Jazz on Wednesdays invites: In Essence

Jazzduo In Essence plays accessible jazz. Saxophonist and clarinetist Iman Spaargaren (NL) and double bassist Peter Bjørnild (DK) recently released the album In Essence on the Sound Liaison label—a beautiful collection of well-known and lesser-known jazz standards and ballads, presented in a purely acoustic, improvised dialogue between double bass, tenor saxophone, and clarinet. The album has been very well received in the international press:

Positive Feedback wrote:

“Simply incredible… with all the transparency, timbral accuracy, and resolution for which we love Pure DSD256. Iman Spaargaren and Peter Bjørnild play brilliantly together. The duo has chosen to keep each track short, distilled down to its melodic and emotional core. It’s as if the goal wasn’t to impress with complexity, but to offer a clear, focused experience of each tune, each one a small, self-contained meditation, a kind of musical haiku—concise, almost fragile in its clarity, capturing the essence of melody and melodic improvisation. The result is music that doesn’t explain itself—it simply is.”

Audiophile Style described the album as:

“A wonderful selection of songs, played exquisitely, captured impeccably, and delivered to our listening rooms pristinely.”

The Absolute Sound called it:

“A truly beautiful aural snapshot of a wonderful musical performance. A real ‘you’re there’ moment.”