Thomas Clausen & Severi Pyysalo - Turn Out the Stars (Storyville, 1997)

Thomas Clausen, piano
Severi Pyysalo, vibes

Recorded June 17 & 18, 1997
Copenhagen
Engineer: Bjarne Hansen

In my previous post, I wrote about the historical importance of Gary Burton and Chick Corea's vibes-piano duet. Twenty-five years after their pioneering Crystal Silence LP (ECM, 1972), we find a Dane and a Finn performing in the same format. Coincidently, both Turn Out the Stars and Corea and Burton's Native Sense were recorded in the same month.

Thomas Clausen is a prolific Danish pianist whose first recordings were made in 1979 when he was 22 years old. Since his debut, Clausen has recorded in solo, trio, and quartet formats and compiled 154 performance credits according to Discogs. His solo Piano Music on the German M-A Music label drew the attention of the audiophile community. (See the link below for my review of Piano Music).

Clausen is well-versed in playing in groups with vibes. His brother, Bent Clausen, is a vibist, and he has recorded two albums with Gary Burton in a quartet format: Café Noir (Intermusic, 1991) and Flowers and Trees (M-A Music, 1992). Clausen composed 19 of the 21 tracks on those two albums.

Clausen's duet partner on Turn Out the Stars is Severi Pyysalo, a brilliant Finnish vibist with 91 performance credits to his name, according to Discogs. He died on April 13, 2026, while I was preparing this post. He was 58 years old, and the cause of death was described as a "long illness." I have not heard any of his 11 other albums, although several are available on streaming services.

Turn Out the Stars is one of the more captivating vibes-piano duets I know of. It appears to be a Bill Evans dedication, although not designated as such. Clausen's style acknowledges Evans' influence, and "Turn Out the Stars," chosen as the album's title, is also a Bill Evans composition. Clausen's earlier album The Shadow of Bill Evans (Baystate, 1983) is a more obvious tribute. 

The program includes two original compositions by each player, and an assortment of standards and jazz classics. "Everything I Love" and "All the Things You Are" are the most conventional standards. "Someday My Prince Will Come" is imbued with mystery and tension, using melodic variations that seem to question whether the prince will actually show up or not. "Willow Weep for Me" is a 10-minute conversation between Clausen and Pyysalo that strays far away from the familiar melody. There are few dramatic moments, but the convo is nonetheless intriguing. "Turn Out the Stars" can't help but be the loveliest tune on the album.

Throughout, Clausen and Pyysalo put their own stamp on the vibes-piano duet format. Only on the final cut, Clausen's "Toy Joy," do they sound like Corea and Burton, so much so that I suspect they wanted to make it a tribute to their elders. It's a wonderful, upbeat ending to an album with many highlights.

The CD booklet is a fold-out design, in this case a 14" x 14" spread. On one side is a wonderful portrait of the artists in what might have been a large LP cover photo. I include a photo taken with my phone. There are no scans available, so just this one time I've compromised my high standards for images.

For my review of Clausen's Piano Music, go to:

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