The Lars Pagelsen Trio is gonna make you lean in closer with this one. Formed in early 2025 after meeting at Dr. Hoch’s Conservatory in Frankfurt, pianist and composer Lars Pagelsen, bassist Alisa Pou Montz, and drummer Felix Lothwesen have shaped what they call “mindfuljazz”: not a genre, but a state of being. It focuses on tone, silence, space, and the thread of time that runs through a melody. Their debut album Inner Peace laid that groundwork beautifully, and “Don’t You Cry” continues that ethos with natural ease.
The track opens with glistening, tinkling piano notes, like light reflecting on still water. Pagelsen lets each note breathe, hang, and gently dissolve. The trio moves in with subtle grace, with bass warm and rounded, drums brushing in like a soft exhale. The percussion rustles underneath, never intrusive, just present, like footsteps on gravel.
Then, almost without you noticing, the piece begins to rise. The rhythm gathers shape, the groove settles in, and suddenly your foot is tapping. Lothwesen’s drums introduce a catchy pulse, splashing cymbals shimmering at the edges, while the bass locks into a supple, grounded line. On top of that, the piano keeps singing above it all, the melody so fluid and nuanced it feels as if it’s speaking directly to you—no lyrics needed.
And just when it seems it might soar into something grand, the trio pulls back. The energy softens, the tempo relaxes, and the piece resolves with reassurance. It’s a gentle descent, a musical embrace.
“Don’t You Cry” comforts. And in true mindfuljazz fashion, it leaves space, for reflection, for breath, for the belief that somehow, everything will be alright.
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Review by: Naomi Joan