Antwerp

The trio of this recording have played together in the studios and stages of Belgium, France, and Russia for 13 years! They have attended many jazz conferences in Europe and have shared musical knowledge and experiences creating very tight bonds among them. The leader of the trio is John Bishop who in addition to being an outstanding drummer, is the proprietor of the award-winning Seattle-based Origin Records and its subsidiary, OA2 Records. John's colleagues and close friends are Belgium musicians, pianist Bram Weijters and bassist Piet Verbist. One of the stand-out tracks is the closer, "Contemplative" written by Bram which was inspired by McCoy Tyner's "Contemplation". The motive for it being a tribute to John Bishop's mother who passed away shortly before this recording was done in Belgium, even at 91 years of age, she was attending jazz concerts to their conclusion and then hanging out with the musicians after the gig. What a lady! I sure wish I could've had the pleasure of meeting her.