Vice Versa II - Rebounce by Bram De Looze | Felix Henkelhausen

Bram De Looze | Felix Henkelhausen | Eric McPherson

Vice Versa II - Rebounce

Price: € 19.95
Format: CD
Label: Challenge Records
UPC: 0608917359923
Catnr: CR 73599
Release date: 13 February 2026
Buy

1 CD ✓ in stock	€ 19.95	Buy

Label
Challenge Records

UPC
0608917359923

Catalogue number
CR 73599

Release date
13 February 2026

"The tension and the distinctive tonal color in Bram’s playing are, for me, the main reasons why I am such an admirer of him."

Rootstime, 16-1-2026

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

Press

About the album

Vice Versa was created out of the need of Belgian pianist Bram De Looze’s (LABtrio, Joey Baron, Thomas Morgan, Hank Roberts) to collaborate with artists who he feels are natural extensions to his sound. He quickly found kindred spirits in New York master drummer Eric McPherson (Jackie Mclean, Andrew Hill, Pharoah Sanders, Fred Hersch) and Berlin bassist Felix Henkelhausen (Jim Black, Nate Wooley, Lotte Anker), two compositional masterminds with a boundless sense of rhythmic inventiveness.

The versatile and exploratory trio sets the bar for expressive interpretation and inventive creativity high. They traverse different approaches in which musical rules change without losing momentum. This leads to an interesting musical synthesis where the spirit of traditional jazz language emerges during intuitive musical excursions within free improvisation and contemporary music.

Their debut album ‘Vice Versa’ came out in 2023 on Dox Records to great acclaim. In january of 2025, while Bram De Looze was the Artist in Residence at Brussels Jazz Festival in Flagey, they recorded their second album live on stage, witnessed by a sold out Studio 1. This album will be released by Challenge Records (NL) in February of 2026.

With support by the Flemish Government

Vice Versa entstand aus dem Bedürfnis des belgischen Pianisten Bram De Looze (LABtrio, Joey Baron, Thomas Morgan, Hank Roberts), mit Künstlern zusammenzuarbeiten, die er als natürliche Erweiterungen seines Klangs empfindet. Schnell fand er verwandte Seelen in dem New Yorker Meisterschlagzeuger Eric McPherson (Jackie McLean, Andrew Hill, Pharoah Sanders, Fred Hersch) und dem Berliner Bassisten Felix Henkelhausen (Jim Black, Nate Wooley, Lotte Anker) – zwei kompositorische Masterminds mit einem grenzenlosen Sinn für rhythmische Erfindungskraft.

Das vielseitige, forschende Trio legt die Messlatte für expressive Interpretation und erfinderische Kreativität hoch. Sie durchlaufen unterschiedliche Ansätze, in denen sich musikalische Regeln verändern, ohne dass der Spannungsbogen oder der Drive verloren gehen. Daraus entsteht eine spannende musikalische Synthese: Der Geist der traditionellen Jazzsprache tritt während intuitiver musikalischer Exkursionen innerhalb freier Improvisation und zeitgenössischer Musik immer wieder hervor.

Ihr Debütalbum „Vice Versa“ erschien 2023 bei Dox Records und wurde begeistert aufgenommen. Im Januar 2025, als Bram De Looze Artist in Residence beim Brussels Jazz Festival in Flagey war, nahmen sie ihr zweites Album live auf der Bühne auf – vor ausverkauftem Studio 1. Dieses Album wird im Februar 2026 bei Challenge Records (NL) erscheinen.

Artist(s)

Eric McPherson (drums)

Bram De Looze (piano)

Bram De Looze is a Belgian pianist whose distinct musical vision has found its way through both solo piano projects and collaborations with internationally acclaimed musicians. De Looze's unique technical skill and musical maturity have earned him considerable critical praise and respect from his peers, as his music spotlights his far-ranging interests throughout his continuous quest for artistic depth, momentum and freedom. In his teens De Looze made his entrance to the European scene with LABtrio, a collaboration with bassist Anneleen Boehme and drummer Lander Gyselinck. After having spent one year at the New School For Jazz And Contemporary Music in New York, De Looze launched his first international 7-piece band 'Septych' (Clean Feed Records 2015). De Looze plays with internationally renowned musicians such as Joey Baron (MiXMONK – Baron / De Looze / Verheyen), Stéphane Galland (The Mystery of KEM feat. Ravichandra Kulur) and with multiple improvisation ensembles. These collaborations have taken him throughout the world to perform at cultural institutions, music venues and celebrated festivals. Recently De Looze felt the urge for a new collaboration called Vice Versa with two great artists who are natural extensions of his world of sound: New York master drummer Eric McPherson (Jackie Mclean, Andrew Hill, Pharaoh Sanders, Fred Hersch) and Berlin bassist Felix Henkelhausen (Jim Black, Nate Wooley, Lotte Anker). Their debut album Vice Versa (2023) was released on the Dutch label DOX Records.
His solo career took off with Piano e Forte (2016), a project for which he approached historical instruments from a contemporary perspective combined with the integration of non-equal tuning systems. His 2nd album, Switch The Stream (2018) indicated a renewed search for movement, evolution and introspection. Infusing the sound with a non-equal tuning stands out even more in his third solo chapter, Colour Talk (2020). It continues this trajectory with a continued attempt to renew from within.
In 2024, De Looze released his 4th solo album - with which he will be touring 'Down Under' (Australia/Korea/Japan/New-Zealand/...). And in 2025 a second album with his trio Vice Versa will come out.

less