Musik - So viel Jazz! - Peter Van Huffel

Weltweit gehört der junge kanadische Altsaxophonist Peter Van Huffel derzeit zu den begabtesten Jazzmusikern, Bandleadern und Komponisten. Und das nicht erst seit seiner neuesten, immens spannenden, siebten CD "Like the Rusted Key" (erschienen auf dem immer wichtiger werdenden spanischen Label "Fresh Sound" des katalanischen Jayyenthusiasten Jordi Pujol). Peter Van Huffel ist in jeder Hinsichtsmart genug, um sich ganz an die Spitze zu spielen. Denn er ist erstens von großer explorativer Neugier, zweitens von schneller Aufassungsgabe, drittens selbstverständlich polzglott und viertens eminent anpassungsfähig an die verschiedensten Kulturen, Szenen und nationalen Kontexte.

Seit 2008 nun lebt er in Berlin, zusammen mit seiner belgischen Frau, der Sängerin und Komponistin Sophie Tassignon - nach langen Jahren in New York und Toronto. Und knüpft scheinbar mühelos Freundschaften und strartegische Partnerschaften mit einigen der besten Musiker der German Hauptstadt, wie dem Schweizer Schlagzeuger Samuel Rohrer, "So Weiss"-Bassist Roland Fidezius und vielen anderen mehr. Sein jungstes Quartett-Album "Like The Rusted Key" ist ein großer Wurf. Deshalb habe ich Peter Van Huffel gebeten, über "Melancholic", die Schlüsselkomposition dieses Albums, Auskunft zu geben: ein Album mit ureigener Klanpoesie, die zwischen den Extremen von Ruhe und explosiver, unruhig-roher Kraft ihre dionysische Balance findet.

"Melancholic ist warhrscheinlich das einzigartigste Stück auf dem neuen Album, allerdings ist es gleichzeitig für viele Hörer auch das am schwersten zu deutende", erklärt Van Huffel. Und fährt fort: " Es besteht im Prinzip aus einer Reihung von speziellen Akkorden, die ich in vielen Stunden Arbeit eronnen habe. Für mich als Komponist bestand die Herausforderung bei diesem Stück darin, genau zu hören, wie ein Akkord sich zum näschten bewegt, um ganz sicher zu sein, dass ein enger innerer Zusammenhang zwischen beiden gegeben war. Diese Komposition verdankt viel meinen Lieblingsmusikern und Komponisten - und das sind Morton Feldman und John Cage, die beide die Fähigkeit haben, den Raum in ihren Kompositionen zu manipulieren. ... Ich wollte zumindest einige ihre Techniken und Tugenden in den Sound meiner eigenen Band einverseiben. Melancholic mit seinen fast 10 Minuten Dauer muss als ruhiges Zwischenspiel verstanden werden. Ein Interludium, das dem Hörer ermöglicht, seine Gedanken zu ordnen, damit ihm ein tieferes Verständnis für meine Musik und die das ganze Album durch herrschende Stimmung zu gewinnen."

2010 - Jazz Man "CHOC" Review by Franck Bergerot

Peter Van Huffel Quartet, "Like the Rusted Key"

Philippe Méziat avait attribué un “émoi” à Peter Van Huffell et à la chanteuse belge Sophie Tassignon pour leur “Hufflington” chez Clean Feed. Le nouveau quartette du saxophoniste témoigne du rôle de Berlin comme carrefour et élargit le spectre du jazz new-yorkais tel que représenté sur la collection New Talent. Originaire du Minnesota, Jesse Stacken est à New York un partenaire régulier du trompettiste Kirk Knuffke (également Choc dans ces pages). Samuel Rohrer se fait entendre en Suisse auprès de Malcolm Braff. Miles Perkin s’est fait connaître à Montréal et collabore avec Benoît Delbecq au sein d’un quartette franco-anglo-canadien. Le quartette de Van Huffel s’impose quant à lui par un admirable équilibre entre l’abstraction et la “figuration” mélodique. En ouverture, la ligne claire de Prift déborde progressivement de ses contours par un grossissement du trait qui exalte sa dimension lyrique et son aspiration au débord, tandis que les angularités interrogatives de Tangent superposent ses bégaiements mélodiques à des accents rythmico-harmoniques d’une puissante décontraction. Le saxophone oscille entre des logiques de phrasé évocatrices de Steve Coleman (Enghavevej sur une rythmique bondissante (que ne renierait pas le trio d’Andy Emler) et des expressions plus fauves qui nous rapprocheraient d’une lignée Hemphill- Berne, avec un batteur tenant à la fois de Hank Bennink et de Tom Rainey. Les étirements d’Excerpt Two, les élans rubato de Beast I, le presque rien de Melancholic, la supplique de Beast II, l’inquiétude d’Atonement, l’ascension fiévreuse du saxophone sur Backward Momentum captivent autant par l’indicible sentiment qui nous saisit que par les moyens très organiques que se donnent ces musiciens pour nous étreindre. Les sites et myspace de Peter Van Huffel et Jesse Stacken méritent le détour et nos lecteurs suisses ne manqueront pas d’entendre ce quartette à l’AMR de Genève le 14 mai. k FRANCK BERGEROT

OCTOBER, 2010 - Whole Note Magazine : "It's Our Jazz" Review by Geoff Chapman

"One-time Torontonian Peter Van Huffel, who toured his band through Canada this summer, now performs in Berlin after a New York stint. Pity if you missed him - this group is terrific. The alto saxist wrote all 10 tunes on Peter Van Huffel Quartet "Like the Rusted Key" (Fresh Sound/New Talent FSNT361 www.petervanhuffel.com) and they're an invigorating blast of originality in an era when many struggle to find a singular voice. The ingenious material, mostly out of left field, is well executed by lively colleagues - American pianist Jesse Stacken, Canadian bassist Miles Perkin and Swiss drummer Samuel Rohrer - so that at times it sounds like four soloists in action. Pugnacious opener Drift precedes the dark, disquieting Tangent , while other tracks build and release tension, create a multi-hued sonic tapestry and properly judge climactic accents - all evident on Enghavevej. Three pieces with Beast in the title are free jazz assaults, while elsewhere Van Huffel's mercurial, vibrant tones excite. Havens of calm exist but even on Atonement the music is charged with extreme shifts of mood and velocity."

OCTOBER 2010 - Cadence Magazine Review by Dave Dupont

Peter Van Huffel Quartet : "Like the Rusted Key"

"Like Anneler, fellow alto saxophonist and composer Van Huffel employs avant-garde techniques and elements of contemporary Classical music to the pieces on Like a Rusted Key. Van Huffel is very much an expressionist. His music has a bite and edge, and often threatens to veer into atonality. Sometimes he just starts there, as on “Backward Momentum.” He also shows a desire for creating the kind of unity found in through-composed music within an improvising ensemble. The closer, “Atonement,” has the leader and bassist Perkin (using a bow) playing together, never wandering more than a few notes from each other as the yearning melody, like the slow movement of a raga, continues to unfold and lap back over itself. “Melancholic” is a series of chords struck and then, over the next 20 or more seconds, left to decay. The piano introduces the idea, but, over the course of the almost 10 minute track, the leader’s saxophone, bowed cymbal, and bowed bass stagger in. These experiments are presaged by the small sounds in the first seconds of Like the Rusted Key, but almost two minutes in Van Huffel introduces a minor melody, safe enough except for the way the penultimate phrase seems to veer away from the tonality, before the song resolves. Perkin extends the piquant melody into his solo over a march beat from Rohrer. By the time the leader solos, the bass and drums are rolling, providing a strong rhythmic current over which Van Huffel blows, leaving space early on for their commentary to shine through. As he does throughout, pianist Jesse Stacken pounds out ringing dense figures. The leader also intersperses freer fragments—those with beast in the title—throughout the set. The session is held together by the leader’s ardor, reflected in his frequent use of minor modes, and the vigorous, colorful playing by all hands. Though clearly well-conceived, the quartet manages to make the music sound raw and urgent. Another intriguing release."

