Sean Trane Cassol’s first solo album (not demeaning Defoort’s contribution) is very much an expanded Aka Moon in disguise; since both Hatzi and Galland are all over the album as well. As you’ll have guessed, this album studies Trane’s ALS masterpiece, but don’t expect a straight-out cover or reprise of the original oeuvre. Indeed, as you’ll discover the album, you’ll find that the original pursuance (n pun intended) of Trane’s composition is not really respected, and neither is the chronology. Outside the Aka trio, you’ll find the usual Belgian scene suspects, like Blondiau, Van Herzeele, Kuyken, just to name the better-known ones. Released on the small Bruges label De Werf, the album got support of the whole jazz community in the country, and the results can not disappoint.

Cut down in three parts, the first part breaks down the piece in different four different moods, sometimes almost as a trio, sometimes giving it the big band treatment. The less-initiated (such as me) will sometimes have to play close attention to find the chords and the famous bass riff. As for the second part (in three moods this time) is more reflective, less direct, even going slightly classical at times. The third part (also in three “moods” is a slow big band treatment, almost Gil Evans-like. My main gripe vabout this album is that defoort doesn’t dive in McCoy Tyner’s piano parts. I was expecting a lot of that before hearing the album, and I was somewhat disappointed. In conclusion, if you’re a Trane fan, or just an ALS lover, the present album is pure bliss, because few musicians have dared deconstructing the master’s masterpiece