The recordings for HOME.S. were made only a few weeks before Esbj�rn Svensson's sudden death 2008. Svensson recorded the music in his Swedish home. For almost ten years afterwards, the album rested untouched in his wife Eva's personal archive. These new recordings are the only ones that show Svensson in a setting other than that of the trio: Intimate, concentrated and completely one with himself.

DUO

BUTTERFLY EFFECT

STEALING MOMENTS

Passacaglia is a multi-colored musical dialogue between two unique characters who are leading figures in European jazz and contemporary music, Adam Baldych and Leszek Mozdzer. The repertoire ranges from free improvisations over works co-written by the musicians themselves to their very personal interpretations of themes by Erik Satie, Josquin des Prez and others. - The album features a highly unusual combination of instruments: a Renaissance violin, two grand pianos - one tuned to 442 Hz and the other 432 Hz - and a prepared upright piano. This setup allows an infinitely varied palette of musical expression, which defies styles, genres and even tonal and harmonic convention. - The world that Baldych and Mozdzer create is one of well-balanced beauty, expressed in the noble form of chamber music, but it is also one of turbulent and intensely emotional improvisation. Like all great art, it draws you in and leaves you intrigued at the same time - and also makes you want to come back and explore it all over again.

Vinyl LP pressing. With it's warmth, power and clarity, the music has the distinctive hallmark which makes Haffner probably the most popular drummer/bandleader in Europe, known from his albums and from thousands of concerts in more than 100 countries. And at the same time it marks an evolution in his music. Indeed, perhaps one of the key factors behind Haffner's success is that his music will always contain elements of the familiar alongside the new, and that Haffner always brings the audience along with him to participate in the flow of his ideas - and also in the 'life rhythm' which he communicates so brilliantly, and instills in everyone around him. A versatile approach and the highest level of musicianship are also factors which Wolfgang Haffner has in common with his fellow musicians on 'Life Rhythm'. At the core is his regular, completely 'played-in' trio with keyboard player Simon Oslender, also a drummer and a band leader in his own right, and Thomas Stieger, one of the most sought-after bassists on the German pop and jazz scenes. They are joined by trumpeter Sebastian Studnitzky, Haffner's regular collaborator since his ACT debut 'Shapes', and Finnish guitarist Arto Mik�l�, a real discovery with remarkable variety in his sound. Haffner also welcomes some unique musical personalities to bring their own highly individual colours to the band: Nils Landgren has been a good friend and touring colleague for more than 20 years. Also appearing are saxophone icon Bill Evans, Sting's guitarist Dominic Miller, Balkan beat star Shantel, the refined bassist Nicolas Fiszman, oud virtuoso Thomas Konstantinou and Bruno M�ller, one of the finest of German jazz guitarists.

PASSACAGLIA

RAW

TRIO - DELUXE EDITION

CIRCADIA

HOME.S.

Around forty artists from the ACT Family make this anniversary album a celebration of the breadth, openness and inclusive power of jazz. The core of the album consists of recordings made at a summer 2022 studio session lasting several days. In reality, it is only Nils Landgren and Siggi Loch who could have brought this panorama of musical Europe into being. The influences here range from jazz, popular song and folk to classical and contemporary music, and much more. Thirty tracks from three generations of musicians marking thirty years of ACT, with Nils Landgren as driving force. Not just a retrospective, but above all an insight into the present and future of the discovery label "in the Spirit of Jazz".

For Pianist Michael Wollny, songs are like ghosts. His new album "Ghosts" is a gathering of some of the ghosts that regularly haunt him. Typically for Wollny, they range from classics like Franz Schubert's "Erlk�nig" to jazz standards, film music, songs with a certain fragility by Nick Cave, say, or the band Timber Timbre, and also include his own darkly evocative original compositions.