SUMMER, 2010 - JazzReview.Com Review by Dave Wayne - Peter Van Huffel Quartet : "Like the Rusted Key"

Like The Rusted Key is one of those recordings that approaches the vast array of musics that have been lumped under the umbrella of modern jazz from a dizzying array of angles using a pretty standard instrumentation. Peter Van Huffel, who hails from Canada but is based in Berlin, is an alto saxophonist with a visceral, muscular approach and a distinctive, full-throated sound. Like many players of his generation, he works with (or leads) several very different groups that cover the musical spectrum from chamber-improv (with vocalist Sophie Tassignon), to frenetic free jazz (with his electric trio, Gorilla Mask). The quartet featured on Like The Rusted Key comes from a more traditional place but offers a broad musical palette, breathing swinging, pulsing life into Van Huffel's seemingly endless wealth of interesting compositional ideas.

'Drift' opens the CD with what sounds at first like a particularly strong offering on the ECM label – a stochastic pinging of damped piano keys, bass harmonics and tiny percussion sounds gives way to a chiming piano figure and Van Huffel's brooding melody. Samuel Rohrer builds a moderate tempo rhythm that isn't quite rock but isn't quite jazz either, and supports Miles Perkin's bass solo perfectly. I really enjoyed the way that Rohrer's playing builds behind Van Huffel's razor-sharp solo, which, in turn benefits from pianist Jesse Stacken's unusual but extremely effective comping. Now, on a typical jazz CD, the remainder of the tunes would be more or less similar in nature. No so on Like The Rusted Key. 'Intro to Beast' is a very angular free improv that quickly gives way to the highoctane excitement of 'Tangent,' a gripping, dynamic, and somewhat unhinged piece that reminded me a bit of some of John Hollenbeck's work with the Claudia Quintet. But Van Huffel and his group play with a wild and wooly energy that contrasts sharply with Hollenbeck's polished, cool efficiency. 'Enghavevej' is quite a bit different as well, sporting a jauntily rocking pulse and a melody that straddles the line between cheery and manic. Stacken's solo here is full of Monk-like wit and derring-do, and Rohrer's drumming is too busy in the best possible way. 'Backward Momentum' is another real stunner – with Rohrer's seemingly random percussion gradually coalescing into an urgent rhythm behind Van Huffel's piquant melody. Stacken has another brilliant solo feature before the tune changes into a dark, visceral post-bop romp.

The rest of Like The Rusted Key is similarly impressive, inspired, and varied. 'Beast I' and 'Beast II,' as 'Intro to Beast' suggests, are free-ish pieces with asymmetric, Ornette-like melodies suspended over Rohrer's slashing cymbals and criss-crossing polyrhythms. 'Beast II” features some really distinctive, and quite beautiful, playing by bassist Miles Perkin. While I am attracted to the energetic aspects of Van Huffel's music, this CD also offers some pretty unusual twists on what some might consider the ballad form. The dark, elegiac 'Excerpt Two' sounds a bit like a Gregorian Chant, with growling arco and softly malleted drums and cymbals providing a diffuse backdrop to the saxophone and piano. 'Atonement' is even darker and more haunting, with a molasses-slow but drop-dead beautiful melody intoned by Van Huffel and Perkin's bowed bass. The CD's most unusual track, however, is 'Melancholic.' Here, Stacken plays a series of isolated piano chords that have approximately 20 seconds of silence intervening. After about three minutes, Van Huffel picks up one note of the chord and extends it a few seconds out into the silence – venturing out farther each time. As Perkin, almost inaudibly, joins Van Huffel, the pattern is disrupted somewhat as the piano, saxophone, and arco bass begin to operate more independently. While this is not the sort of thing you'd want to listen to in a car, the overall effect is pretty sublime, and seems more akin to the work of Morton Feldman than jazz of any stripe.

Like The Rusted Key is a thoroughly engrossing document of a little-known, but flat-out amazing quartet of musicians who play as if their lives – and ours – depended on it. I came away from from this CD both inspired and impressed. Easily one of the most rewarding listening experiences I've had this year. Fresh Sounds, New Talent indeed!

AUGUST 11, 2010 - FNAC! Client Review : Peter Van Huffel et sa promenade musicale pleine de surprises !

"De par toutes les critiques déjà écrites pour ses albums précédents, l'arrivée de ce nouvel opus a tout de suite capté mon attention.

Peter Van Huffel (saxophoniste alto, canadien et berlinois d'adoption) est accompagné ici par un très inventif Jesse Stacken (pianiste), Samuel Rohrer (batteur trappu et vivant), et Miles Perkin (bassiste, très porté sur l'archet).
Il faut noter d'entrée la grande inventivité rythmique et mélodique et là, ça m'a vraiment scotché ! ..." Read the full article

JULY 15, 2010 - The Telegram (St. John's Newfoundland) Review by A. Fitzpatrick

The Peter Van Huffel Quartet (www.petervanhuffel.com) followed Tagaq at the Masonic Temple, showing more boundary-pushing talents.

The quartet includes Peter Van Huffel (alto saxophone), Jesse Stacken (piano), Miles Perkin (upright bass) and Samuel Rohrer (drums). The players come from a mix of locales, from New York to Switzerland, but Berlin-based, Canadian Van Huffel takes the lead and creates the compositions.

Unusual use of instruments was key to their show at the Masonic. Van Huffel pressed his sax keys even as his breath ran out, sending out only the sound of the closing key pads and no sax at all at one point. Stacken was reaching inside the grand piano he played to pluck at the wires. Perkin was leaned over, arms wrapped around his bass or, at times, tapping the strings for a beat. Rohrer was performing a bongo-style snare at one point, scratching at his cymbal with the bottom of his drumstick the next for a high screech.

And just when it started to feel chaotic, all four would pause. Beat. Taka ta tah!

The quartet opened with a trio of album tracks blended together in a special arrangement for their live performance - including the occasionally frenzied "Beast." There was then a brief pause for Van Huffel to address the audience, of about 10 people and the band followed with a smooth piece, opening on just sounds from Stacken's piano.

JUNE 28, 2010 - Halifax Magazine Review by Trevor J. Adams

Halifax Jazz Festival preview: Peter Van Huffel

The most beautiful thing about the Halifax Jazz Festival (July 9–17) is the way it offers local music fans the chance to experience artists who just wouldn’t perform in the city otherwise. Case in point: Peter Van Huffel, a Canadian-born saxophonist, now based in Berlin. His music is raw, wild and full of crazy improvisations. Here’s one example.

Although Van Huffel is currently touring, we were lucking enough to secure an interview with him. Read on for highlights from our chat. (Click here to read more)

JUNE 16, 2010 - The Province (Vancouver) Review by Stuart Derdeyn

PETER VAN HUFFEL QUARTET: Like the Rusted Key (Fresh Sound/New Talent)

On his seventh disc, German-based Canadian saxophonist Van Huffel leads his slightly re-jigged quartet through 10 originals. Swiss drummer Samuel Rohrer, New York pianist Jesse Stacken and Canuck bassist Miles Perkin (replacing Michael Bates), add feel and flow to every moment on the session too. The opening "Drift," is aptly named, as the group ebbs and flows into a series of flights exploring the pulsing rhythmic centre of the song. For once, it isn't wrong to use angular to describe the staccato structure of "Tangent," where the interplay between Rohrer and Stacken is particularly lively. Throughout, the leader blows hard and heavy, with frequent circular blasts of rising intensity in "Melancholic" that won't let you go. At just over an hour, this is one intense and rewarding session. And exactly where to put the intermission break in a two set show. (Click here for the original)

JUNE, 2010 - Jazz 'N More (Switzerland) Review by Jürg Solothurnmann

PETER VAN HUFFEL QUARTET * * * *

Like The Rusted Key: Peter Van Huffel (as), Jesse Stacken (p), Miles Perkin (b), Samuel Rohrer (dr)
(Fresh Sound FSNT 361/Plainisphare)

