Secret Exit to Another Dimension

The bassist has a real talent for creating modern works that balance expertly between new and old-school forms of expression...deeply melodic forays and from-the-heart blues occupy the same space, unconflicted.
Bird is the Worm

Antwerp bassist, Piet Verbist, has been a central figure in the Belgian jazz scene for decades. With his fifth album on Origin, Verbist turns to the guitar trio format and rekindles his long-time connection with guitarist Hendrik Braeckman, a regular with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra and a fellow force in modern jazz circles. Along with the creative interplay from drummer Lionel Beuvens, the trio unravels an intimate set of originals - along with Charlie Parker's "Cheryl" and Monk's "Pannonica" - building broad atmospheres of color, groove and mood.

"Verbist's compositions...give compelling testimony to the ways musical friendships can last a lifetime—and how serendipity, inspiration, and a deep dedication to the music can create a spark when friends' paths do eventually cross."
DownBeat

Production Info:

Produced by Piet Verbist for Contour vzw
Recorded by Pierre Dozin at
Nice Recordings, Antwerpen, Belgium
Assistant engineer: Jussi De Nys
Recorded on September 18 & 19, 2020
Mixed by Pierre Dozin at
Pierre Dozin, Brussels, Belgium
Mastered by Brian Schwab at
Brian Schwab, Chicago, USA
Photography by Hartmut De Maertelaere
Cover design & layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Secret Exit to Another Dimension

All About Jazz (Dan McClenaghan)
4-STARS Belgian bassist Piet Verbist has featured saxophonists on each of his previous Origin Records albums—bass, drums and a horn or two seems to be his way of working. With Secret Exit To Another Dimension, his fifth Origin outing, he pares things down to the trio format, creating a distinctive guitar/bass/drums sound that has a strikingly mo ...

All About Jazz (Jack Bowers)
4-STARS In spite of its rather intriguing title (and those of several of its selections), Secret Exit to Another Dimension, by Belgian bassist Piet Verbist's well-schooled trio, consists for the most part of the sort of gentle, heartwarming jazz one might hear on a given evening in any number of upscale nightspots around the world. In fact, if gui ...

Bandcamp Daily (Dave Sumner)
Piet Verbist has an effortless lyricism on double bass. He's expressive without being showy, subtle without sacrificing resonance, and possesses an unerring talent for finding the most direct route to the heart of a melody. This trio session with guitarist Hendrik Braeckman and drummer Lionel Beuvens displays those qualities in a laid-back setting. ...

CD HotList (Rick Anderson)
I'll be completely candid here: this isn't my favorite jazz album of the year, or even the month. But I'm recommending it because I don't see it as my job simply to share what I like — it's my job to hip you to good music, and this album is objectively excellent, in terms of both the playing and (even more so) its structure and conception. Bassis ...

Jazz'Halo (Belgium) ( Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther)
Piet Verbist dedicated some tracks from the current album to various people from his family environment: "A Noble Trice", an anagram for Celebration, the parents Joske & Leo, "Minikin Milan", the final track of the album, the son Milan Verbist, "Bridge House" Rob and Magda – whoever that is – and "Ji Ha" guitar virtuoso Jim Hall. The album cove ...

Jazzenzo (Belgium) (Georges Tonla Briquet)
Double bassist Piet Verbist ( Toots Thielemans, Jef Neve, Jasper Blom), drummer Lionel Beuvens and guitarist Hendrik Braeckman have been playing together in different groups for quite some time, but this is only their debut album as a trio. Every now and then a person needs an escape route, according to Piet Verbist. It sometimes leads to unexpe ...

Het Nieuwsblad (Belgium) (Peter DeBacker)
After his years with the Jef Neve trio, the Antwerp double bassist Piet Verbist has not been idle. Now he forms a trio with guitarist Hendrik Braeckman, who you know from the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, and the versatile drummer Lionel Beuvens. Verbist has a deep warm sound that shines here in all its glory. He can also write beautiful melodies suc ...

Jazz'halo (Belgium) (Bernard Lefèvre)
For this new trio, double bassist Piet Verbist invited fellow players Hendrik Braeckman and Lionel Beuvens, who were already familiar to him. They each deliver original compositions, supplemented with 'Cheryl' by Charlie Parker and 'Pannonica' by Monk. 'Secret Exit To Another Dimension' refers to Verbist's state of mind to find a way out and he ...

Le Soir (Belgium) (JEAN-CLAUDE VANTROYEN)
The Belgian double bassist Piet Verbist, in bed with the guitarist Hendrik Braeckman and the drummer Lionel Beuvens, produce this great album, of very swinging jazz, very fair and very exciting. Ten pieces, due to Verbist, to Braeckman and Beuvens, plus a cover of Charlie Parker (Cheryl) and one from Thelonious Monk (Pannonica). It's the guitarist ...

Take Effect (Tom Haugen)
The Antwerp bassist Piet Verbist has played a pivotal role in the Belgian jazz scene, and this 5th album on the Origin label has him aligning with Hendrik Braeckman on guitar and Lionel Beuvens behind the drum kit for a listen full of intimate and moody originals. "The Other Side" opens the listen with a very stylish and upbeat display of bounc ...