Florian Arbenz and his twin brother Michael are like hand and glove, appearing together on numerous records. A prime example is the recently released stunning trio recording with bass legend Ron Carter, The Alpine Session.   

Our parents were classical musicians,” says Arbenz. “My father played piano, my mother cello. But they had a very small but nice collection of jazz vinyl and me and Michael fell in love with this music from early childhood. It started with Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, Ella Fitzgerald, Art Tatum and went on to Bill Evans. So, it was very obvious that we played a lot of music together, also because of lack of other ‘jazz kids’ in the neigbourhood.”

Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Ira and Charlie Louvin. Thad, Elvin and Hank Jones. James and Bobby Purify. Art and Addison Farmer. Michael and The Jacksons. Chuck and Gap Mangione. Duane and Greg Allman. Michael and Randy Brecker. Stevie and Jimmy Vaughan. Beyonce and Solange Knowles. To name but a few. Brothers and sisters in music. It’s not unusual but special nonetheless. Especially when they are twins, like the Arbenz brothers from Switzerland, drummer Florian and pianist Michael. Forerunners of European progressive jazz, who have separate careers yet played on multiple records together, notably Vein’s Vein Plays Ravel and David Liebman’s Lemuria Live.

Florian’s ambitious, colossal Conversation 1-12 series of albums features Michael and a variety of talents and luminaries such as Greg Osby, Tineke Postma, Jim Hart and Kirk Lightsey. He’s also part of Convergence, which recently issued Moon, featuring Michael and regular collaborators Jorge and Michael Vistel (brothers!). Wide-ranging, contemporary fusion, by lack of a better word, underlined by Florian’s intricate rhythms and a balanced and varied sound of his drum kit that’s typically in sync with the overal atmosphere – Florian has a thorough knowledge of classical and Afro-Cuban percussion.

“Michael is my twin brother,” says Florian. “What can I say? We grew up together listening to the same crazy jazz music. We loved Miles Davis’s Live At The Plugged Nickel with Ron Carter on bass of course…  Me and Michael share so many personal and musical moments. Playing with him always feels very familiar and easy. The music of Moon was written by myself and the Vistel brothers and Michael mainly had to deal with the amazing accordion player João Barradas. I thought it was highly interesting to combine him in a rhythm section with Michael.”

As opposed to Moon, The Alpine Session is a piano trio format and a creative conversation between the perceptive Swiss jazzers and the highly imaginative, sprightly, 88-year-old bass maestro from Ferndale, Michigan. You feel witness of a special cutting-edge occasion, Carter being swept along in a maelstrom of moods, becoming one with the Arbenz brothers on the skeleton remains of It Don’t Mean A Thing, deconstructed and ingeniously brought to a climax. On Florian’s wicked avant groove Old Shaman and Michael’s pastoral Lullaby. Not to mention on Florian’s furious, modal-tinged Evolution. Serious heat.

(Check out Evolution here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QNqXttN0Gw&list=RD1QNqXttN0Gw&start_radio=1)

How does one go about setting up a one-off with a hero with a capital H on short notice? Florian: “Obviously, Ron’s understandable concern was that our music would be too complicated, with a lot of odd meters, so he wanted to see the music before the session. On the one hand, we wanted to invite him, musically, as a guest to play our own music, but on the other hand we wanted to take advantage of his history and his legendary playing. I think we managed quite well.”

Understatement. Florian: “It felt absolutely great! Very natural and inspiring. Ron was extremely easy-going, but his focus to create something valuable was also very strong. We played for four hours straight through and didn’t listen back even once to the music. It was just about the moment and creating good music. It was hugely inspiring to me that a musician that has played hundreds or even thousands of sessions with the greatest legends in his long life still takes every note he plays so serious.”