Der in Berlin lebende kanadische Altsaxophonist Van Huffel ist ein begabter Melodiker mit einem kernigen Ton. Besonders auffällig ist aber die Weise, wie er mittels klaren Aufgabenverteilungen seine kontrastreichen, profilierten Kompositionen mit den Improvisationsprozessen eng verbindet. Mit seinem neuen kanadisch-amerikanisch schweizerischen Quartett präsentiert er zehn Kompositionen mit klaren Ideen, die Errungenschaften von Postbop, Free und Moderner Klassik assimilieren. Im einleitenden „Drift“ ergeben das lange Thema und die Improvisationen eine grosse dynamische Kurve. Daran schliesst sich – total anders eine funkelnde freie Improvisations-Skizze an. In „Tangent“ wird das spezielle Thema mit repetierten Tönen in schnellem Wechselmetrum mit den Improvisationen verschränkt. „Enghavevej“ jongliert über einem pumpendem Rhythmus mit Dolphy-haft verdrehten weiten Tonsprüngen, worauf statisch das elegische „Excerpt Two“ folgt. Bis zum Schluss gehen Van Huffel die Ideen nie aus, und an der starken Realisierung dieser Aufnahmen hat die engagierte Band einen grossen Anteil. Besonders auffällig der Pianist Stacken, der allerlei Trümpfe im Aermel hat. Es lohnt sich, diese CD zu suchen. JS

Jazz Dimensions- Peter Van Huffel "Essentially Free" (Interview by Carina Prange, May 2010)

"After several years in New York the Canadian saxophonist Peter van Huffel meanwhile has centered his life in Berlin. The German capital is his new musical base for touring, for example together with his Swiss-Canadian-American quartet (Jesse Stacken, Miles Perkin and Samuel Rohrer)." Read the full article

Also check out the full page article in Jazz Dimensions German Print-Magazine:
Jazz Dimensions Magazine, June 2010 Issue - Das Maximum an Ausdrucksmöglichkeiten (by Carina Prange)

May, 2010 - All About Jazz New York Review by Stuart Broomer

Peter Van Huffel Quartet, "Like the Rusted Key"

Peter Van Huffel is a Canadian-born alto saxist who recently settled in Berlin after a six-year period in New York. His new quartet reflects all of those geographic connections, bringing together New York pianist Jesse Stacken, a mainstay of Van Huffel’s New York quintet, Canadian bassist Miles Perkin and the Swiss-born, Berlin-resident drummer Samuel Rohrer. To call Van Huffel a ‘composer’ in the casual parlance of jazz is almost a misnomer. He really composes, almost every piece a tautly structured individual work that provides strong thematic material and impetus for the improvising. The opening “Drift” makes subtle shifts in tonality, working from an initial toy-piano tinkling to cover a spectrum from Far- to Middle East and on. The moody “Melancholic” unfolds with a glacial architecture in which sounds and time are suspended while the closing “Atonement” is at once brooding and radiant, the almost liturgical alto line shot through with the bass’ soaring harmonics. It is music of real power, with Van Huffel’s alto always possessed of a focused clarity, a vision of linear necessity. His sense of compositional form and his intense playing are essentially complementary, their interdependence notable on complex structures like “Backward Momentum”. Stacken’s piano is a source of tremendous momentum, his dense, rhythmically explosive playing sometimes invoking the drive and complexity of early Cecil Taylor. He thrives particularly on the pointillistic “Tangent” and in the “Beast” series that arises throughout the CD and which alternately emphasizes tensile formal structures and free improvisation. Perkin is particularly adept at bowed passages and Rohrer is a complete percussionist, whether driving the group dialogues or creating glittering soundscapes with various metal instruments. The band is every bit the equal of Van Huffel’s compositions, creating its own continuous dialogue and highly developed identity to reshape the music into a complete and collective expression.

April 22, 2010 - Tomajazz Review by Pachi Tapiz

Peter Van Huffel Quartet, "Like the Rusted Key"

Tras publicar el pasado año en Clean Feed Hufflignon, su proyecto como co-líder con la cantante Sophie Tassignon, el canadiense Peter van Huffel se estrena en Fresh Sound New Talent con su nuevo cuarteto. El resultado, Like the Rusted Key, es un CD más que interesante, que debiera servir para llamar la atención sobre el trabajo de este saxofonista. Autor de todas las composiciones, en ésta su séptima grabación, sus ideas llegan a buen puerto gracias a la participación de sus compañeros, entre los que destaca el pianista Jesse Stacken. Con poca prisa, sin mucho ruido, grandes sobresaltos o exhibicionismos vacíos, el disco gana en detalles y profundidad con cada escucha. Un buen ejemplo de todo ello es "Drift". Esta composición que abre el disco suavemente, y tarda un par de minutos largos hasta que muestra un gran tema, permite a los músicos lanzarse a realizar unos solos magníficos. Otro tema sobresaliente por su desarrollo sorprendente es "Tangent". Van Huffel corta el solo de Jesse Stacken en su momento álgido lanzando una serie de líneas al saxo incoherentes en apariencia con la música desarrollada por el pianista, pero que de un modo aparentemente natural y sencillo (aunque hay veces en que no hay nada más complicado que la sencillez), se imbrican con él para terminar en una demostración de poderío al alcance de pocos grupos. Un estreno magnífico. (Click here for the original)

April 12, 2010 - Gapplegate Music Review by Grego Edwards

Peter Van Huffel Quartet, "Like the Rusted Key"

"The band consists of Peter, Jesse Stacken, piano, Miles Perkin on the upright, and Samuel Rohrer, drums. Each of the ten pieces on the disc are well conceived and has it's own distinct musical world. They operate in an expanded tonal universe that alternately sets up a kind of modal pulsating groove, or goes flat-out orbital, works out complex rhythmic and melodic cell development, allows space for van Huffel and pianist Stacken to stretch out in free or modal terms, gives plenty of room for group dynamic and interaction, gives out with some free rocking fire, turns in a quiet spacey interlude or two, and kicks out the jams for some total free-energy moments." Read the full article

March, 2010 - Culture Jazz Review by Thierry Giard

Peter Van HUFFEL Quartet : "Like the Rusted Key"

Peter Van Huffel : un nom à retenir si, comme nous, vous ne connaissez pas encore ce canadien qui réside à Berlin. Encore un saxophoniste alto direz-vous? Certes mais qui a décidé de poursuivre un chemin escarpé en échappant aux références du genre. Ni Ornette ni Steve Coleman, ni Jackie Mc Lean, ni Lee Konitz (cité plus haut) ne peuvent ici être évoqués. C’est à peine si Anthony Braxton serait une influence perceptible dans les déhanchements du phrasé. Tout cela ne peut être qu’un atout pour nos oreilles.

Mais ce qui emporte définitivement l’adhésion à travers ce disque réside dans une parfaite (et rare) cohérence entre les compositions et la vigueur de l’interprétation. Ce quartet a du coffre, il est charpenté, franchement trapu mais il parvient à faire danser une musique qui repose sur une surprenante texture rythmique (Enghavevej par exemple) mais ne refuse pas aussi des moments intimistes, voire minimalistes. Dans un tel contexte, les membres du quartet sont poussés dans leurs retranchements mais prouvent toute leur valeur !

