Blue Truth

Kerstin Haberecht outshines the entire performance on her debut release with her, at times, softly flowing, even gnarled dabbling sound, at times questioning in a melancholic manner and at times, a nervously rough and enormously changeable. Nothing should indicate whether a woman or a man is wielding power here. "Something like that would distract from the essential," the alto and soprano saxophonist belives. "I want to avoid having people only seeking the group from this point of view. I'd prefer simply to be judged by my music."

German Youth Jazz Orchestra: Some might link this term with a stomping ground for highly talented prodigies of pigheaded kids who had got it into their heads to go their own way into jazz despite all good advice to do “something reasonable” instead. For some, it sounded like the conventional, big orchestral swing of Basie or Ellington, not too complicated so that everyone could join, but always suitable to let it all hang out in an explosive horn section. This latest production, “Groove and the Abstract Truth,” has quite a pretentious title that both reminds one of the great moments of modern arranging skills, but is also deeply rooted in the present. This collection of pieces moves on all stylistic demarcation lines. It aims to explore the forces that are released when hip groove meets the complex musical language of modern jazz composers. No orchestra could imaginably be more predestined for this bold adventure than BuJazzO.

The band around singer Maika Kuster, pianist Simon Seeberger, bassist yannik Tiemann and drummer Jo Beyer can best be understood if you throw all intellectual ballast overboard and let yourself be completely guided by your instincts. The music of the “wise panda” makes demands and touches you, it develops an idiosyncratic dynamic that you first have to understand and accept to be drawn into its powerful vortex. “Der Weise Panda” enchants thanks to an unusually high degree of technical maturity, but which never becomes an end in itself. Maika’s voice floats somewhere between heaven and earth and jumps to and fro without warning between English and German. She improvises in the best sense of the word in that she lets a first-class listening experience evolve from a simple number such as “Mond” together with her fellow band musicians. “Each of us composes her or his own pieces, and everyone contributes new ideas.”

On the Loose

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.

Vitrine Vocale - Next Generation, Vol. 23

Songs & Dances is Anne Hartkamp's dream project. The woman, who in the opinion of BR Jazz editor Roland Spiegel "underlays texts with irony and makes them sparkle, combines syllable-cascades in fast-paced improvisation, cane make lyrical melodies quietly glitter", now presents a bunch of unorthodox as well as charming, passionate, powerful songs and dances. The bulk of works on this release were composed by Hartkamp herself and are a distillate of her eventful career, the essence of her vocal talent in her very best years, who only sings what she likes and which tantilizes her tongue and heart.

The Next Level

Berlin-based saxophonist and composer Birgitta Flick performs and composes in several projects, including the German-Scandinavian quintet Flickstick, which in 2012 received the prestigious “JazzBaltica Forderpreis.” She is also a member of the German Women’s JazzOrchestra, and the Peter Tenner Jazz Orchester. All but two of the tracks on this release are original Flick compositions. Her previous release with Double Moon in 2013 was part of the Jazz Thing Next Generation series, and garnered her critical applause. “Gentle and beautiful, disorderly and eye-opening. One of this year’s best albums, in both jazz and folk music.” (Bengt Eriksson, Trelleborgs Allehand)

Maygus - Next Generation, Vol. 20

Karpfen in Wilhelmsdorf

With groovy, catchy harmonies and clever texts, this veteran band offers an excellent new CD! Johanna Schneider adds a bright, shimmering gem to the successful Jazz thing Next Generation series. She works regularly as a duo with pianist Marc Brenken, was awarded the WDR Jazz Award with the NRW Youth Jazz Orchestra in 2013, and helped to establish the a cappella quintet Cayenne. However, her old Munich quartet still remains her top priority.

The late, great Dave Brubeck surely would appreciate this album, which is a tribute to the legacy of jazz giant. Sabine Kuhlich and Laia Genc have chosen some of Brubeck’s greatest work to cover, including possibly his most well-known pieces, Unsquare Dance and Take Five. Vocalist and saxophonist Sabine Kuhlich has studied jazz in New York City as well as Amsterdam. She is also a passionate composer, and an incredible arranger. She has been teacher of the Jazz Department at the Conservatory Maastricht since 2006. Laia Genc is a modern jazz pianist also based in Germany. She performs frequently with Blue Art Orchestra and Miss Jones Big Band, and is active at jazz festivals across Europe.

The Marc Perrenoud Trio’s three previous album have been respectively, “Best jazz selling” in Switzerland, rewarded “revelation” by the French magazine Jazzmagazine, and “revelation” by the music magazine of the BBC London and Jazz magazine Paris. Born in Berlin in 1981, Marc Perrenoud began playing piano and improvising at the age of 6. He studied at the Geneva Conservatory until 2001 and obtained his diploma in 2004 at the Lausanne Jazz School. Since 2008, the group “Marc Perrenoud Trio” has given more than 300 concerts in all the major festivals and jazz clubs around the world.