"Close Your Eyes" – the title that trumpeter Bill Petry gave to his debut album – can be read as an instruction manual: Listen to this music as an invitation to pause, to slow down, to find self-assurance in times of uncertainty, crises, and hectic everyday life. Not to close your eyes and go through it, but rather to close your eyes and allow yourself to be immersed in the peace that is inherent in this music. Familiar, heartfelt stories are told, stories that are conveyed through the language of music, songs that, in this case, do without words. Restrained, trusting in the beauty of the music, harmonically yet refined and melodically touching, Petry plays to his particular strength: a distinctive tone, rich in nuances, colors, and emotions.
With Close Your Eyes, Bill Petry has created a mature and deeply personal album. He is a musician who no longer needs to find himself; he has already found his voice. Stylistically, Petry refuses to be pigeonholed within a jazz genre. He has worked as a soloist alongside jazz greats such as Billy Hart, Riccardo Del Fra, and Till Brönner, and has also repeatedly collaborated across genres with internationally acclaimed musicians such as Lisa Batiashvili and Daniel Hope. Till Brönner, who produced the debut album, says of his fellow trumpet player that he only needs to hear two notes to know: That's Bill Petry playing! Two kindred spirits have joined forces for this project: Petry, like Brönner, plays the trumpet in a manner that is as close as possible to the human voice.
Brönner has long since made a name for himself as a producer – initially with the large-scale project 17 Millimeter by the late Hildegard Knef (1999), followed by work for artists as diverse as Manfred Krug, Thomas Quasthoff, and No Angels. With Close Your Eyes, Brönner has now produced an album for another trumpeter for the first time.
"This album simply needed to be recorded! I feel every note in it, and I am proud having been a part of Bill Petry's debut. You will hear and read a lot about him in the future. Trust me." Till Brönner
A
01 All The Way
02 You Can Close Your Eyes
03 Losing You
04 The Sound of Silence
05 These Foolish Things
06 Yeh, Yeh
B
07 Walk On By
08 Too Late Now
09 Mr. Blue
10 You Don't Know Me
11 Every Time We Say Goodbye
12 You Are So Beautiful
