Seldom has a trio been heard to play in such a relaxed and carefree manner as tré from Zurich. Jazzzeit
"tré are in mischievous mood when they play fast and loose with some very varying styles of music in clever arrangements and excursions beyond conventional bounds. Sometimes there is a no-holds-barred raucous approach, then a return to a more reserved sensitivity; high brow and low brow are mixed together with an easy sense of nonchalance."
Tom Gsteiger, Der Bund, March 08
Tré: Musical theatricals
"No-one could be lulled into thinking this was mere pond life. The music has too much momentum for that. And anyway, tré already got off to a flying start with their debut CD 'fundamental music' (…)
Funky sounds, free-jazz passages, mournful cantilenas, solo saxophone excursions, flirty folk-type themes, it's all on this disc. Forty minutes of musical slapstick: jazz as a sort of aural theatrical art." Tages-Anzeiger, Christoph Merki, March 08
Maximum effect
"They have achieved what all jazz musicians dream of: Christian Niederer on drums, Thomas Lüthi on sax and trombonist Bernhard Bamert are making their mark as the trio 'tré' with their inimitable, original sound. This is due principally to their astute approach to their moderate tonal resources rather than the limitations of the three-instrument formation. These three musketeers have the best compositional and arranging skills for transforming stylistic and rhythmic ideas into succinct melodies, riffs and grooves. What is more, the music-making on their second album, entitled 'Karpfen in Wilhelmsdorf' (carp in Wilhelmsdorf), is so self-confident that they achieve a maximum of effect with minimum forces. Their pieces are reminiscent on the one hand of the vigour of a New Orleans wind band and on the other of the anarchic force of Balkan bands, while at the same time bearing the precision of a classical wind ensemble." NZZ, Ueli Bernays, March 08
Out of the ordinary entertainment for astute/discerning ears
"The recording (Karpfen in Wilhelmsdorf) evinces a vigorous, extravagant new interpretation of jazz which goes well beyond the 'promising young talent' stereotype. (…)
The performance is – with the exception of some image distortion – like an exciting detective series: one never knows what will happen next. Such unpredictability captures and holds the listener's imagination to the end. Anyone wanting to find more than the unilateral music world of the commercial radio stations should definitely have a listen to this rare item." Hungarian web magazine, April 08, www.gondola.hu
"... and one wants to hear more of this unusual music afterwards. By the end of the disc, you have experienced a great deal, listened to dashing melodies, been surprised by breaks, visited the circus and ridden on a children's merry-go-round, stopped to hear a Mardi Gras band, danced a turbo-Ländler, taken a sleigh ride in the Alps, and attended funeral services in Upper Italy and New Orleans. These three musicians pick significant elements from various styles and traditions and create a world of lively entertainment from these fragments." Werner Siefele, Rondo 2/08
"My tip: listen to the new CD, then off to a concert and get to know these guys in person." JAZZ’N’MORE, Peewee Windmüller, 02/08
Like Bugs Bunny racing across the prairie
»Their music is enormous fun. (...) The spectacular hides the sophisticated, the rough-andready the refined, the acting-up the tonally subtle.« Christoph Merki, Tages-Anzeiger
After the revolution
"...their zealous take-up of inspiration from all styles of music emboldens their high-risk music-making (and they have mastered a steady high-wire act with no bass or 'ground' below). Their music also has a humorous side, not the thigh-slapping variety but the mischievous kind of Swiss humour. ..." Jazzthing, February/March 06
"...humorous, intelligent, edgy, gutsy, lithe, subversive, ironic and concentrated, maybe even seminal. This instrumental combination is a rare commodity, as is the unwieldy, whirling flow of their 17 musical miniatures which create the 'fundamental' effect by themselves without a bass foundation." Tobias Böcker, Jazzpodium Apr. 06
Democratic and easygoing
"...Trombonist Bernhard Bamert, saxophonist Thomas Lüthi and drummer Christian Niederer delivered much more than the sum of their parts: pure jazz - not overtaut yet edgy with laid-back improvisations and artfully spun. (...) This trio - gloriously disarrayed and yet with ever-present easygoing precision - is always on equal terms, democratic to the core. (...)" Anja Backhausen, Nürnberger Nachrichten, Apr. 22, 06
"Amazing the way these three musicians (saxophone, trombone and drums) zealously take inspiration from all styles of music. The result is high-risk music-making which is studded with astonishing onomatopoeic effects and is all the more fascinating for its diverse threads." Claudia Bader, Mittelbayrische Zeitung, June 2007
The "tré" musketeers
"...tré are pure fascination, at times loud and shrill, at others quietly insistent. ..."
