Press Quotes

On the cd "Dance, My Dear", by Michiel Scheen Quartet

Village Voice, 27 juni 2005
"Honorable mention: Odd twists and sharp angles, post-Monk, post-Mengelberg even."

Cadence, November 2004
"Jazz might be dying (in a protected death scene), but New Dutch Swing is alive and well, at least if this recent disc on Data is any indication ... Oddly swinging patterns lie at the crux of most of Scheen's compositions. Most are born out of stunted thematic seeds that bloom under the improvisatory irrigation of his esteemed cohorts ... Much of the madcap humor expectedly endemic to Dutch improv might be missing here, but the precision playing and emotional vibrancy that are also hallmarks of the idiom present themselves in abundance. Scheen draws on the tradition's strenghts while tempering his music with a degree of sincerity that is quite refreshing. Hearing Bennink do the same - and in doing so shrug another layer of his formulaic persona - is also a treat ... "

Wire - July 2004
"Pianist and composer Michiel Scheen, born 1963 in Amsterdam, has worked with Anthony Braxton, Guus Janssen, George Lewis and Roscoe Mitchell. That's he's still little-known is at odds with the quality of this disc from the small Dutch label, in which his highly original compositions are interpreted by a quartet with Ab Baars on tenor-sax and clarinet, Ernst Glerum on bass and Han Bennink on drums. The stuttering fanfare "Similarities" signals an original voice, but is no preparation for the extraordinary "God In Heaven (Stay!)" a kind of meditation on the repeated single-note like Thelonious Monk's "Thelonious", its fierce drive offering a European take on free jazz's pulse/no metre concept. In fact the parallels with Monk's role as composer for band are significant though a fine improvising pianist, Scheen dominates through his compositions, which the other players serve admirably. "This Time", an interrupted ballad, exploits silence in a way unfamiliar in jazz; "Idols" features Baars's cavernous tenor. In concept, almost everything on this totally outstanding release seems new."

NRC - August 2004
" Intelligent improvisations, that first 'wash out your ears' and then immerse you in beautiful detailed embroidery... the music may be well influenced by the work of Thelonious Monk, but Scheen does not imitate - he has got a highly authentic and obstinate vocabulary. After a time-out Scheen last year made a comeback with the also strong CD "Goodbye!" and now, with the help of Dutch top league musicians Baars, Glerum and Bennink, Scheen really transcends himself... "

website JazzWeekly
"... Ballads aren't really part of Scheen's game plan, or that of DANCE, MY DEAR which offers up supersonic power almost from its first notes...
... Scheen can improvise at warp speed if he's so inclined, but his chief joy is knitting together freely phrased pulses into a distinctive movement that melds earlier jazz harmonies and rhythms with a 21st Century conception...
... the key to the session come in the title tune and the two that bookend it. Reminiscent of the sort of slurred, boozy ballad as you could have heard at Minton's in 1943 when Thelonious Monk was woodshedding his distinctive style, "Idols" - a implicative title - finds the pianist adopting the key clips and pressured touch of Monk and another 100% original Herbie Nichols...
... Scheen prefers a herky-jerky beat fill with broken chords ...
... "Dance, my dear?" whose title in this context sounds not so much as an invitation as a challenge...

Jazz - June 2004
...throughout the album, the intensity is build up beautifully...every piece is an adventure on its own."

Dagblad van het Noorden
"... thoughtful, conceptual, with a lot of freedom...spontaneous jumble is alternated with open structures and intense silences ...a strong 'comeback'."

Weblog Draai Om Je Oren
"'This Time It Will Last Forever'. A strong melody with a dramatic sustain on one chord - a perfect example of how silence can be felt...the balance in the group is excellent and on the album, the producer has captured and profiled the instruments real beautiful ."


On his ensembles:

"Michiel Scheen dismisses the limits of improvisation" (Trouw)

"A musician with authentic ideas, of which we never can have enough" (Leidse Courant)

".. the ensemble Filiaal that opened with 'Buts', a beautiful composition from leader/pianist Michiel Scheen" (NRC)

"..the pieces of TRIKLINION blend darting spontaneity; the raw energy of electric, amplified instruments; and a refined structural sense. The music veers from brash abandon to meticulously constructed interplay balanced with a keen sense of humor... Scheen has superb technique and an astute ear for collective group interaction." (Cadence)


On his solo-work:

"The nine compositions manoeuvre between Monk-ish bravoure and pointed lyricism, but the balance is perfect. Scheen is a master in creating space; he not only knows when to play which note, but also knows when to release it, and even when to skip it" (NRC)

"The balance between composition en improvisation and the diversity in composition-models is very well done. Scheen works with coincidence. How capricious his thoughts and music might be, it always got a certain logic and transparency. Scheen is a versatile musician with a strong identity" (JazzNU)

"Most of the pieces are witty little musical puzzles but the erudition is not overbearing." (The Wire)

"With Scheen, hidden irony and alienating distance generate subcutaneous dimensions. His versatility is marvelous" (Trouw)

"Sonorous, fresh, masterful pianoplaying" (Jazz Freak)

"In stead of etheric sketches, Scheen links his free associations to recognizable, measured musical elements, executed in a virtuoso manner" (de Volkskrant)

"Scheens lovely obstinate interpretations of Monk-classics can be heard tonight on Radio 4. To appreciate them, the listener should release his conception of the original versions. If he can do that, there is much to enjoy. And to laugh! ... His interpretations sound surprisingly contemporary: maybe Monk nowadays would have played them like this. An integer, humorous and imprudent cross-over of jazz and contemporary dance-music." (VPRO-magazine)

"99% of Dutch releases can't compete with this CD ... When you stop dancing and start to listen close, you hear how extremely funny and smart it is made ... a strange melancholic optimism that hiphop sometimes has - it's like furious joy." (Rebound)


On Duo's:

weblog www.draaiomjeoren.com
"This obstinate pianist is a barrel full of ideas. He suddenly surprises you with a solo only on the highest regions of the piano. His work is solid, dynamic and technically polished. Taylor-like fireworks are easily alternated with Ellingtonesk poetic scetches ... His composition "This time it will last forever" is a delicate 'lovesong', with long silences, which create enormous tension that truly enhance the meaning of the title ... Tobias Delius and Michiel Scheen are excellent and unique jazzpersonalities, who's adventures are really worth listening to."

"The duo of Michiel Scheen and Gerry Hemmingway (percussion) was truly exciting. It was breathtaking music and respectful cooperation by gentlemen" (Parool)


On his work as a sideman:
"Michiel Scheen made an impression with a composition called 'Andermaal'. The in essence simple work contained thrilling rags of melody in a strange, continually changing landscape. He also played a stunning and moving solo." (Trouw)

" ... Then everybody seems lost, until Michiel Scheen thinks: "all is well, that ends well" and, with a strong argument, finishes the piece only on the right side of the keyboard" (NRC)

" ... the crazy improvised part of Michiel Scheen ..." (Haarlems Dagblad)