Avec ce nouvel album, le second pour le label Fresh Sound New Talent, Peter Van Huffel offre sa propre vision d’un jazz contemporain sans concessions, libre et joueur tout en restant accessible (car souvent surprenant). Un disque à découvrir patiemment : il ne révèle toutes ses richesses qu’après quelques écoutes. Un signe qui ne trompe pas ! (Click here for the original)

March 30, 2010 - Step Tempest Review by Richard Kamins

Like A Rusted Key - Peter Van Huffel Quartet (Fresh Sounds New Talent)

Alto saxophonist/composer Van Huffel, a native of Canada now living in Berlin, Germany, creates music that insinuates its way into your mind. Not outwardly ebullient, the songs move with a purpose. And, this CD, his 3rd with pianist Jesse Stacken and first with the rhythm section of fellow Canadian Miles Perkins (acoustic bass, toys) and Swiss drummer Samuel Rohrer. "Drift", the longest track in the program. opens quietly with percussion, the staccato piano behind the handsome melody. Slowly, steadily, the song builds in intensity, the fullness of the alto saxophone rising over the simple piano rhythm. A martial drum beat announces the bass solo and then the leader returns, his introspective phrases reflecting the raga-like lines that bassist Perkin played. The directions that the piece takes reminds this listener of Keith Jarrett's European Quartet from the 1970s (with Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielson and Jon Christensen.) But, this group goes its own way with the intensely-rhythmic "Tangent", moving with an urgency that reflects modern rock and the fire of Cecil Taylor. Pianist Stacken drives through his solo, prodded by the pounding drums and bass. All drop out for the alto sax to move out of time - they return, yet drop away to return again to ratchet up the intensity.
There's plenty of variety, from the Kurt Weill-like melody and circus atmosphere on "Engehavej"(and when the piece opens further, the music lurches then propels forward) to the mysterious, percussion-driven excitement of "Backwards Momentum" - Rohrer moves like a dervish over his kit beneath Stacken's driving solo then really pushes the proceedings when Van Huffel takes over. Silence is a key ingredient of "Melancholic", with the tolling piano chords that slowly lead the piece in until one can notice the light echoing alto and hushed percussion - not much changes save for the intensity of the long notes until the long quiet fade. If one is patient, the work is meditative and calming.

"Like a Rusted Key" is quite the group effort - even though the songs are all composed by Peter Van Huffel, each member of the Quartet is intimately involved in the creation of the music and that intimacy is what shapes the program and makes it work. Stick with it and the rewards are plentiful. (Click here for the original)

March 29, 2010 - All About Jazz Review by Raul d'Gama Rose

Like The Rusted Key
Peter van Huffel Quartet | Fresh Sound New Talent (2010)

"The Berlin-based Canadian alto saxophonist, Peter van Huffel may be one of the most intense performers on this instrument. He creates sharp images with his playing, is exceedingly energetic—in sections of music that demand quieter moments his calmness is most elastic and taut—and although he has a tendency to play with broad glissandi almost throughout Like The Rusted Key, he has an inventive sense of rhythm. In this respect he is like Eric Dolphy, who played with a pulse that originated from the inventions of Charlie Parker, but carried the ideas of that genius into a wholly different sphere of consciousness. While Van Huffel may have some ground to cover before he hits the markers that Dolphy did in his lifetime, he may be half way there already." Read the full article

March, 2010 - Downtown Music Gallery NYC, article by Bruce Lee Gallanter

PETER VAN HUFFEL QUARTET With JESSE STACKEN - Like The Rusted Key (Fresh Sound NT 361; EEC)

Peter Van Huffel on alto sax & compositions with Jesse Stacken on piano, Miles Perkins on acoustic bass and Samuel Rohrer on drums. This German saxist Peter Van Huffel's fourth disc as a leader and again he has left us with some engaging music to consider. I was not familiar with the bassist and drummer here, but pianist Jesse Stacken has a fine trio CD on Fresh Sound and a more recent duo CD on Steeplechase. The first piece, "Drift" is the longest and it is appropriately titled. It begins quietly and builds into an elegant somber work with a most hypnotic repeating line, building to a grand conclusion. Jesse erupts at the piano for the short but explosive "Intro to Beast". "Tangent" is tight and intense with some difficult unison lines for the piano & sax. I dig the way this piece stops and starts and is broken into parts that are somehow connected in the overall structure. Each piece has a different slightly skewered structure or strategy. On "Enghavevej" the rhythm team play this goofy herky-jerky line while the sax and piano spin in circles around one another. There is a fine balance between pieces that are laid back and those that erupt with power and tight interaction, sort of like a suite that works its way through different moods. For tunes like "Beast 1" & "Beast 2", Peter's tone is dark and probing like he searching the depths for that inner answer. This is one of those discs that gets better as I spend more time with it, the well-conceived ideas become more apparent with each close listen. Mr. Van Huffel likes to run a couple of lines at once so that the sax & piano and bass & drums criss-cross time and again. You don't hear the subliminal structure until you dig in. If you take the time to dive in beneath the waves, the wonders will be revealed.

Free Jazz Review by Stef Gijssel - Peter Van Huffel Quartet - Like The Rusted Key (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2009) ****
(Monday, March 15, 2010)

I saw this young quartet perform in less than optimal circumstances, in a pub with over two hundred students totally uninterested in the band performing, probably considering them nothing more than background noise to their chats. The four musicians are Berlin-based Canadian altoist Peter Van Huffel, pianist Jesse Stacken, bassist Miles Perkin and drummer Samuel Rohrer, and all four extremely rich in their skills and versatility. They feel as easily at home in pieces with composed themes as they are on total improvisations. "Drift" starts hesitatingly but evolves into a nice theme and strong improvisations, "Tangent" has a great rhythmic drive, a strong unison theme, allowing for great staccato accentuations, then stopping abruptly for an alto solo intermezzo that tears the piece to pieces, and even if the band re-joins, it does seem to get off the ground again, but of course the great theme builds up momentum again to come to its finale. "Enghavevej" is more joyful, "Excerpt Two" is more minimalist, "Backward Momentum" another beauty of composed interplay, "Melancholic" is driven by the slowest piano chord progression ever heard, making it fun and sensitive at the same time, "Beast II" is dark and menacing. The compositions are strong, the voices rich, the sound pallette broad and deep. This music goes well beyond mainstream because of its sometimes raw delivery, wild improvisations, deconstructionist attitude, but the careful attention to themes, structures and arrangement keep the music relatively accessible. This is clever and intense music. (Click here for the original)

JAZZ SESSION - MARZO 18 : Radio presentation by Gustavo Adolfo Bustamente Mesa, Bogota, Colombia
Peter Van Huffel - "Like the Rusted Key" (March, 2010)

La música se nos antoja por su atmósfera rítmica. Y si de jazz se trata, la afirmación cobra más fuerza y convicción, en especial cuando nos referimos a un cuarteto asentado en New York en los últimos años y con el corazón en el centro más convulsionado y alegre del jazz. Peter Van Huffel es un activo saxofonista y compositor que visita con frecuencia los escenarios europeos, especialmente Berlín, con una melodía y textura sin tacha, integrando un sonido tan creativo como evocativo. En la obra que disfrutaremos hoy “ Like The Rusted Key “ , el quehacer convencional de un cuarteto de jazz se rompe, gracias a una especie de ‘desalojo’ sonoro, donde la fuerza rítmica está presente en la mayor parte de la obra. Este es Peter Van Huffel y su quarteto.

“ El arte no proviene de un mundo inteligible, sino de una configuración sensible “ Estas palabras marcan un claro derrotero para apreciar ésta obra como una acalorada y libertaria suite. “ Like The Rusted Key “ es una producción musical donde la acusmática busca desarrollarse a plenitud, como si abriera puertas a nuevos sonidos. Acaso hay todavía algunos sonidos inéditos? Peter Van Huffel trabaja vigorosamente en sus composiciones, con éste, su nuevo cuarteto neoyorkino, conformado por Jesé Stacken (piano), Samuel Rohrer (batería) y Miles Perkin (contrabajo). Cabe destacar que éste saxofonista creó recientemente en Berlín un singular trío de rock y free jazz llamado “GORILLA MASK”, además de interactuar en diferentes escenarios con artistas de todo el mundo.

