Some jazz artists, regrettably, will go their entire lives without providing any live albums, but
Eric Vloeimans' admirers can be grateful that he isn't one of them. On December 2, 2006, the Dutch trumpeter gave a two-hour concert at the Lanteren/Venster Theater in Rotterdam, Holland; the performances recorded at that concert resulted in the albums
Gatecrashin' (which Challenge released in 2007) and
Hyper (which Challenge released in 2008). Some of
Vloeimans' admirers might question the wisdom of releasing his Rotterdam performances on two different albums and argue that it would have been more convenient for fans if Challenge had simply put out a two-CD set. Regardless,
Hyper paints an attractive picture of
Vloeimans' December 2, 2006, gig. At the Lanteren/Venster,
Vloeimans leads an electric quartet that also includes
Jeroen van Vliet (keyboards), Gulli Gudmundsson (electric bass), and Jasper van Hulten (drums); it's a cohesive group, and a group that shares
Vloeimans' affection for fusion-era
Miles Davis (as in
Get Up with It,
Big Fun,
A Tribute to Jack Johnson, and
Bitches Brew). Not only has the late
Davis influenced
Vloeimans' trumpet playing -- he has influenced his composing as well. "Prince of Darkness" and "Magnolia," both
Vloeimans originals, clearly recall a time when
Davis' jazz was being greatly affected by rock and funk and he could have cared less whether or not jazz purists and bop snobs understood fusion.
Vloeimans isn't the most original trumpeter in the world, but he is enjoyably good at what he does -- and there is a lot to enjoy on these appealing, if derivative, performances. ~ Alex Henderson