Almost human

Talking Cows

Tracklist

Hurdles in Three
A Serious Lack of Humour
A Stroll For Gonso
Dinner is Served
Not Yet
Most Def!
Hang Glider
Mooing Around
Two Guys and Beer
Hop On, Hop Off

produced by

Talking Cows for JazzSick Records

Executive producer

Philipp van Endert

Line up

Frans Vermeerssen – tenor saxophone
Robert Vermeulen – piano
Dion Nijland – bass
Yonga Sun – drums

About

Talking Cows was founded in 2004 by pianist Robert Jan Vermeulen and saxophonist Frans Vermeerssen. There was a bit more to it then just two musicians who liked each other’s playing. Until then they had never played together: they came from totally different areas of the Dutch jazz scene. The idea came up to make the group ‘a celebration of differences’, so that the different backgrounds became the subject of the group’s material. In drummer Yonga Sun and bass player Dion Nijland they found the perfect rhythm section; they are very creative musicians with an open mind and experience in playing different styles.

In the ensuing seven years, the group presented concerts in clubs and at festivals in the Netherlands and abroad. They made numerous radio recordings, did some TV appearances and recorded 2 CDs. There’s been a great deal of positive feedback from audiences and press, and Talking Cows is now considered a leading exponent of Dutch jazz music. The videos about farmers, cows and jazz music in a cowshed that appeared on their website have also been received enthusiastically.

Almost Human demonstrates how the group has developed into a solid, flexible and original ensemble. While at first the different style elements were rather distinct, they have now merged into a new blend.

The compositions by Vermeerssen and Vermeulen are still connected to the rich history of jazzmusic, from blues, rhythm changes, Ellington and improvised music to funk. But the group gives this music a typical ‘Talking Cows sound’. In a review of a concert in the Bimhuis/Amsterdam on the 18th january 2011, Frank van Herk/Volkskrant wrote: Jazz from Holland, that’s exactly what Talking Cows wants to offer. This quartet has a typical Dutch view of tradition, coloured with humour, spontaneous interaction and the willingness to open up the structures of the music. The compositions are based on catchy, often hummable themes, that are fragmented and defragmented and flirt with chaos before taking on recognizable features once more.