La expectación del sonido o el ritual hímnico de desgarradura humana. Así nombramos a ésta producción de jazz, que constantemente cabalga el ritmo llevándonos a zonas inesperadas. Los unísonos de saxo y piano desbordan al melodismo y se instalan en el lugar de lo asombroso y ésta es una cualidad que poco se estimula en el ambiente del jazz clásico o convencional. Dice la prensa berlinesa: “ La música de Peter Van Huffel es descriptiva, explora las melodías y los ritmos. La influencia de otros grandes músicos es asumida con sublime expresión. Los colores y la emoción son el resultado de una intención personal. Su enérgica posición musical es vigorosa y sustancial “. Este es Peter Van Huffel con su obra del año 2009 “ Like The Rusted Key “

Los años que pasa entre New York y Berlín le permiten a éste saxofonista canadiense afianzarse con todo su arsenal sonoro caracterizado por su apertura jazzística. El exigente sello barcelonés Fresh Sound y su vertiente ‘New Talent’ lo ha acogido con éste, su primer trabajo para ésta discográfica, sabiendo de su libre expresividad y personalidad, alternando entre el saxo alto y soprano. Si la música es un modo de contemplar las tinieblas, a la manera de Gustav Mahler, al escuchar a Peter Van Huffel contemplamos lo imposible, o lo posible reinventándose continuamente. Las buenas obras del jazz altivan nuestro irrefrenable espíritu.

Macao Review by Guillaume Grenard - Peter Van Huffel - "Like the Rusted Key" (March, 2010)

Peter Van Huffel est un saxophoniste canadien encore méconnu en France, mais qui ne devrait pas le rester longtemps s’il subsiste un peu de méritocratie dans le monde de la musique. (Petite aparté : amis canadiens, envoyez-nous vos bons jazzmen, plutôt que vos horribles chanteuses).

Il a réuni autour de lui pour ce nouveau projet, le pianiste américain Jesse Stacken, le batteur suisse Samuel Rohrer et le contrebassiste canadien Miles Perkin. Tout cela se passe évidemment à Berlin. Pourquoi faire simple quand on peut faire compliqué ?

On pouvait donc dés le départ avoir quelques doutes : des musiciens qui, contraintes géographiques obligent, n’ont pas une pratique commune régulière et un instrumentarium pas très original (le quartet traditionnel de jazz). Ces a priori s’effacent dés les premières minutes d’écoute.

C’est d’abord comme compositeur que l’altiste se distingue. Les thèmes sont longs mais retiennent l’attention à chaque instant ; ils sont élaborés et complexes mais ne tombent jamais dans l’académisme ou la démonstration. Les lignes mélodiques les plus hermétiques deviennent chantantes grâce à l’utilisation de l’unisson. Si l’on devait établir une parenté compositionnelle se serait avec Ornette Coleman (notamment sur The beast). Peter Van Huffel mêle dans son écriture plusieurs esthétiques dites savantes (musique contemporaine, recherches sonores post-free) tout en restant attentif à l’énergie qu’apporte la pulsation. Dans des ambiances totalement différentes on appréciera notamment la violence chirurgicale de Tangent (pièce très « Claude Tchamitchian » au passage) et la nostalgie désertique de atonement.

Le son de groupe est cohérent et ne laisse pas deviner la fraîcheur du quartet (seulement quelques mois d’existence lors de l’enregistrement). Les improvisations, toujours habitées, s’enchaînent de manière logique et naturelle. Il n’est pas ici question de juxtapositions de solistes afin de contenter les égos, mais de servir le juste déroulement des pièces. Jesse Stacken s’illustre particulièrement avec des improvisations toujours au plus proche de l’esprit du morceau et un flux énergétique digne de Cecil Taylor (Tangent, Intro the beast). Peter Van Huffel nous prouve avec ce disque que cette vieille « rusted key » qu’est le quartet de jazz peut encore fonctionner pour peu qu’on la manie avec doigté. (Click here for the original)

Jacques Prouvost Review: PETER VAN HUFFEL QUARTET - A L'ARCHIDUC, BRUSSELS
(Saturday, February 27, 2010)

"Le saxophoniste Peter Van Huffel (que Jean-Marc s’était fait un plaisir de nous présenter sur Jazz à Berlin) est né au Canada, a fait une longue halte à New York et habite maintenant Berlin. Peter a plus d’un lien avec la Belgique puisque son grand-père était originaire de Sint-Niklaas (ha, vous vous disiez aussi que ‘Van Huffel’, ça ne sonnait pas vraiment canadien…) et il partage maintenant la vie de Sophie Tassignon.
Avec son tout nouveau quartette, il était de passage à Bruxelles dimanche 21, à l’Archiduc pour présenter son dernier CD, «Like The Rusted Key», publié chez Fresh Sound." Read the full article

Something Else! Review by Pico - Peter Van Huffel - "Like the Rusted Key" (2010) (Saturday, February 27th, 2010)

"In my humble opinion, it's not the improvised (aka "whack") jazz that seems toughest to compose and render, nor is it the more mellifluous but intricate modern jazz. Rather, it's the the kind of jazz that successfully combines both approaches. To me, it's a marvel how a few talented and visionary musicians can be so exploratory and free, and yet leave you with a melody or some sort of a pattern of chords that can remain stuck in your consciousness and sometimes, they're even hummable. That's the real beauty of Ornette Coleman's music and others like William Parker and Henry Threadgill also pull off this neat trick with ease. ... Such are the qualities you'll also find in alto saxophonist Peter Van Huffel." Read the full article

The Stash Dauber Review by Ken Shimamoto - Peter Van Huffel Quartet "Like the Rusted Key"
(Thursday, February 25, 2010)

Peter Van Huffel is a Canadian alto saxophonist, formerly based in NYC and now in Berlin. He's got his fingers in a number of pies: his own quartet, a collaboration with Belgian vocalist Sophie Tassignon, and an "angry jazz" trio called Gorilla Mask. His new quartet release, Like the Rusted Key, just dropped on Fresh Sound Records.

Van Huffel's most stellar collaborator in the new quartet is pianist Jesse Stacken, a leader in his own right. Together, the two men intertwine their sounds as effectively as David S. Ware and Matthew Shipp did in Ware's great quartet. Both are nuanced players with varied tonal palettes. They let things unfold slowly on the opening "Drift" before revealing a penchant for rhythmic density on "Tangent," a piece that veers into '60s "energy music" midway through via Van Huffel's use of multiphonics. Relentless drummer Samuel Rohrer stays with them every step of the way.

"Enghavevej" has some angular melodic lines that aren't exactly Monkian or Dolphic, although reminiscent of both precursors, while "Backward Momentum" employs prog rock-like dynamics. The closing triptych of "Melancholic," "Beast II," and "Atonement" is contemplative, spacious, and somber, the last tune featuring lovely unison statements by Van Huffel's alto and Miles Perkin's arco bass. Like Fieldwork's Door, the PVH Quartet's Like the Rusted Key is a cerebral outing that's not without its visceral moments. It's a worthy showcase for a group that's forging a strong identity. (Click here for the original)

LES ANCÊTRES - Live Review by Michel Preumont, Peter Van Huffel Quartet at L'Archiduc, Brussels, February 21st, 2010

“17h30, on attaque!
'Enghavevej' ça doit être du Danois! Un jazz d'inspiration classique, sans être linéaire, d'où sont éliminées toutes formes d'exhibition individualiste. L'accent est mis sur la mélodie, qui doit permettre à ton esprit de divaguer et ainsi de créer des représentations picturales diverses. Le sax alto lyrique te verra composer, cérébralement, une toile poétique: un champ de coquelicots balayé par une douce brise sous un ciel nacré. Le piano léger t'invitera à voltiger de fleur en fleur. Pendant dix minutes, tu quittes ton enveloppe corporelle pour te transformer en papillon, ivre de lumière et de parfums.” Read the full article

Live Review by PNP, Peter Van Huffel Quartet at Cafe Museum, Passau, February 17st, 2010
(Posted 19.02.10 by Gabriele Blachnik)

Die Musiker kommen so ruhig und konzentriert auf die Bühne, dass sich die gespannte Stille auf das Publikum überträgt. Miles Perkin beginnt mit einem Stöckchen die Saiten seines Kontrabasses in Schwingung zu bringen. Schlagzeuger Samuel Rohrer untermalt die zarten Klänge mit leisem Gerassel. Dazu lässt Jesse Stacken helle Töne aus dem Klavier tropfen, bis Peter van Huffel sein ungewöhnlich warmes und sonores Altsaxofon einstimmt. Er gestaltet die Luftsäule seines Horns wie ein Schlangenbeschwörer, dazu erklingen Trommelschläge wie aus einem asiatischen Tempel.