Catching Ghosts by revered, iconoclastic 81-year-old reedist Peter Br�tzmann with Moroccan Gnaoua adept Majid Bekkas playing two-stringed, camelskin-backed guembre and Chicago-bred drummer Hamid Drake, proves that "free" spontaneous interactions deriving power from age-old traditions can transcend cultural lines. Improvising on incantations from Gnaoua liturgy, Br�tzmann's horn cries as summons and statement; Drake's drums awaken inner impulses; Bekkas' strings, plucked and strummed, tie it all together, and his voice brings the song home. But this is no lucky success: The music is vital due to it's players' career-long practice, their knowledge of heritage, and belief the past must always be reinterpreted, renewed. American jazz giants have jammed with Gnaouans, but for Br�tzmann, Europe's exemplar of unfettered blowing, to grapple with such material is to hear a new synthesis. "My approach is get in and disturb these themes, so other things happen," he explains. "I'm not thinking about scales or harmonies. I follow Bekkas, and when he changes, I do something against it to make the music interesting to me. The dialectic is a good way to make something new, out of tension. I need that in any sort of playing." Bekkas aligns himself with Br�tzmann, championing the revival of Gnaouan culture, which originates in the uneasy history of freed Black slaves integrating with Moroccan Islamic society. The music relates to American blues, as Bekkas knows. Drake orchestrates the open format, making drama from grooves so each track of "Catching Ghosts" tells it's own story, signifying meaning though it be pre-linguistic. That suits Br�tzmann's adjustment of his signature style. "I don't have to play all high energy anymore," says the German who shook up the jazz world in 1968 with his album "Machine Gun". "Now I'm more interest in dynamics and sound." Those tangible qualities universalize the challenge of "Catching Ghosts

BEWEGTES FELD

CATHEDRAL

DO YOU HEAR ME

MAHLER'S BREAKDOWN

Al Jarreau & NDR Bigband - Ellington (Black Double Vinyl) Recorded at Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on 26 November 2016 and at the Opera Garnier in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on 29 November 2016. The final album and a heartfelt tribute to the world-famous American singer Al Jarreau. With Duke Ellington's timeless compositions. Experience the magic of American singer Al Jarreau one last time with "Ellington," his final album, recorded just months before his passing in February 2017. This live recording captures the essence of a true musical genius and brings Jarreau's illustrious musical journey full circle. A unique collaboration with the NDR Bigband, "Ellington" showcases Jarreau's legendary vocal artistry intertwined with Duke Ellington's timeless compositions. It's also a poignant reminder of his deep connection to Germany, where he first rose to fame, thanks to the unwavering support of Siggi Loch-then an executive at Warner Brothers and later the founder of ACT Music. Their partnership led to some of the most memorable performances of Jarreau's career. "Ellington" is a heartfelt tribute to Al Jarreau, whose groundbreaking approach transcended genres, earning him six Grammy Awards across jazz, pop, and R&B, and leaving an indelible mark on the world of music.

LIFE RHYTHM

HIGHLIFE

HIGHLIFE

WONDERLAND

The final album and a heartfelt tribute to the world-famous American singer Al Jarreau. With Duke Ellington's timeless compositions. - Experience the magic of American singer Al Jarreau one last time with "Ellington," his final album, recorded just months before his passing in February 2017. This live recording captures the essence of a true musical genius and brings Jarreau's illustrious musical journey full circle. A unique collaboration with the NDR Bigband, "Ellington" showcases Jarreau's legendary vocal artistry intertwined with Duke Ellington's timeless compositions. It's also a poignant reminder of his deep connection to Germany, where he first rose to fame, thanks to the unwavering support of Siggi Loch-then an executive at Warner Brothers and later the founder of ACT Music. Their partnership led to some of the most memorable performances of Jarreau's career. "Ellington" is a heartfelt tribute to Al Jarreau, whose groundbreaking approach transcended genres, earning him six Grammy Awards across jazz, pop, and R&B, and leaving an indelible mark on the world of music. - Recorded at Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on 26 November 2016 and at the Opera Garnier in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on 29 November 2016.

ANSWER