Time Change

A new generation of jazz musicians appears to be taking over, and you couldn't ask for better news... Their interplay is impeccable, and their camaraderie is impeccable. A mountain of atmosphere awaited us—powerful, convincing, subtle...
PitNieuws (Belgium)

With this debut recording, Belgian pianist Milan Verbist takes another leap in a career that's felt destined to thrive since he was a young boy. The music and activities that filled the days of his father, esteemed bassist Piet Verbist, supplied Milan with a deep well of influences, lessons, and direction, all well-apparent in the patient, dynamic and utterly mature approach his trio takes on this collection of mostly original compositions. Opening with the spacious ballad, "Time Change," Milan, bassist Toon Rumen and drummer Jens Meijer allow the music to unfold through all manner of moods and harmonic landscapes, supplying hints of the masters he's been influenced by as they play the music of Ornette, Gary Peacock, and even Bach, interspersed with five of Milan's compositions. Without a doubt, a career and voice to pay attention to.

Production Info:

Produced by Milan Verbist for Contour vzw
Recorded & mixed by Cyrille Obermüller
Recorded at Rockstar Recordings, Niel, Belgium
On March 5 & 6, 2025
Mastered by Pierre Dozin
Photography by Eddy Westveer
Cover Art: "Wind I" by Laulyt
Cover design & layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Time Change

Jazz Weekly (George W Harris)
Pianist Milan Verbist has a touch and style that feels like it has imbibed deeply the waters of Brad Mehldau, thoroughly modern in harmonies yet linked to the vintage past. Teamed with ToonRumen on bass and drummer Jens Meijer, he mixes originals with a wide palette of covers, ranging from Bach to Ornette Coleman. Of the former, his chords are dar ...

Paris Move (Thierry De Clemensat)
5 STARS Milan Verbist: A Debut from Belgium's Crossroads of Culture. Milan Verbist, pianist and composer, arrives from the small but culturally layered kingdom of Belgium with a debut album that feels less like a beginning and more like the confident statement of an artist whose voice has been maturing for years. Belgium, after all, is not one c ...

BelgienInfo (Belgisch-Deutsches Netzwerk) (Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther)
Carried and with "Nordic heaviness" – one thinks of composers such as Grieg and Sibelius – the trio around pianist Milan Verbist opens the current album. Listening to the melodic lines and harmonies, you might think that a wintry night in Scandinavia is being musically sketched, as if the Nordic winter is coming to life, in which in some places ...

Making A Scene (Dee Dee McNeil)
This lovely album opens with a rubato piano introduction to the title tune. There is a tenderness to the touch of Milan Verbist on the piano keys. The title song is soothing to the ear and to the heart. It's an original composition by Verbist, reflecting a period of time around the transition from winter to summer. It also pinpoints when this a ...

DeStandaard (Belgium) (Peter De Backer )
4-STARS With his father Piet having been Jef Neve's bassist for many years, we suspect that Antwerp pianist Milan Verbist (26) was brought up with a love of jazz. It is therefore no surprise that the four covers he presents here include lesser-known works by Tomasz Stanko and Gary Peacock. He also has an affinity for classical music, as evidenced ...

Jazz & Mo (Belgium) (Patrick Auwelaert)
When you've played with musicians such as Chris Potter, Lionel Loueke, and Jakob Bro, it's no surprise that you're welcomed with open arms by an American record label. I'm talking about Antwerp pianist-composer Milan Verbist (26), who recently made his debut with Time Change, a work on which he is accompanied by the rhythm duo Toon Rumen and Jens M ...