Julia Hülsmann Trio & Roger Cicero - Good Morning Midnight: past is present Edition

past is present is ACT’s curated deep dive into the label’s rich catalogue, bringing outstanding recordings back into focus on premium vinyl. These are albums whose relevance has not faded; they continue to speak with clarity and emotional force today.
Carefully selected as part of ACT’s musical heritage, each title is either presented for the first time on vinyl or as a newly remastered edition, ensuring the highest possible fidelity while honouring the original artistic vision.

Every release in the series is conceived as a hand-numbered collector’s edition, designed for listeners who value both sound and object. Original cover artworks are preserved and elevated through refined production: bespoke belly bands, newly commissioned essays, custom centre labels and individually designed inner sleeves - all contributing to a cohesive series identity and a premium vinyl experience.

‘Good Morning Midnight’ by Julia Hülsmann Trio and Roger Cicero captures a rare and poignant intersection of voices - marking both an ending and a beginning. For Julia Hülsmann, it completes her celebrated trilogy exploring the interplay between jazz and poetry. For Roger Cicero, it represents an early and striking step into the spotlight, revealing a side of his artistry far removed from the mainstream success that would soon follow.

At the heart of the album are the words of Emily Dickinson, whose introspective, timeless poetry finds a new resonance within Hülsmann’s subtle and deeply atmospheric compositions. Bridging centuries and sensibilities, music moves effortlessly between intimacy and openness, light and shadow. Cicero’s vocal performance brings these contrasts vividly to life, balancing curiosity, vulnerability and quiet intensity with remarkable sensitivity.

Supported by Hülsmann’s trio and enriched by delicate arrangements, ‘Good Morning Midnight’ unfolds as a nuanced dialogue between literature and sound. It is an album of reflection and discovery, where jazz becomes a language capable of connecting distant worlds and revealing new emotional depths.

A defining recording - now rediscovered as part of past is present.

Tracklist:

I Cannot See
Will There Really Be A Morning
Good Morning Midnight
My River
When Plato Was A Certainty
Light
One Sister
Tell Her
Riverman
Under The Light
I Don't Know His Name