Peewee Windmüller, JAZZ'N'MORE, Jan./Feb. 06
Fundamental
"...Trombone, saxophone and drums - no bass or harmony instruments - deliver everything that music means: clever compositions taken apart excitedly then reassembled. Improvisations which don't just come from nowhere but continue the musical narrative. Their arrangements leave nothing to be desired. We've heard Bamert, Lüthi and Niederer as sidemen on plenty of occasions - music from their own workshop is better than anything previously encountered." Beat Blaser, Aargauer Zeitung, Feb. 2, 2006
Creativity from the young squad
"(...) More strident sound colours were heard from the Swiss trio tré. (They) impressed with their independent compositions, a collage of diverse styles ranging from jazz rock and Latin to free jazz and free improvisation."
Stefan Rimek, Passauer Neue Presse, March 28, 2006
"The CD 'Fundamental Music' released by three Swiss musicians (trombone, saxophone and drums) packs a great punch. Music full of raw energy and sheer joyful playing. Fresh and unconventional. Elated and moving. (...)" http://abbasicher.beeplog.de/
"Tenor saxophonist Thomas Lüthi, trombonist Bernhard Bamert and drummer Christian Niederer combine slapstick humour, clever arrangements and a generous helping of ' power'. This is convincing 'across-the-board' music, sappy and brittle in equal measure; it really gets the neural synapses firing." Tom Gsteiger, Aargauer Zeitung, June 19, 2007
"...In their search for new forms of expression, this band belongs to the young generation of jazz musicians who are determined to rescue improvisation from its exalted, inward-looking pedestal. They are looking to place it in a new, overall musical context, namely by incorporating it into sound collages made up of individual crossover compositions. (...)" Neue Luzerner Zeitung, April 3, 2006
"...tré, a name to take note of. ..."
Rolf de Marchi, Basellandschaftliche Zeitung, Feb. 5, 2007
"There's no denying it: with Tré on the scene, things are going to be difficult for every other musician and all other bands. It's not just their novel combination of instruments: saxophone (Thomas Lüthi), trombone (Bernhard Bamert) and drums (Christian Niederer). Tré are also immensely creative and make technical perfection appear effortless. Most of their numbers are short and concentrated. Bubbling over with esprit, they are the very opposite of a shallow (mass) commodity."
Renato Bagattini, Zürcher Landzeitung, June 19, 2007
"Tré fully deserve this year's ZKB Jazz Prize. Although the two other bands also offered inspired jazz of the highest standard, Tré were always that bit bolder, more audacious and more creative - as their unusual instrumental combination suggests. JNM congratulates Thomas Lüthi, Bernhard Bamert and Christian Niederer on their success!"
Peewee Windmüller, Jazz'n'more, July/Aug. 2007
"...With tré, it's only a matter of time before they burst onto the international scene."
Der Zürcher Oberländer, Feb. 07
A big festival needs big names. So it's a pity that more big names from the young generation of jazz musicians have not been engaged this year (whether due to the organisers or to jazz itself), for they are exponents of fresh, musical concepts - bands like the Zurich trio Tré, for instance, who gave the festival a short, fanfare-like kick-start before the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band took the stage for the first main concert.
Ueli Bernays, NZZ, 7 November 2007 (about „jazznojazz“ 2007)
"...A carnival ambience, then bebop lines, free jazz elements in dialogue with popular, folksy melodies, classical music extracts, explosive energy suddenly turning subtle, gentle, caressing. A captivating, supercharged universe not to be missed! (...) A terrific programme - just as we anticipated! Feuille d'avis du district de Courtelary, Jan. 12, 2007
"...tré, the Zurich trio, revisit carnival music with amazing energy and tremendous economy of means. ..." Jean-Blaise Besençon, L'illustre, Jan. 17, 2007
"They [the trio tré] transform the music as one improvisation gives way to the next. They take their inspiration from colourful Mardi Gras processions but never lose sight of their ensemble sound and the coherence of their programme."
La Gazette de la région - Saignelégier et Saint-Imier, Jan. 18, 2007
Tré south of the Alps
"...the Zurich trio tré are inspired by colourful Mardi Gras processions."
Tribune de Genève, Jan. 20-21, 2007
"...Our invited artists have found success with their extremely original, vibrant approach." Le journal du Jura, Jan. 26, 2007
tré's captivating universe
"...They express themselves with passion, like hardened improvisers, without neglecting humour. (...) At times the energy is explosive, then it suddenly turns subtle, gentle, caressing. A captivating, supercharged universe."
Feuille d'avis du district de Courtelary, Jan. 26, 2007
"Tré have gone off the beaten track by choosing to do without harmony instruments. Trombone, sax and drums at the service of unbridled inspiration drawn from colourful Mardi Gras processions. As an appetiser, the trio Poursuite offer a melodic vision of contemporary jazz." Nouvelliste, Feb. 8, 2007
