For Michiel Braam (piano), Wilbert de Joode (bass) and Michael Vatcher (drums) freedom and adventure are essential values. They all play an absolutely equal role in the music, which can go in any which way, depending on decisions made on the spot. The long musical friendship (since 1989) results in intuitive playing of the highest order.

Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher shines in short powerful pieces, honoring the jazz tradition by pushing it ahead with consummate, dazzling skill. The trio combines a playful incorporation and expansion of older forms with a great adventurousness.

The trio first got together in 1989, to play the music of Thelonious Monk. Not long after that, their repertoire consisted solely of Michiel Braam’s compositions.

Colors (CD BBB1) was inspired on the texts of American poet and radio voice Ken Nordine. For the program Change This Song (CD BBB8) he wrote 18 small compositions, which can be played in any given order, mood or style. All titles are anagrams of ‘change this song’, a reference to the trio’s playful approach to the music.

In 2009 they presented the ‘Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher Quartet’. For this project they invited a different guest musician for each performance: Fred Anderson, Paul Dunmall, Taylor Ho Bynum, Mats Gustafsson, Nils Wogram, to name a few.

The trio toured Europe, the US, Canada, Japan and Indonesia. Festivals include Yokohama (J); Rochester, Burlington, Chicago Umbrella Musicfest (US); Vancouver, Ottawa, Suoni per il Popolo Montreal (Canada); Bath International Music Festival (UK); Banlieues Bleues Paris, Le Mans (F); Wels (Aus); Tampere (Fin); Maijazz Stavanger, Nattjazz Bergen (N); North Sea Jazz Festival (NL)

Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher is one of Europe's strongest groups, due in no small part to Braam's excellent composing. (Andrey Henkin, All About Jazz)