Written by Edgar van Asselt has today released the video for ‘Captain Cartel’, the opening track of ‘The Gentle Insult’, his album with bassist Jeroen Vierdag and drummer Jorge Rossy. The single follows next week, and the full album arrives, in Dolby Atmos and all other immersive formats, on all streaming platforms this autumn. If you would rather have the record in your hands now, the LP and CD are already available on Bandcamp.
The Dutch pianist, composer and producer has chosen the first track on the album to introduce the project, which makes sense for a record built around nine brand new compositions. ‘The Gentle Insult’ draws on jazz, Latin, pop and classical music, and Van Asselt calls it “an outside-the-box, absurdist musical response in confusing times.” I like an artist who is prepared to put a phrase like that in his own press release. It tells you straight away that the humour on this album is intended, and that he expects the listener to be in on it.
That sense of play runs right through the tracklist. Van Asselt says the album is shaped by absurdism, surrealism and what he calls “rogue semantics”, and the titles show where his mind wanders. ‘I Love It When a Plan Comes Together’ borrows Hannibal Smith’s catchphrase from the 1980s television series The A-Team. The constant media presence of Bill Gates had him wondering what ‘Bill at the Gates’ would sound like. ‘Madness of the Clouds’ started with nothing more than a break from work, lying on his back and watching the sky. Elsewhere you’ll find ‘Resurrection at the Intersection’, ‘Smokes and Mirrors’ and ‘Incluition’, and ‘Kind Man (for Chick)’, which I take to be a dedication to Chick Corea, a pianist whose own mix of jazz, Latin and classical ideas sits close to what Van Asselt is doing here.
The choice of rhythm section tells you a lot about the ambition. Jorge Rossy needs little introduction to readers of this magazine. He was the drummer in Brad Mehldau’s trio through the years that established that group, and his resume also includes Paquito D’Rivera and Kurt Rosenwinkel. He is also a fine multi-instrumentalist and on ‘The Gentle Insult’ he plays vibes as well as drums, which adds another colour to a record already reaching beyond the standard trio palette.
Jeroen Vierdag brings a different kind of experience. He is one of the more versatile bassists in the Netherlands, having worked with pop artists such as Caro Emerald and Ilse DeLange as well as with jazz musicians including guitarist Anton Goudsmit. That background suits an album that sets out to fuse jazz and pop. Van Asselt’s compositions give the players a clear blueprint but leave plenty of room for spontaneous contributions, and by Van Asselt’s account the fun the three of them had in the studio is audible from the first bars.
For those who don’t yet know Van Asselt’s work, his route into music was not the usual one. Born in 1970, he first completed a degree in applied economics before turning to music full time and studying jazz piano at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Frans Elsen and Rob van Kreeveld. Further study in New York with Fred Hersch and Kenny Werner followed. Over the years he has worked with American tenor saxophonist David Schnitter, with whom he led a quartet that played North Sea Jazz, as well as Cuban trumpeter Jorge Vistel, Brazilian drummer Robertinho Silva and vocalist Lucy Woodward. Trombonist Bart van Lier, saxophonist Rik van den Bergh and the late trumpet and flugelhorn master Ack van Rooyen are also on that list. The Latin and Brazilian connections in particular go a long way to explaining why Latin music is part of the mix on this new album.
What I find appealing about this project is where the humour sits. The jokes are in the titles and the concept, and the playing is left to a rhythm section with serious credentials. Rossy and Vierdag are not players who turn up for a novelty record, and Van Asselt has put real thought into how the added orchestral sounds sit against a trio playing live in the room. Titles taken from The A-Team and Bill Gates might raise a smile, and the credits on the album give you every reason to listen closely.
The video for ‘Captain Cartel’ is out today, with the single following next week. ‘The Gentle Insult’ will be released on all streaming platforms this autumn in Dolby Atmos and all other immersive formats. The LP and CD can be ordered now from Edgar van Asselt’s Bandcamp page at edgarvanasselt.bandcamp.com.
Last modified: September 25, 2026
