The Deadeye trio was founded by three wellknown figures on the European jazz scene: guitarist Reinier Baas, keyboardist Kit Downes, and drummer Jonas Burgwinkel. Their third album enhances the colours of contemporary jazz with influences from jazz rock, blues, British folk, and 20th-century classical music.

The visionary members of Deadeye shed light on, and often even collide, their wildly diverse musical inspirations through the tried-and-tested Hammond trio lineup. Although they build on its traditions, they are also constantly transcending them: Downes often plays the Hammond like a church organ, Baas references the legacy of the guitar across genres, and Burgwinkel’s beats lean into the avant-garde and early drum and bass / Squarepusher era. The result is a wide-scope, elusive musical material that incorporates jazz rock and blues influences as well as reflections of British folk and 20th-century classical music. The ethereal textures, undulating yet danceable rhythms and angular melodies are complemented by a fondness for improvisation and the unexpected. According to the trio, one of the most important elements of their work is the hardfought musical compromises, which their third album, Deadeye in Orbit, presents not only in the members’ compositions, but also in two arrangements.

Reinier Baas is one of the most famous musicians of the Dutch middle generation, who has achieved great success as Ben van Gelder’s duo partner and as a member of Bughouse and Paradox Dreambox, among others. Kit Downes, a BBC Jazz Award-winning keyboardist who releases many of his albums on ECM Records, has traveled the world both with his own bands (Enemy, Troyka, Elt, Vyamanikal) and with musicians such as Norma Winstone or Django Bates. In recent years, he has strengthened his collaboration with BMC Records: he plays on the recently released first album and the upcoming second album of the Shadowlands trio, as well as on an album by Szelest, alongside Lucia Cadotsch and Ronny Graupe. Jonas Burgwinkel worked with such greats as John Scofield, Chris Potter, Uri Caine, and Dave Liebman; he is currently touring as a member of Besson / Sternal / Burgwinkel, the Pablo Held Trio, and Source Direct. He had also appeared in the BMC Records catalogue earlier, as drummer of the first part of Hans Lüdemann’s monumental five-disc release, Die Kunst des Trios.