Erik Verwey Trio and Hermine Deurloo

Harmonica player Hermine Deurloo and pianist Erik Verwey are both musical storytellers who move on the boundaries between jazz, pop and classical.

When Hermine heard Erik’s debut album last year, she called him for a recording session and that turned out to be a bull’s eye. Her melodic playing style appears to fit perfectly with Erik’s lyrical pieces. The support of drummer Daniël van Dalen and bassist Hendrik Müller of the Erik Verwey Trio has led to a unique musical experience.

About a Home is a musical story about being at home, leaving and everything that entails. Inspired by this theme, Erik has written music for Hermine’s unique sound. The musical portraits together form a story and are characterized as highly melodic, spatial, accessible and dynamic.

The sound of the harmonica evokes associations with film music. Cinematic improvisations are therefore a leading part of the music, with roots mainly in jazz and a place for both Hermine and all three members of the trio.

This recording gives an impression of Erik and Hermine’s music:

Background

Fascinated by the sound of the chromatic harmonica, Hermine Deurloo (Amsterdam) exchanged her alto saxophone for this small instrument. And with success: she has now performed with artists ranging from Corrie van Binsbergen, Alain Clark and Mike Boddé to the Metropole Orchestra, The Schönberg Ensemble and the Brussels Jazz Orchestra. Hermine operates in jazz, but does not allow herself to be limited by a particular style.

Hermine has five albums to her name, the last one being a collaboration with drummer Steve Gadd and bassist Tony Scherr.

The Erik Verwey Trio is a dynamic jazz piano trio from Amsterdam, consisting of Erik Verwey (piano/compositions), Daniel van Dalen (drums) and Hendrik Müller (double bass). Their debut album People Flow was released last year and received rave (international) reviews.

After graduating from the conservatories of Utrecht (bachelor’s) and The Hague (master’s), pianist Erik Verwey (1987) worked for many years as a (film) composer and accompanist of various successful theater and cabaret programs in the Netherlands (including Louise Korthals and Dolf Jansen). . These theater tours have given him the necessary composing experience.

Drummer Daniel van Dalen, known from Fuse (house band TV program Podium Witteman) has been indispensable to this trio for more than 12 years. In recent years, double bassist Hendrik Mūller (known from the Daahoud Salim Quartet, among others) has effortlessly joined in, creating the trio.

In 2019, the trio played at the Bali jazz festival and after releasing the successful People Flow, Erik has been on tour with his trio over the past year. The trio was also nominated last year for the semi-finals of the Karel van Eerd Award [LINKS TO VIDEO/AUDIO?].

The press about Erik and Hermine

• “Hermine Deurloo plays the chromatic harmonica with the effortless fluency of a saxophonist and is a creative and melodic musician. It is obvious that she ranks among the top jazz harmonica players of this decade.” — Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene
• Bernard Lefèvre – Music Mosaic: Hermine Deurloo creates a rich and varied soundscape in which her masterful command of the chromatic harmonica comes into its own.
• “The pianist forms a strong trinity with drummer Daniel van Dalen (Fuse) and bassist Hendrik Müller. (…) A beautiful dynamic debut.” – Jazzism (link)
• “(…) A meeting of Chopin and Bill Evans (…) Diversity isn’t a given – but Erik Verwey, Hendrik Müller and Daniel van Dalen show the way (…)” – London Jazznews (link)
• “Handy compositions, intimate interplay and ingenuity (…) Everything swings, nothing is difficult” – Jazzflits (link)
• “People Flow is characterized by an intelligent approach to rhythm and harmony, without this being at the expense of listening ease.” – Music world
• “Verwey’s sounds, on eight piano trio numbers and three quartet tunes, are cinematic. It is a brimming with life, joyful and salubrious.” – **** AllaboutJazz
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• “The Netherlands has a beautiful piano trio” – Jazzradar (link)
• “One of the main assets of Verwey’s debut album as a leader, People Flow, is the exceptional flexibility of his piano trio. (…) Curiosity of a very mature debut album by a new writer and original pianist.” – Jazzjournal UK (download link)
• “(…) as a jazz musician, Erik Verwey holds his own (…) Verwey is a pianist who thoughtfully gives his energy to his views on improvisational music.” – Jazznu.com (link)