Ronald Langestraat – Searching

After making a name for himself in the late 70’s Amsterdam jazz scene playing with Cascada and Ritmo Natural, keyboardist Ronald Langstraat began seeking his own musical curiosities and inspirations. Langstraat crowded his living room with electric and acoustic pianos, a Moog synthesizer, organs, drums, clarinets, saxophones, and started to record his dreamy compositions on a 4 track tape recorder. When he shared his work with his bandmates, they ridiculed him to the point where he wrote the song “You Need to Cry”, while wallowing in his loneliness. The music was left unreleased until just a few years ago in 2019, when Lagstraat was 79. Searching is filled with favorites but a few must-mentions include A2 In the Middle of the Night, an upbeat tune with brilliant piano and synth melodies that layer to create a stunning sonic landscape, and B1 I’m Ready For Dancing, which features a four-to-the-floor dance beat and perfectly captures the mood of the quote provided by label South of North: “I first met Ronald when he was dancing, on his own, on an empty dance floor, playing air percussion…”

– Tana Yonas

Recommended – Full Listen