The title “Empty Empty” might delight English language enthusiasts due to the many possible interpretations. The Belgian trio Cinema Paradiso, here expanded into a quartet with the refined pianist Jozef Dumoulin, creates vast soundscapes filled with dense intensity. Kurt van Herck contributes soprano and tenor saxophone lines that oscillate widely, often taking ecstatic twists when exchanging with Willem Heylen’s mostly understated, occasionally more energetic electric guitar.
Eric Thielemans frequently underpins the music with powerful drum rolls, which structure the relaxed flow in a striking way, providing a beautiful contrast to his delicate accents on hi-hat and cymbals. In the dreamlike beauty of pieces shimmering with psychedelic Claude Debussy-like charm—such as The Girl with the Flaxen Hair—Jozef Dumoulin places fine piano motifs, or enriches the organic breathing of the ensemble with subtle sounds from his keyboards and Fender Rhodes.
One is captivated by the wealth of detail and the expressive colorfulness of the ensemble, which offers a fabulously original interpretation of contemporary electro-jazz.
— Sven Thielmann
