Nadje Noordhuis - Full Circle

Nadje Noordhuis — Full Circle

180-gram black vinyl LP

Mixed by Marc Urselli at East Side Sound, New York, NY

Mastered by Josh Bonati 

Pressed at Gotta Groove Records

Gatefold jacket

Nadje Noordhuis's Full Circle features all original compositions and an incredible lineup of Fred Hersch on piano, Thomas Morgan on bass and Rudy Royston on drums. There's a very clear point of view in this music. A perspective hard-earned but not at all jaded. Suffused with the knowledge that things will be alright. If we bring beauty to the world, the world will come and greet it.

Noordhuis' sound on the trumpet and flugelhorn is pure, unique and unmistakable. And the band is irrepressible: a masterclass in tone, clarity and precision. These artists need little introduction, but it's a revelation to hear them in this context. Noordhuis wrote most of the music with this particular ensemble in mind and it shows. The generosity of spirit and the effortlessness in her playing and writing positively glows. During the session, Noordhuis sang a quick example to Fred that made it immediately clear that she has perfect pitch. Not just an uncanny ability to recognize and reproduce notes, but something even more exceptional.

On the second day of this session, we met to go over the mix. Nadje arrived saying there was something in one of her solos that she wanted to fix. Something that struck her when she was "listening back." We thought, "OK no problem," before remembering that she hadn't yet heard any of the rough mixes from the day before. She was "listening back" from memory, to an entire day's worth of improvisations. So yeah, she comes by that effortless sound honestly.

Musicians:
Nadje Noordhuis, flugelhorn, trumpet
Fred Hersch, piano
Thomas Morgan, bass
Rudy Royston, drums

Side A

1. Little Song

2. Hudson

3. Northern Star

4. Entwine

Side B

1. Full Circle

2. Ventura

3. Braidwood

4. Nebula

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