With this reflection on breathing as the most intimate human experience - one that connects people through language, movement and touch - Berlin-based jazz vocalist Esther Kaiser has dedicated her ninth album to 'Breathing'. Critics have described her as a 'voice artist','shaman of jazz', and a 'jazz poet'. Esther takes responsibility where she is. Her albums breathe and are politically and socially charged, as jazz has always been. With BREATHING, the vocalist and composer provides a glimpse into the heart of jazz. It breathes in what is, and it feels and exhales that which creates space for more understanding, tolerance, peace, and freedom. The interplay of lyrics and compositions by Esther Kaiser and pianist Alexander Wienand, alongside Kaiser's own works, interwoven with elements of spoken word, invites listeners to become part of the act of breathing itself.

With this reflection on breathing as the most intimate human experience - one that connects people through language, movement and touch - Berlin-based jazz vocalist Esther Kaiser has dedicated her ninth album to 'Breathing'. Critics have described her as a 'voice artist','shaman of jazz', and a 'jazz poet'. Esther takes responsibility where she is. Her albums breathe and are politically and socially charged, as jazz has always been. With BREATHING, the vocalist and composer provides a glimpse into the heart of jazz. It breathes in what is, and it feels and exhales that which creates space for more understanding, tolerance, peace, and freedom. The interplay of lyrics and compositions by Esther Kaiser and pianist Alexander Wienand, alongside Kaiser's own works, interwoven with elements of spoken word, invites listeners to become part of the act of breathing itself.

The Debut Album of Simon Kuhn and his quartet is a culmination of the musicians first two years of shaping their sound together. Ania Badura on Violin, Jan Schrullkamp on Guitar, Kevin Hemkemeier on acoustic bass and Simon Kuhn on drums take on eight original compositions, which they worked on and shaped during their studies at Folkwang University. Then refined within concerts of the year before recording, these versions of the pieces, which inspirations range from chamber music to post-bop, are characterized by dense interplay and a coherent yet versatile sound. In the phase of rehearsels before the recording, we four met in an ensemble room and recorded the tunes for the album with a minimal mic setup, so we could listen and think about the specifics but also the overall feeling and pacing of the album. When I had a lesson with Leif Berger, I showed him some of the test recordings and I am very grateful for the suggestions for improvement he gave me.

Em Julho is the second album by singer Elsa Johanna Mohr and guitarist Flávio Nunes, following their 2023 debut Passadinha. Recorded in Bonn in August 2025, the album brings together Brazilian classics and original songs in an intimate, warm setting shaped by voice, guitar, and subtle rhythmic detail. The repertoire moves from "Água de Coco" and "Tico-Tico no Fubá" to Mohr's own compositions, including "Beijo da Lua," "Jaguar," and the title track "Em Julho." Drawing on Mohr's deep connection to Brazilian language and culture and Nunes's virtuosic seven-string guitar playing, Em Julho blends Música Popular Brasileira, singer-songwriter intimacy, and jazz-inflected elegance. The result is a musical summer of warmth, longing, and Brazilian joie de vivre-light, lyrical, and transportive.

Open-Minded

Jazz Cats 1

Elder

William's Garden

2014 debut album from the German Jazz saxophonist and his quintet.

Many Ways

Since moving to Germany, Shannon Barnett has become very active in the local scene. Her quartet, featuring Stefan Karl Schmid (tenor saxophone), David Helm (bass) and Fabian Arends (drums) was nominated as a semi-finalist in the 2017 Neuer Deutscher Jazzpreis. They have performed widely in Germany, including at the Acht Brucken and Winterjazz Festivals, the Peng Festival and IG Jazz in Mannheim. In 2016, they toured Australia, performing at th eWangaratta Festival of Jazz and Sydney Women's Jazz Festival. This is the ensemble's debut album.

Nucleus

Although this trio has been together since 2007, this is only their third album. It's predecessor Two Lost Churches triggered an extraordinary response in the international press, and this new one will certainly surpass that!

Constantly Moving - Next Generation, Vol. 14

The Next Level

Mysterious

Pianist Michel Reis, bassist Marc Demuth and drummer Paul Wiltgen furnish resounding proof that something new can be created from something old at any time. The trio from Luxembourg wants to make it possible for their listeners to experience and celebrate the effect of music and do not want to abuse it for the purpose of self-promotion in any way. Each one slips into the respective topic, grows together with it and becomes a part of it. They are the fertilizers for their own works that let them grow and flourish through careful dosing of their outstanding instrumental skills. In this way, magically beautiful melodies are created from seemingly banal note sequences that go without detours into your ears and stay there for a long time. No cheesy, slushy songs mind you, but instead refined constructs full of emotionality, empathy, virtuosity, depth and hymnic radiance. Indeed, piano trios can achieve such things today. They can tell stories that captivate and touch without words. They can attract attention and yet completely do without effects, tricks and muscle-flexing. Simply nullify definition and style boundaries and still give a reflection of what jazz should be 2016 and maybe once was in the hands of the Esbjorn Svensson Trio: a musical adventure free of prejudice and stereotypes, which bears the individual trademark of the respective protagonists.

In Between

Golightly

TOBIAS MEINHART QUARTET: Pursuit of Happiness

Marc Perrenoud Trio - The Lost Churches

Yelena K and The Love Trio

Bemun

Thomas Rückert is a quiet rebel who knows exactly what he wants, especially on his new CD Parvaneh (the Persian word for "butterfly"). On this stunning new album, Rückert updates his artful fantasy world, which he began to construct on his previous album Meera. Along with his partners Reza Askari (bass) and Fabian Arends (drums), he develops an unusual form of dynamics in 11 pieces.

Axel Schlosser is one of the best, most versatile trumpet players in Germany. Over the past 20 years, he has played in numerous big bands (Sunday Night Orchestra, Rainer Temple Big Band, Al Porcino Big Band, Bobby Burgess Big Band Explosion) and with various musicians, from Charly Antolini to Albert Mangelsdorff. In addition, he is a member of the quintet L 14, 16, which has won numerous awards in Europe.