antwerp following the pandemic, the thought of recording a trio with Piet & Bram came in a flash of gratitude for their friendship, musicianship and the ongoing adventures that the first Antwerp visit inspired. Theirs is a sound evolved from mutual admiration and the joy of creation.
Bram Weijters – piano / Piet Verbist – bass / John Bishop – drums
“… harnessing natural beauty and concocting chimerical designs that extol the virtues of elasticity, mutability, and high-level communication. The Pacific Northwest knows no greater champion of its beyond-words beauty than this outfit.” ALL ABOUT JAZZ
Rick Mandyck – tenor / John Stowell – guitar / Jeff Johnson – bass / John Bishop – drums
20 Seattle Jazz Musicians You Should Know: John Bishop
“To say that John Bishop has had a profound impact on the life of jazz music in the Pacific Northwest, and more specifically, the city of Seattle, would be a sizable understatement. His influence has cast a spotlight on the vibrant Seattle scene on an international scale. As a musician, record label owner, festival presenter, graphic designer and educator, he has contributed mightily to the profound sense of community that exists presently and historically in his home city and abroad.”
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/20-seattle-jazz-musicians-you-should-know-john-bishop-john-bishop
