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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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."

The saxophonist's tone and expression are consistently captivating, regardless of whether on the alto or the soprano sax. His playing does not lose it's warm, vocal, narrative quality even in intense pieces and passages. "Out In Space" is an impressive step forward for the saxophonist.

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.

Masterfully arranged unity of trio and string quartet. Fresh and smooth: new album by the German jazz man from Switzerland. "Caravan", a petal and the women: Joe Haider bows before them. Swinging dreams: old master Joe Haider at his best.

Contrast, playful contradiction, daring moments of walking his particular brand of rhythmic tightrope, improvisational interaction. Love for rhythmic complexity. Affection for delicate, atmospheric lyricism. He's a musician grounded by a deep, fundamental knowledge of the inner workings of music, able to create intricate compositional frameworks - David Friedman He�s a star in the making - Bill Milkowski, Down Beat

Referring to a musical work of the century such as George Gershwin's popular opera "Porgy and Bess" entails enormous risks. This is especially the case when this popular work has spawned many ubiquitous song classics. Hans Ludemann also believes: "You have to have a good reason to tackle this" and, of course, a coherent concept for a new, own approach. This has succeeded brilliantly with "Porgy's Dream". The very personal homage of Ludemann and trumpeter Reiner Winterschladen is not content with competent interpretations in the usual jazz style. The duo is based on selected themes and unfolds an intense atmosphere in it's freely interpreted pieces, which thoroughly lives up to the original work.

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.

No half-way measures: high-class debut of a German-Dutch sextet. Between Barcelona and Arnhem: strong debut of the band of Maximilian Hering. Butter on the herring-straight to the point: multi-layered debut with personal touch.

In music, the new is only created by looking at tradition; the talent that comes with it only matures through mastery of the craft. The new album 'Purple Sky' by guitarist and composer Vlado Grizelj is a perfect example of how the balance of these two artistic driving forces can lead to a rousing result. His love of the funk and soul of the sixties and seventies is expressed very strongly.

Some Great Songs

Spring in Versailles