The jazz piano trio Triosence has been around for 23 years. In its current lineup, the trio includes Bernhard Schüler on piano, Rodriguez Calvo on double bass and Tobias Schulte on drums. The trio is joined on its latest album Giulia by trumpeter Paolo Fresu. Of the four musicians, the pianist and bassist are from Germany, the drummer from Cuba and the trumpeter from Italy. Regardless of the international makeup, the musicians on Giulia speak the same musical language. Rarely do jazz musicians convey such pronounced optimism, which proves to be a blessing for the soul, especially in our tense times. Lightness in the composition of the titles on Giulia is the order of the day. The lightness on Giulia has nothing to do with shallowness. Rather, it is the result of purposeful creative power and astonishing virtuosity. And anyone who has ever made music knows that almost nothing is more difficult to create than lightness.

The album was recorded in the summer of 2021 in the picturesque Italian region of Friuli Venezia, which was once called Friuli Venezia Giulia. The album was recorded and mixed at Artesuono Recording Studios, based in Cavalicco, near Udine, by Italian sound engineer Stefano Amerio, to whom the trio owes the participation of Paolo Fresu on "Littel Big Steps," "Your Nearness" and "Quiet Sense," regarded as a trumpet great in his native country. With so much Italianità, which is also visually reflected on the cover of the album showing a Tuscan landscape and, in its title, it is hardly surprising that the musicians on Giulia were inspired to the easy pace, which makes the album so extremely likeable. As to how the relaxed mood on Giulia is brought about by Triosence's basic attitude, Bernhard Schüler explains in an interview for Kulturnews magazine: "Hardly anyone puts as much focus on melody and composition as we do. In addition, improvisation is not used by us to let off steam. Improvisation must always be song-serving. We ask for the essence of the trio, in which all musicians have equal roles. The lyrical should be in the foreground."

In his bio on Triosence's website, Bernhard Schüler describes the direction along which the trio always sails as "song jazz" with clear, structured songs, almost like pop music. In fact, this direction is characterized by simplicity and clarity that never comes across as banal or even simple-minded, but allows the listener to dive into the beauty and depth of the music through this impressively reduced structure, thus giving them room for emotion. In combination with the stylistic range of jazz, fusion, folk, pop and world music, not only die-hard jazz connoisseurs should be addressed, but also those who so far have had little to do with jazz. Another characteristic of Triosence: all pieces are original compositions, even on Giulia.

Even after repeated listening, Giulia proves to be an all-around successful album that conveys joie de vivre, also thanks to a first-class recording technique.

Bernhard Schüler, piano
Omar Rodriguez Calvo, double bass
Tobias Schulte, drums, percussion