Tom Bourgeois ＆ Kuo Chun-Yu / 5 Flamingos

郭俊育與湯姆•布爾喬斯（Tom Bourgeois）於2013年在布魯塞爾的KCB（布魯塞爾皇家音樂學院）初次相識。兩人在2015年畢業，當時湯姆聽到郭俊育的畢業音樂會，立刻被他的鋼琴技巧所折服。隨著時間的推移，湯姆多次來台灣演出，特別是與樂團「Vestige」的合作。

2022年，湯姆結束一次巡演後，邀請郭俊育共同舉辦一場三重奏音樂會。兩人的音樂默契自然流露，合作毫無阻礙。湯姆•布爾喬斯的音樂風格與郭俊育的鋼琴世界完美融合，既有古典音樂的深度，又帶有爵士的即興元素。

到了2024年1月，兩人決定舉辦幾場音樂會，並同時錄製一張專輯。他們得以在西螺的Shine-Art基金會進行創作，該基金會專注於藝術推廣，並提供場地進行錄音。

郭俊育與湯姆共同合作了錄音工程師蔡周翰，混音由湯姆•布爾喬斯親自操刀，母帶則由Gert Van Hoof完成。專輯封面設計由蔡茲珽繪製，而圖像創作則出自塞巴斯蒂安•蓋羅（Sébastien Gairaud）之手。

這張專輯的主要內容由湯姆•布爾喬斯的作品構成，音樂風格既內斂又富有情感，充滿視覺性，有時融合了古典音樂的韻味，有時則是自由的即興演奏。兩人的合作靈感來自「歐洲」及「北歐爵士」，並受到極簡主義當代音樂家如Arvo Pärt和Philip Glass的影響。

專輯中的「Jeff」系列曲目是一些簡短的作品，透過重複與和聲的微小變化呈現。音樂家在演奏這些作品時擁有很大的自由度。作品《Le Cri》靈感來自愛德華•蒙克的名畫《吶喊》，《La voisine du 2nd pallier》則源自湯姆的童年好友，而《Abstract#2》則受到J.S.巴赫的啟發。

專輯《5 Flamingos》是對湯姆多次留宿於台灣三芝「Flamingo」駐村地的致敬。這個獨特的地方擁有獨特的氛圍，激發了湯姆的創作靈感，因此自然成為專輯的名稱。

Duo Koko & Tom - album "5 Flamingos" 2024
 
Kuo Chun-Yu and Tom Bourgeois met for the first time in 2013, in Brussels, at the KCB (Royal Conservatory of Brussels). They graduated in 2015, and when Tom heard Kuo Chun-Yu's final concert, he was impressed right away by his skills as a pianist.
Time passes and Tom regularly comes to play in Taiwan, notably with the group “Vestige”.
In 2022, following a tour, he asked Kuo Chun-Yu to do a trio concert.
Their connection and musical understanding was immediate, spontaneous and very natural.
The compositions and style of Tom Bourgeois match perfectly the pianistic universe of Kuo Chun-Yu, tinged with classical music and jazz.
In January 2024, they decided to play a few concerts and to record an album as well at the same time.
They had the possibility to work at Shine-Art Foundation in Xiluo, a foundation dedicated to the arts and they could also the recording on site.
Kuo and Tom worked with the sound engineer Chou Han Tsay, the mix was produced by Tom Bourgeois, the mastering was done by Gert Van Hoof.
The cover was designed by Tzuting Ysai and the graphics created by Sébastien Gairaud.
 
The album is essentially made up of compositions by Tom Bourgeois.
The musical universe is intimate, emotional, visual, sometimes with a "classical" touch, sometimes with free improvisations.
Their duo is inspired by "European" and/or “Nordic jazz”, with influences from minimalist contemporary music such as Arvo Pärt or Philip Glass.
 
The "Jeff" pieces are small compositions, combining repetition and small harmonic shifts. A lot of freedom is taken by the musicians when playing these tunes.
The song “Le Cri” is inspired by the famous painting by Edvard Munch, “La voisine du 2nd pallier” by a childhood friend and “Abstract#2” is inspired by J-S Bach.
The album "5 Flamingos" is dedicated to the "flamingo" residency in Sanzhi, where Tom has stayed several times during his trips to Taiwan. The place with its very particular atmosphere inspired the composition and therefore naturally imposed itself as the title of the album.