Stratus is the stunning new quartet album from violinist Zach Brock and pianist Phil Markowitz, joined by Finnish jazz standouts Jaska Lukkarinen and Ville Herrala. Recorded in the peaceful setting of Sipoo, Finland, the album blends lyrical improvisation, intricate composition, and intuitive interplay into a cohesive, deeply expressive whole. From lush ballads to dynamic rhythmic journeys, Stratus showcases the quartet's chamber-like sensitivity and jazz-rooted spontaneity. Brock and Markowitz, building on their earlier collaboration Perpetuity, offer a seamless musical conversation elevated by a rhythm section that listens and leads in equal measure. A rich, genre-blurring project, Stratus is both intimate and expansive an exploration of sound grounded in trust, nuance, and shared vision.

Here We Are finds acclaimed jazz vocalist Lori Williams at the heart of a soulful, cross-continental collaboration with top-tier European jazz artists. Born out of friendships from the Poysdorf Summer Jazz Workshop, the album blends original songs and timeless standards with Brazilian grooves, romantic ballads, and classic swing. Williams' warm, expressive voice shines across each track whether delivering heartfelt lyrics or improvising with grace and nuance. Backed by a band that listens and responds as one, Here We Are is a celebration of connection, creativity, and the joy of making music together.

The title "Awaking" carries a double significance. On the one hand, it refers to the musical awakening that marks my artistic journey; on the other, it reflects the collective awakening that marked the end of the Corona pandemic. I hope that "Awaking" reflects not just the sound of my music, but my appreciation of all the people who have shared this creative path with me.

Pianist Andreas Feith and saxophonist Markus Harm present their second duo album "Abstract Truth", a deeply connected and artistically evolved follow-up to their debut "What's New". Over years of collaboration-from early days in Rebecca Trescher's ensemble to intensive duo sessions-their musical bond has grown into a rare and expressive synergy. Unlike their spontaneous first recording, this album is the result of careful composition and preparation, reflecting a new level of artistic freedom grounded in jazz tradition. Their interplay is intuitive, multilayered, and emotionally rich, balancing improvisation with melodic sensitivity. "Abstract Truth" showcases this connection through original compositions and reimagined standards, culminating in a diverse and emotionally resonant statement. Tracks like "Calm", "Tune For K", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" reveal a duo in perfect harmony-free, expressive, and rooted in shared musical trust.

This is his third album, but he is only 23 years old. No question about it: Mathieu Clement, the drummer, composer and arranger from Luxembourg, goes his way unswervingly.�Stylistically, the drummer also moves with this septet on a tried-and-tested basis. The watchword is "straight ahead." Clement is basically oriented toward the achievements of those jazz currents that developed in the mid-1950s and resulted in mainstream varieties.

The carefully arranged connection between the international Arthur Possing Quartet from Luxembourg and Joel Rabesolo from Madagascar is a real stroke of luck, as the joint album Homes demonstrates. It is no coincidence that it almost overflows with captivating pieces and diverse music during approximately 70 minutes of playing time.� Instead of a random of tracks, the combination of pieces is designed to create a concise whole. As a result, Homes becomes a real listening journey.

A delicate beginning and a deeply romantic start. The warm, concentrated sound of the opening captures us and takes us along into a multi-faceted, extraordinary debut album.� "I might not be a virtuoso who has this broad base. But what really matters to me is something else. What appeals to me musically is not defined by virtuosity or technique. If something is extremely well done, if it is technically very good, I find it admirable. But I am touched when someone conveys honest emotions. These are often pieces that are not particularly complicated."

There are good reasons why the names of all those involved in this album are listed as equal partners. "Moving Times" is the result of real teamwork and is the first production of a newly formed group in which everyone acts on an equal footing. This is not self-evident, because singer Esther Kaiser and guitarist Axel Fischbacher represent two established big names in the German jazz scene, who have been independently leading their own bands for many years and have released a large number of their own albums. The two belong to different generations while bassist Genevieve O'Driscoll and drummer/vibraphonist Michael Knippschild represent another one. That means three generations, two women and two men, and it fits as if there were nothing more normal in the world.

For All We Know is the pure document of a magical concert evening in the LOFT in Cologne: without cuts and without any subsequent embellishment.�A piano trio that plays standards, including ubiquitous ones such as "Stella By Starlight" and "Body and Soul": a case of decent, basic jazz? By no means! "We're really creating weird stuff," pianist Thomas Ruckert said. Weird, because it is completely detached from the usual conventions of standard interpretation.

From a formal point of view, this is a classical jazz quartet line-up, complemented by a string quartet. Shogo Seifert considers the group to be a unit of eight and has composed for them accordingly. A rather handcrafted, rationally "technical" approach is foreign to him. "I need an emotional connection to transfer energy into music."

Niemandsland is Matthias Meyer's first own album. The international quintet (Larsen is Danish and Braylovskiy Russian) is his first own group. This seems amazing given the maturity of the compositions and arrangements, the density of the interplay as well as the collective spirit and individual class. One reason is certainly the freshly won, purposefully implemented artistic self-image of the bandleader. The close connection between the band members is just as important.

In Germany in particular, a lot of folk culture, especially folk music, has fallen into disrepute, so that the whole thing sometimes has a not inconsiderable bitter taste. And the word "folklore" is used almost pejoratively. For me, folklore has a positive connotation in the sense of something, a fashion, tradition, festivity, discipline, an occasion, food, dance, play, music, religion,... which is able to connect different generations or social and cultural origins. The word folklore actually describes one of the target ideas, where and how the music should end up. It is meant more as a kind of wish, a "blessing wish", for the music of our trio.

The special moment - the flash of enlightenment - creates a great feeling of lightness and relief, implies full honesty to ourselves and makes us feel human. Life is like music and music is also about honesty. This music reflects my entire life experience. In that spirit, I would like to thank everyone who enriched my life, enabling me to become what I am

Captivating trance jazz trio with it's own sound. Between dream and trance: magical trio around guitarist Christy Doran. Trust in the power of trance.

Oscar Pettiford. The Clash Art Blakey. A Tribe Called Quest. Charles Mingus (with Eric Dolphy). Only People Do The Killing. Cannonball Adderley. Primus. The Ornette Coleman Quartet. When Moritz Koser, bassist and composer from Frankfurt/Main, talks about points of reference and important influences, it goes all the way through music history. Gnar Gnar Rad, the quartet from Frankfurt, is his band. "Gnar Gnar Rad" is the album debut: a strong statement with which he effortlessly bridges the gap between jazz history and current trends.