Harald Walkate’s The New York Second Trio

Release: May 5, 2023

“Art is about creating a reality that manages to defy the laws of time”

Ever stop, hesitantly, and consider how time seems to speed up, the older we get? Pensive, brooding and thought-provoking, Dutch pianist Harald Walkate delves into this fascinating topic on his 4th studio album, After The Hours, The Minutes (May 15th).

Another carefully crafted and contemplative addition to add to his impressive discography, the pianist scales down the large-ensemble stylings of 2022’s Music at Night (And Other Stories) which featured award-winning trumpeter Teus Nobel, into a trio featuring drummer Max Sergeant and bassist Lorenzo Buffa. 

Journeying through 11 delicate compositions, Walkate explores how we experience the passage of time in the spirit that he is quickly becoming known for; with hints of darkness and woe, but elegant and packed with style. 

The accompanying liner notes shine a poetic light on Walkate’s thoughts and inspirations. In the beautifully pensive Professor Nelson Strikes Again, he reflects on the 1977 by economist Richard R. Nelson which poses the question “if we can land a man on the moon, why can’t we solve the problems of the ghetto?” A time capsule-like topic which is as relevant today as then. 

Title track After The Hours, The Minutes investigates why, and how, time goes faster as you get older. As our pasts increase in size, simultaneously, our futures shrink, whether we like it or not.

Walkate dives into the ever-changing lengths of our attention spans, celebrating the joy of anticipation in The Great Wait, and of wonder and imagination in What The Bagelman Saw, inspired by a misinterpretation of a New York Times article. Without our attention, nothing of significance exists. 

Finally, Allez les Blues (a French football chant) pays homage to Lorgues, the small sleepy village in Southern France where Walkate and his trio rehearsed, and where his family vacations to immerse themselves into the slow passing of time; a fitting end to a poetic journey through the many ways that mankind perceives the hours, and then, the minutes.

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