Review Regentenkamer 17 January 2004 the Hague, the Netherlands

Robert Rook Trio
Robert Rook - piano, Thomas Winther Andersen - bass, Dick Verbeeck - drums

Last Saturday the Robert Rook trio. I heard and especially saw the man for the first time in 1997 in jazzcafé "De Pater". To what extent he took himself seriously playing the piano, I don't know, but I did like the show. He did everything with the piano that our dear God Prohibits and played the poor instrument also with hands and feet and to sit on it should also not be a problem. His accompanists he treated as merciless, he became furious when he wasn't followed adequately. But it was not simple to follow the man as everyone could see. I bought his cd nevertheless right on the spot to have at least a memory to that night. On it there is one absolutely marvellous track: Monk's Round Midnight. It makes you realise you're dealing with a "heavy-weight". Last Saturday he played exceptionally many ballads and medium tempo tunes. The man has a splenditly warm touché with a very lyric conception for that type music. Of course his accompanists also help him to achieve that. Especially the bass player, the Norwegian Thomas Andersen, (who also plays on the cd from 1997) is to blame with his wonderful technique and tone. Nevertheless all hell breaks loose now and then. With uptempo tunes the exuberant pianist has to stand up to enforce his statement, but sitting on the grand piano, no, Richard (the club owner) won't allow that.

Willem O. Stuut

 

Back