tern.vzw@pandora.be
Tern is the label created by guitarist-composer Gilbert Isbin to produce his own music.
See Gilbert's photos in the art gallery 		Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm).

  • PURE LP, TERN OO1 (B), '84
    Open Mind
    		• "Pure is highlighted by Isbin's delicate acoustic guitar picking. The music is a study in understatement, filled with strong melodies and crisp instrumental interplay."
    EUROCK, N°29, 1986, USA (Archie Patterson)
    "Those who enjoy music where mood and improvisatory interaction are paramount will found this LP rewarding..."
    SOUND CHOICE, No.7, 1987, USA (Bart Grooms)
    "... the high standard of composition and guitar playing are most impressive."
    INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FEDERATION (Charles Alexander, president of IJF)
  • MOTION CD, TERN OO2, (B), '94 (with EXTENSIONS)
    Message 1
    		• "Crystalline and thrilling impressions. Profoundly interesting music."
    JAZZ LIFE, 1994, JAPAN
    "One of the most Belgian adventurous productions since a long time."
    JAZZ IN TIME 1994, Belgium, J.P. Schroeder
    "An original form of expression and a remarkable lyrism."
    IMPROJAZZ ,1994, France
  • 1, 37 CD, TERN OO3, (B), '95 (with EXTENSIONS)
    Walking On Stones
    		• "Isbin is a remarkable performer. For the guitar enthusiast and everyone interested in where creative improvised music intersects with artsy high energy-rock elements this album is a must."
    CADENCE, 1995, USA
    "Extensions is a very good chamber rock music group, presenting immense qualities : composition, inspiration, interpretation."
    REVUE & CORRIGEE, N°25, 1995, France
    ACOUSTIC DIALOGUES CD, TERN OO4, (B) '95 (with RUDY DE SUTTER)
    Dialogue 1     		"Acoustic Dialogues is an excellent collection of adventurous acoustic guitar/acouctic piano duets."
    THE BILBOARD GUIDE TO PROGRESSIVE MUSIC, Bradley Smith, USA
    "Here's an album which evokes the essence of European improvised music for the next decade."
    JAZZ HOT, N° 529, 1996, France, Michel Maestracci
  • TWINS CD, Tern 005 ('99)
    Child
    Amphora

    A collaborative work with percussionist Geert Verbeke, the music is a mystical fusion of classical guitar, and prepared guitar soundscapes, complemented beautifully by a variety of exotic percussive textures and effects. The sound is simple, spatial and organic with emphasis shifting from a traditional guitar sound to experimental passages with ease.
    Highly recommended."

      EUROCK.COM , Aug.1999, USA (Archie Patterson)
    Twins is intricate, delicate, playful and dreamlike yet conveys a sense of elevation or higher being as if spirits took part in the process.
      ALL ABOUT JAZZ.COM, Oct. 1999, USA (Glenn Astarita)
    Listen to Gilbert Isbin’s brilliant guitarplaying on ‘Nazca’ or ‘Wide’ or the way on which Verbeke let sing his Himalyan bowls on ‘Secrets’ and realize that there are still people who don’t want to restrict themselves to imposed conventions which demand only few efforts of your earmusscles. D.F.
      STAGE N°51 , Aug 1999, Belgium (Dirk Freyne- translated)
    .... adventurous listeners who enjoy quiet, ominous music will find lots to love about "Twins".
      GUITAR.ABOUT. COM , Oct. 1999, USA (Dan Cross)
    The music senses impressionism, inspiration and improvisation ; both musicians are playing with great empathy and adeption..
      BEELD& GELUID OPINIE N°67 Oct .1999 (The Netherlands- translated)
    "It has been some time since I'd heard new material by Belgian guitarist Gilbert Isbin (remember the beautiful and pristine work PURE?). The good news is that TWINS is even better. A collaborative work with percussionist Geert Verbeke, the music is a mystical fusion of classical guitar, and prepared guitar soundscapes, complemented beautifully by a variety of exotic percussive textures and effects. The sound is simple, spatial and organic with emphasis shifting from a traditional guitar sound to experimental passages with ease. Highly recommended."
    EUROCK , Aug.1999 (ON-LINE MAGAZINE) USA (Archie Patterson)

    Isbin displays his melodic and somber side along with percussionist Geert Verbeke on Twins. Fans of guitarist Ralph Towner may also take a shining to this delightful recording featuring gorgeous sublime balladry and ethnocentric stylizations as in "Royal Tune" and "Amphora".
    Geert Verbeke’s utilization of Himalayan bowls and prepared piano coupled with Isbin’s artful acoustic guitar work emits mystical qualities purveyed by a sense of uneasiness. Fascinating tonal contrasts underscore many of these pieces as in the trance-like "Secrets". Isbin’s subtle phrasing and circular motion coupled with Verbeke’s enticing employment of gongs, bells and cymbals on "Open Day" present movement which is well-stated yet barely above a whisper.
    Twins is intricate, delicate, playful and dreamlike yet conveys a sense of elevation or higher being as if spirits took part in the process. * * * *

    Besides all of his technical acumen, Isbin displays diverse traits and characteristics, which embody or suggest a complex artist with boundless energy who displays a cultivated approach and aesthetic spirit. Isbin is reportedly working on a project consisting of jazz inspired renderings of Nick Drake’s music. Now this we would like to hear!
    ALL ABOUT JAZZ . COM (INTERNET MAGAZINE) Modern Jazz: Gilbert Isbin - Solo Works & Twins October 1999 By Glenn Astarita

    Twins Gilbert Isbin & Geert Verbeke (Tern Records)

      By Robert Spencer
    A most unusual and inviting disc: Gilbert Isbin plays guitar (classical and prepared), and Geert Verbeke plays a variety of percussion instruments. Together they make meditative, refreshing, and inviting music that often tends toward East Asian models both in sound quality and in sonic depth.

    There's a great variety to the sound. On "Secrets," for example, they seem to be able to achieve the shimmering sound of a synthesizer with acoustic effects alone: the beautiful natural resonance of bells, underlined by a string effect that's almost vocal. The opener, "Amphora," tends toward the world of the raga, while other tracks like "Saskia Maya" draw on the percussive sonorities of other, lesser known cultures. "Threat" plays off guitar scribbles that convey the sense of foreboding without ever breaking the musical texture. Nor is a grim visage required: the brief closing "Koko," for example, is wild and playful.

    This disc should not be missed by anyone who appreciates the sound of genuine and non-clichéd acoustic guitar, expertly supported by an imaginative percussionist.

    •     back to Jazz In Belgium main page