CyberHalides Jazz » 2018 » WANG - Yuri Honing Quartet - 2 Nov 2018

It's been eight years since Yuri Honing brought his acoustic quartet to the Wangaratta Jazz Festival. Wolfert Brederode is still on the piano and likewise Joost Lijbaart on drums, with Gulli Gudmundsson new to local audiences on bass in place of Mats Eilertsen. Like a number of other performances at Wang this year, both sets were essentially the same and ran through the new "Goldbrun" CD, with a bonus track "Narcissus" off the next CD (still some time away) at the end.


Goldbrun is a political statement about the future of Europe, Germany in partcicular, and draws on influences from Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss reflecting Yuri's classical training. Without program notes it was difficult to follow the political plot, although that wasn't an obstacle to enjoying the music on its merits. The memory dims a little over eight years, but I found Yuri's tone as smooth as ever and the trio just as tight. I found the suite more lyrical than I recall the 2010 performance and with nordic & scandinavian influences. Certainly a popular set and a festival highlight.