Ein hektisches Piano-Thema leitet das nächste Stück ein, wird mit aufgeregten Schlagzeugrhytmen unterlegt und von einem Hummelflug am Saxofon begleitet. Später schwingen vor einer vielfarbigen Geräuschkulisse überdehnte Bass-Bogenstriche und tönen Walgesänge aus dem Saxofon. So zaubern die vier Musiker unterschiedlichste Klanggemälde. Auch andere Konzepte lassen sie hören, etwa nervösen Freejazz. Doch am meisten faszinieren die atmosphärischen, durchinszenierten Kompositionen, für die selbst der Schlagzeuger Noten braucht.

Von klassischer Musik eigentlich weit entfernt, weckt die Dramaturgie der Stücke doch Assoziationen zu einem Klassikkonzert. So ihr spannungsreicher Aufbau in unterschiedlichen Tempi und Stimmungslagen. Oder langsame, feierliche Einleitungen am Klavier. Als Jesse Stacken ein derartiges Intro auf lang ausklingende Akkorde reduziert, zelebriert wie Strophen eines Gebetes, und van Huffel ebenso bedächtig harmonische Töne dazwischensetzt, entspinnt sich eines der aufregendsten Stücke des Abends. Es umspannt Momente der Stille mit aufwallender Symphonie.

Die Zugabe der hochsensiblen Musiker gipfelt in einem traumhaft schönen Synchronflug von gestrichenem Kontrabass und Saxofon. Huffel sagt anschließend, er sei ihnen noch nie so gelungen wie in der angenehmen Atmosphäre des Jazzkellers im Passauer Café Museum. (Click here for the original)

PNP CD-KRITIK: Peter van Huffel Quartett - morgen live in Passau - Anti-olympische Spiele (16.02.10)

Während in Kanada nach Rekorden bei Geschwindigkeit und Weite gejagt wird, kehrt der kanadische Saxofonist Peter van Huffel das olympische Credo um auf seiner neuen Quartett-CD „Like The Rusted Key“. Über zehn Minuten nimmt er sich etwa Zeit, um in der Nummer „Drift“ in eine stets intensiver werdende Anderswelt zu driften. Nicht Virtuosität führt dorthin, sondern Klarheit im Ton, Finesse Timing und Feingespür im Arrangement. Pianist Jesse Stacken beherrscht alles zwischen Klassik und Konfusion, Bassist Miles Perkin und Drummer Samuel Rohrer komprimieren den Klang: nicht höher und weiter, dichter ist hier das Ziel. - rmr

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Touching Extremes Review by Massimo Ricci - "Like the Rusted Key", February 8th 2010

“Besides the leader’s alto sax - a voice that appears elegantly tantalizing more than impulsively edgy - the main presence is that of Jesse Stacken, whose pianism is acutely complementary to Van Huffel’s thematic sketches and, just occasionally, slightly biting improvisations. The mix of liquidness and synchronized dissection of otherwise reasonably regular materials – not infrequently tending to resemble certain pages of the ECM book, think Rainer Brüninghaus – is the factor that determines a rise in our level of interest.”

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Jazz à Berlin - Peter Van Huffel, concert du 14.07 au B-Flat
(by Jean-Marc Toussaint, July 15, 2009)

Le concert au B-flat était remarquable et confirme qu'il faut compter avec Peter Van Huffel... Rater sa prochaine apparition le 16 au club Schlot serait impardonnable ! C'est dans une urgence relative que le quartette s'est réuni et la qualité de la prestation et l'équilibre des personnalités présentes (Peter Van Huffel - alto saxophone, compositions, Jesse Stacken - piano, Miles Perkin - bass, Samuel Rohrer - drums) incite à dire qu'un travail d'interaction plus approfondi démontrerait la classe "inter galactique" de cette formation. Ils seront en studio ce week-end pour enregistrer le travail de compositions des 3 derniers mois pour un album qui paraîtra à l'automne ou en hiver... et je leur souhaite un franc succès ! (Click here for the original)

Jazz à Berlin- Peter Van Huffel, en toute liberté (by Jean-Marc Toussaint, July 3, 2009)

Le saxophoniste alto Peter Van Huffel est canadien et installé à Berlin, serait-il un peu citoyen du monde ? Les six années passées à New-York City ne sont pas restées inaperçues, les clubs tels que le 55 bar n'ont pas raté l'occasion de le programmer. L'artiste travaille beaucoup, c'est sûr, le résultat ? Un son exceptionnel, un langage achevé, une technique époustouflante au service de fantastiques paysages complexes, dont les tensions ne sont pas absentes. Son quintette du premier enregistrement "Sylvester Battlefield" est volontiers dans une improvisation débridée, contrastant avec des parties plus structurées et des mélodies travaillées. Des rythmes clivés rappellent sur certains morceaux le travail de Steve Coleman (Braxton et Brötzmann ne sont pas loin non plus).
L'actuel quartette de Peter Van Huffel (Miles Perkin - contrebasse, Samuel Rohrer - batterie et aussi le pianiste Jesse Stacken) confirme son talent de compositeur, ils ont eu le temps de faire connaissance. Ils seront à nouveau en studio ce mois-ci pour enregistrer les nouvelles productions. Cette formation sera en concert deux fois à Berlin, juste avant les séances : le 14 juillet au B-Flat et le 16 juillet au Schlot. Il faudra saisir cette opportunité d'écouter l'œuvre prometteuse de cet artiste méconnu. Voici un article en anglais dans all about Jazz au sujet du CD "Sylvester Battlefield" puis une biographie, dithyrambique comme il se doit, au sujet de Peter Van Huffel.

A noter, parmi les projets de Peter Van Huffel, celui avec la chanteuse Sophie Tassignon astucieusement nommé "Hufflignon"... Celui-là aussi a attiré mon attention et j'aurai l'occasion d'en reparler. (Click here for the original)

20 Minutes, Geneva - Performance Review by Juan-Carlos Hernandez (March 30, 2009)

Judicieusement appelé «Hufflignon», il a laissé muette d’admiration une assistance composée en majorité de musiciens. Pas étonnant au vu de la qualité musicale offerte par ce quartet composé du facétieux tromboniste suisse Samuel Blaser, du fameux contrebassiste new-yorkais Michael Bates et de ses deux talentueux piliers que sont le saxophoniste canadien Peter Van Huffel et la vocaliste belge Sophie Tassignon.

Les compositions des leaders étaient souvent inspirées par le thème de la nature. Telle un ruisseau limpide, la voix printanière et pénétrante de Sophie Tassignon menait les splendides mélodies et improvisations des instrumentistes dans un style jazz baroque. Le point culminant a été une version magistrale du «Cum Dederit», d’Antonio Vivaldi.

Grâce à cette formation très complice et originale, un vent de légèreté et de liberté a soufflé sur le Sud-des-Alpes de l’AMR. (Click here for the original)

Jazz Magazine (France) Disque D'émoi "HUFFLIGNON" (Phillpp Méziat)

Saxophoniste canadien, Peter Van Huffel vit aujourd'hui à Berlin et travaille dans le monde entier quand les occasions se présentent ,mais plus particulièrement sur la nouvelle scène de Brooklyn. 2lève de Dave Liebman et Tony Malaby, il a éné enregistré avec son quintette par le label Fresh Sound dans la série "New Talent", et vient de cosigner un opus sur Clean Feed avec la chanteuse belge Sophie Tassignon. Laquelle, élève de David Lins, a suivi également l'enseignement de Mark Murphy, Sheila Jordan, Thierry Peala, Tony Malaby et suivi un peu le même parcours international. ... on tient là un magnifique enregistrement, parfaitement conduit de bout en bout qui procure des émotions diverses en jouant sur plusieurs registres et combinaisons, auxquels sont associés de façon éminente le tromboniste suisse Samuel Blaser (à découvrir absolument) et le bassiste Michael Bates. Ce qui frappe ici, et séduit considérablement, c'est la balance quasi parfaite entre les moments de pure improvisation et le travail d'écriture. Le magnifique Cum Dederit d'Antonio Vivaldi emblématise en quelque sorte l'ensemble du CD, dont les pièces sont pour les deux tiers la plume de Sophie Taassignon, le reste revenant au saxophoniste. On aimers l'opposition calculée entre les sonorités aigues du saxophone et de la voix, et le registre drave dans lequel se tiennent la contrebasse et le trombone. La chair de cette musique est sombre, mais elle est tendre, et elle tient sur une intelligente poétique de l'entrelacement. Il semble que ce quartette n'ait pas encore de dates tien régulières en France : il faudra y remédier, car c'est aussi en concert que cette musique prend toute la dimension, son sen, et sa valleur.

