Fabian Willmann Trio | Arne Huber, Jeff Ballard and Fabian Willmann

Arne Huber Bass
Jeff Ballard Drums
Fabian Willmann Tenor saxophone

"Freedom" is a surprise. Because the Fabian Willmann Trio's second album does things differently. It sounds anthemic, not hectic. It celebrates melody, not abstraction. It dispenses with extravagance and concentrates on musical common ground. "I wanted to write music that was as simple as possible and create a state in which the band doesn't have to think about the music, but can let it happen," says Berlin-based saxophonist Fabian Willmann from Freiburg. 'Letting it Happen', rather than 'Making It Happen' could be the credo for the album and if the result is the coalescence of a common sound effect, then the virtuosity can also be in the detail.

Jeff Ballard, for example, plays complex drums without it being noticeable. The Californian is a generation older than Fabian Willmann and became known as the drummer for Ray Charles, Chick Corea and the Brad Mehldau Trio. He likes to play to the beat and ornament within the structure. This fits in well with a team that values communication. There are stories in his fills, he is a narrative drummer.

Bassist Arne Huber compliments the trio. His tone is embracing, warm in character and therefore ideal to bracket the combination of Ballard and Willmann. A harmony instrument is not necessary. Huber's volume of sound and his complementary line formation, Ballard's versatility on the whole and on the large scale offer the saxophone the freedom to play little but important things.

Fabian Willmann also takes care of the subtlety. He studied in Basel and New York with Mark Turner and Domenic Landolf, as well as in ensembles with Eva Klasse, Sarah Chaksad and Janning Trumann. He can now incorporate his experience into the nine compositions on "Freedom". His melodies carry the pieces gently and confidently. He unfolds the themes as if sung with the instrument, always played from a personal center that emphasizes the moment of the music.

For the recording on January 6 and 7, 2024 at the Funkhaus Studio in Berlin, where Nils Frahm also produces his opulent albums, the trio was joined by singer Sessel Vera Pettersen and Lionel Loueke, guitarist with the Herbie Hancock Band. The two add floating and poetic vocal lines to three pieces and fit into the trio structure carefully but pointedly. Loueke in particular has the freedom to act a little differently in this context than in his usual stylistic cosmos. "Freedom" therefore surprises on many levels.