Pianist
Julia Hülsmann's 2013 album,
In Full View, is her third for
ECM and her first with her quartet. The German-born
Hülsmann usually works in a trio setting, but with
In Full View she has expanded her sound, collaborating with British trumpeter
Tom Arthurs. These are ruminative, long-form pieces that bring to mind the sound of such similarly inclined artists as pianist
Keith Jarrett and trumpeter
Kenny Wheeler.
Hülsmann has a languid, harmonically rich approach to playing the piano that is beautifully offset by
Arthurs' own investigative, somewhat plaintive improvisational style. Many of the tracks here, such as "Dunkel," "Richtung Osten," "Forgotten Poetry," and the quartet's fittingly brooding take on
Leslie Feist's "The Water," mix classical and folk song-influenced melodies with expansive modal jazz forms that fit nicely into the
ECM jazz tradition. ~ Matt Collar