All About Jazz New York Review on "HUFFLIGNON" by Wilbur MacKenzie - March, 2009 Issue

Saxophonist Peter Van Huffel and vocalist Sophie Tassignon’s new release, Hufflignon, features compositions by both musicians, brought to life by an unusual quartet of trombone, woodwinds, voice and contrabass. Huffel and Blaser are often teamed up with intricately-voiced melodies, while bassist Michael Bates alternates between foundational support, textural bowing and thoughtful melodic statements. Tassignon’s singing is quite versatile; on more structured pieces like “Thoughts And Memories” and the opener, “Dégringolade”, she exhibits horn-like melodic and rhythmic dexterity, while at other times her voice wanders through a labyrinthine maze of amorphous syllabic abstractions. Two examples of the latter approach include “Landscape (morning)” and “The Sad Imposing Tree”, both of which provide wonderfully abstract sound worlds. That isn’t to say that the music is at all dualistic; rather, the abstractions and melodies react nicely together, creating a unified sonic environment that moves freely between steady pulse and more introspective arrangements of sound. Tassignon’s piece “Nervous Breakdown” veers closer to the careening chamber improvisation of the Paul Bley/Steve Swallow-era Jimmy Giuffre 3, with a dexterous solo from Blaser. Van Huffel’s playing throughout is richly nuanced, with melody and texture seamlessly integrated to create colorful and evocative statements.

All About Jazz Italy Review on "HUFFLIGNON" by Vittorio Lo Conte, February 25, 2009

"Peter van Huffel, sassofonista canadese e la cantante belga Sophie Tassignon hanno deciso di mettere su un quartetto e di andare in studio, a New York, firmando un lavoro riuscito, meditato e con un attento equilibrio dei suoni.La Tassignon padroneggia sia il repertorio antico (un’appassionata versione di “Cum dederit” di Vivaldi) che i vocalizzi sperimentali sdoganati da cantanti come Lauren Newton. Gridi, mormorii, tutto, ma proprio tutto, il possibile della voce umana viene esplorato in modo logico, in dialogo con un sassofono che ha imparato ad esprimersi con un lirismo intenso e con i due compagni d’avventura: il pulsante basso di Michael Bates ed il trombone di Samuel Blaser dai mille borbottii, ma anche abile ad inseguire momenti molto puliti con Peter van Huffel." Read the full article

TEMPORARY FAULT Review on "HUFFLIGNON" by Massimo Ricci, February 2, 2009

"Hufflignon is the result produced by a group led by Canadian saxophonist Peter Van Huffel and Belgian vocalist Sophie Tassignon flanked by trombonist Samuel Blaser and bassist Michael Bates. Van Huffel, in this instance on alto and soprano, is the owner of a sophisticated technique and a suavely faultless tone that Tassignon is all too eager to stimulate..." Read the full article

Review on "HUFFLIGNON" by Friedrich W. Sixel, January 16, 2009

The CD “Hufflignon” truly reflects – as the title suggests – a synthesis between the musical minds of Peter van Huffel, the established Canadian saxophonist, and Sophie Tassignon, the extraordinary Belgian vocalist. Nine of the 10 tracks on this release are by Sophie (6) and Peter (3), while one of them takes off from a theme by Vivaldi, namely his “Cum Dederit” which I believe has been taken from his “Nisi Dominus”, (Ps.126), in G-major, RV op. 608.

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Clean Feed Records - Press Release (October 10, 2008)

Peter Van Huffel / Sophie Tassignon - HUFFLIGNON

You may not be familiar with van Huffel's and Tassignon's names, but don't direct your attention to something else so quickly. Why? Because you're gonna hear about the saxophonist and the singer very often in the years to come. Both are values in fast ascension in the international scene and it's best to follow their tracks since the beginning. The Canadian, but living in New York, Peter van Huffel is a pupil of tenor great Tony Malaby, and only that information would be sufficient to havean idea of his profile – the words “powerful” and “lyrical” come to mind. But we have more data about him: he played already with people like Chris Potter, Clarence Penn and Danny McCaslin, and knowing this is enlightening. Belgian of origin and a former student of David Linx, Sophie Tassignon is getting more famous in Europe because of her very personal and unique way to deal with “unsingable melodies” and her quick and inventive reactions in improvising situations. And she's not shy at all doing so, as we can verify listening to the vocal band she co-founded, Screaming Bitches. Trombonist Samuel Blaser and bassist Michael Bates are their partners in the quartet effort titled “HuffLiGNon”, and the same we have to say about them: watch out!

Peter Hum - Thriving on a Riff - "Out There: CD Reviews" (October 1, 2008)

"Silvester Battlefield" and "Animal Forum"

"...I was glad to hear two newish discs from the Canadian-born, Berlin-based saxophonist Peter Van Huffel... His quintet outing, Silvester Battlefield, winningly blends edgy but engaging themes and outward-bound abstractions. I wrote here about my interest in "no-borders" playing as the sequel to 1960s-style "free jazz" -- and Silvester Battlefield strikes me as an especially fine example, with music that can be spacious and pastoral one moment, skittering and dense the next".

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All About Jazz New York - From the February, 2008 issue (by Elliott Simon)

"Silvester Battlefield" - Peter Van Huffel Quintet (FSNT 290)

"New York City continues to be a nexus for jazz musicians from all quarters. Unmatched conservatory performance curriculum combined with world-class working venues and an audience open to creativity continues to make NYC the most vibrant jazz scene in the world. Silvester Battlefield, from Canadian saxophonist Peter Van Huffel’s quintet, is illustrative of the kind of synergy that results when musicians get together and play in this fertile breeding ground." Read the full article

Downtown Music Gallery Newsletter - September 28, 2007 (by Bruce Lee Gallanter)

"Silvester Battlefield" - Peter Van Huffel Quintet (FSNT 290)

Featuring Peter Van Huffel on alto & soprano saxes & (all but one) compositions, Scott DuBois on guitar, Jesse Stacken on piano, Michael Bates on bass and Jeff Davis on drums. This is former Canadian-based saxist, Peter Van Huffel's second disc and he has brought together an impressive downtown crew. Scott DuBois is one of the best and most adventurous jazz guitarists in NY at present with two superb discs out on Soul Note. Another former Canadian-born musician, Michael Bates also has two fine discs out. Local drum wiz, Jeff Davis, can be heard on both discs by his wife & pianist Kris Davis, as well as with Tony Malaby in Tone Collector and a recent Black Sabbath jazz tribute. I hadn't heard of Jesse Stacken before this, although he wrote the only other song not written by Van Huffel.

“Closed Tight" opens with tight and difficult theme, followed by spirited solos from the piano and tenor sax, What I dig about this piece is the way the rhythm team swings tightly and flexibly as each soloist spins his lines of notes. "Delirium" shows how the piano and guitar swirl together in tight, intricate formation while Huffel sails on top. After a short but inspired bass solo the quintet slows down to a lovely, ballad-like section with sublime piano, guitar and sax interplay that builds to hypnotic dream-like conclusion. Mr. Stacken's one tune is called "Good Mornings" and it features some superb contrabass from Mr. Bates, with a lovely, dreamy melody played exquisitely by the soprano, guitar and piano in a poignant harmony. Although "The Traveler" begins freely and spaciously, it soon hits its stride with a powerful two-handed piano solo and then it concludes with slow, eerie guitar solo. The title piece opens with a great free bowed bass and tenor sax duo, yet then builds into a fast, furious piece the continues to ascend higher and higher until it fades into the sky.

