Edgar van Asselt’s Gentle Insult is now fully Immersive.
We are pleased to announce a new phase for Edgar van Asselt’s album The Gentle Insult, as the project is now being released on Vinyl LP and CD and has been re‑mixed for immersive audio formats Dolby Atmos and Auro 3D. Originally issued in 2023 as a digital‑ and download‑focused release, the project is being re‑positioned to reach both physical‑media collectors and specialist venues and labels working with immersive sound.
Edgar van Asselt is a Dutch pianist, composer and producer whose work blurs the lines between jazz, Latin, soul and contemporary electronic music, always with a strong sense of narrative and colour. Born into a musical family, he began on accordion before quickly gravitating to the piano, drawn to blues‑inflected chords and the expressive language of jazz. His early fascination with artists like Bill Evans eventually led him to study at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where he immersed himself in the jazz tradition and the sharp, harmony‑driven environment shaped by figures such as Barry Harris.
As a bandleader, Edgar has explored a range of musical personalities—from the groove‑centred quintet Major League and the intense, hard‑swinging duo with saxophonist David Schnitter to the Afro‑Latin‑inflected collaboration with Cuban trumpeter Jorge Vistel—each project highlighting his ability to frame jazz in a contemporary, cross‑cultural context. It is this same openness and curiosity that underpins his latest album, The Gentle Insult: a set of nine original pieces where jazz vocabulary meets classical nuance, Latin rhythm and pop‑oriented hooks, all filtered through a touch of absurdism and the use of virtual instruments.
The Gentle Insult is the latest chapter in this journey: a set of nine original compositions that bring together jazz, classical, Latin and pop influences, coloured by a touch of absurdism and the use of virtual instruments. The album features a core trio of Edgar van Asselt (piano, keyboards), Jeroen Vierdag (bass) and Jorge Rossy (drums), whose playing combines tight ensemble work with a wide tonal palette and a strong sense of narrative. The music has been described as inventive and high‑energy, placing the project firmly in the world of contemporary European jazz.
The new vinyl and CD editions expand the album’s reach beyond streaming‑only presentation, offering a more tactile and curated listening experience. At the same time, the re‑mixing for Dolby Atmos and Auro 3D unlocks the spatial possibilities of the music, allowing listeners to step inside the intricate layers of sound rather than simply hearing it from the outside.
The Gentle Insult will be available on Vinyl LP, CD and digital platforms, with the immersive‑audio versions available on all platforms supporting Dolby Atmos and Auro 3D formats. For press materials, streaming‑link coordination or information about the physical and immersive‑audio releases, contact Jan Fritz at Jazzmedia and More.