What is most interesting is that most of these pieces start one way and then turn into something unexpected. "Luminescence" begins slow and haunting but soon builds into a more intense, free-swinging piece. On the final piece, the dynamic rhythm team flows together in tight waves while Scott takes a great guitar solo that is followed by another spirited tenor solo from Peter. It never to amaze me when an under-recognized gem like this turns out to be one of the year's best.

From www.All About Jazz.com - August, 24, 2007 (by Budd Kopman)

"Silvester Battlefield" - Peter Van Huffel Quintet (FSNT 290)

"Armed with a sharp tone and attack, keen rhythmic sense and a wry compositional attitude, saxophonist Peter Van Huffel makes one sit up and listen on Silvester Battlefield. The album is brimming with ideas that manage to sound abstract in their tonality and phrasing while, at that same time, being extremely logical..."

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To hear some jazz musicians talk, New York is a grueling, competitive place where only the most swinging survive. Even the renowned tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, in this month’s downbeat magazine, says that he moved from Berkley, California to New York “to get my ass kicked, to be in the thick of it, to be constantly inspired and terrified and intimidated.”

On the other hand, Canadian saxophonist Peter Van Huffel sounds like he is having a much less traumatizing time in New York. After two and a half years there, the 26-year-old Kingstonian gushes about the camaraderie and support giving wings to his forward-thinking jazz. “Whether they’re your peers, or people that you used to idolize when you listened to them on recordings, everybody’s really into just helping each other out,” he says. “Everybody wants to see each other succeed.”

There are some dog-eat-dog jazzmen, but Van Huffel avoids them. “I don’t really go out to those late-night jam sessions,” he says. “Those kinds of environments or crowds can be a little more cutthroat.”

Instead, Van Huffel runs with like-minded people “who are very focused on original projects, contemporary progressive compositions,” he says. Several times a wekek, he meets with other young musicians to run through each other’s music. He is in several groups, and they play at some of New York’s best small jazz clubs – 55 Bar, Cornelia Street Café – and even the old punk-rock haunt CBGBs. Tomorrow, Van Huffel’s New York quintet plays at the Bayou on Bank Street, as part of a weeklong Ontario tour. As well, New York’s thirtysomething star saxophonists – players such as Chris Potter, Donny McCaslin, Dave Binney and Tony Malaby – provide mentoring and moral support for the up-and-comers, Van Huffel says.

“They’re all willing to play with us all the time. They come out to see our shows. It’s a really nice environment that way,” he says. Potter, the It guy of jazz saxophone these days after stints with bosses such as Dave Holland, Dave Douglas and Steely Dan, even played on Van Huffel’s Manhattan School of Music recital last year. “He’s really supportive. When I asked him to do my recital, he was in town that night and really into playing,” Van Huffel says.

In just over a decade, Van Huffel has gone from being a jazz neophyte to sharing the stage – and holding his own – with Potter. When he was in Grade 6, the first horn that he played was a clarinet. But a year later, he was so drawn to the alto saxophone that he convinced his parents to buy him one and he began teaching himself to play it.

“After a few months, I wnet about finding myself a saxophone teacher,” he continues, “which kind of shocked my mother when she got a call from some guy saying her son had called, looking for sax lessons. I was about 13 at the time.”

He began listening to the meat-and-potatoes jazz of the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s – Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, Stan Getz, and, most of all, the bebop revolutions of alto saxophonist Charlie Parker.

“I listened to Charlie Parker non-stop for, like, two years,” Van Huffel says. He absorbed the essential lessons of Parker, working through a book of his transcribed solos and playing along with his recordings.

Before he graduated from high school, he was also driving once a month to Montreal to take lessons from saxophonist Janis Steprans, a jazz instructor at McGill University.

But while he enjoyed the classics of the jazz canon, Van Huffel was drawn to more contemporary sounds. By the time he attended Humber College in 1997, he was investigating more open or angular music by musicians such as Kenny Wheeler and Steve Coleman. “I was stretched more and more in that direction, trying to check out newer sounds, what people are doing with music that’s really changing it from where it was 20, 30, 40 years ago,” he says. Van Huffel is on that course now in New York, after graduating first from Humber and then last year from the Manhattan with a Master’s Degree. He has also twice attended the famed Banff International Jazz Workshop, where he studied with musical heavy-weights including pianist Kenny Werner, trumpeter Douglas, and Potter.

The music Van Huffel plays with his quintet has one foot in the modern jazz mainstream and the other in the avant-garde. “Whether we’re playing really free or we’re playing something with a lot of structure, we can be loose all the time and stick to the music,” he says. “We’ve allowed ourselves to be free with the structured tunes as well. It creates a lot of spontaneity all the time. The music’s different every night.”

Sometimes, New York can seem a lot like Canada to Van Huffel. He shares an apartment north of Harlem with Ottawa saxophonist Mike Webster and another Canadian. His circle includes singer Yoon Choi from Toronto, drummer Greg Ritchie from Montreal and bassist Fraser Hollins and trombonist Mike Fahie from Ottawa. “There’s a large Canadian community, definitely,” he says.

But for now he would rather be an ex-pat than be repatriated, having applied for an artist’s visa that would allow him to add three more years to his U.S. stay. “Musically, things are going in the direction I want them to. Financially, things are starting to sort themselves out. I can’t really think of anywhere else I’d want to be right now.

Toronto Star - April 7th, 2005 (by Geoff Chapmann)

Two splendid alto sax players, one in his late 70s, the other just getting established in his career, are in action over the next week. Both are well worth hearing.

The veteran is Lee Konitz, the American who rose to prominence at the same time as legend Charlie Parker, but didn't sound like him at all. He's at Glenn Gould Studio tonight with Toronto stars Steve Wallace on bass and Terry Clarke on drums.

The relative newcomer is Canadian Peter Van Huffel, who's doing very nicely in New York. He's bringing his New York band to The Rex on Wednesday.

The dry-toned Konitz, a rare visitor to this city although he worked one recent Downtown Jazz Festival, started winning attention in the 1940s playing with Claude Thornhill's orchestra and then recording with innovative pianist Lennie Tristano and the groundbreaking Miles Davis nonet on Birth Of The Cool. His albums with tenor Warne Marsh became collectors' items, he worked with Stan Kenton and for the past four decades he's primarily been a leader, known for his complex, introverted free jazz and cool bop. His discography is enormous, and you'll hear that his inventive power and restless imagination are in no way diminished.

Van Huffel, originally from Kingston, studied in Ottawa and Montreal before coming to Toronto in 1997 for the Humber College jazz program, from which he graduated in jazz performance. For the past 2 1/2 years he's been in New York, where he's a bandleader with a growing reputation. His Toronto band — with tenor Chuck McLelland, keyboardist Greg de Denus, bass Brandi Disterheft and drummer Joe Sorbara — made its debut indie recording, Mind Over Matter, with eight Van Huffel originals mainly on the "out" side, and is well worth obtaining. Particularly stirring tunes are "Free Spirit," "Dialing In" and "Hexed" and there'll be CDs for sale at his gigs.

It's Van Huffel's New York band that will play at The Rex on Wednesday during its first Canadian tour and, later next week, at Array Music Studio. This group comprises guitarist Scott DuBois, pianist Jesse Stacken, drummer Jeff Davis and another Canadian expat, Michael Bates, who leads the band Outside Sources, on bass.

Articles from: www.AllAboutJazz.com

June 11, 2007: To read the latest article on the PVH Quintet's Canadian release concerts, click here.

May 30, 2007: "The Peter Van Huffel Quintet just celebrated the release of their new disc ... at the 55 Bar in Greenwich Village..." Read the full article

May 24, 2007: "The Peter Van Huffel Quintet will be releasing their first CD for the renowned jazz label Fresh Sound New Talent this month..." Read the full article

March 3, 2005: "Peter's quintet features some of the most outstanding, original and innovative musicians in New York’s new talent pool..." Read the full article