PATRICK CORNELIUS " BOOK OF SECRETS "

Le melodie impennate e le intricate improvvisazioni di Cornelius sono perfettamente integrate dai suoi colleghi musicisti - Behn Gillece al vibrafono, Art Hirahara al piano, Peter Slavov al basso e Vinnie Sperrazza alla batteria - che lavorano tutti insieme per creare un'esperienza di ascolto fluida e affascinante. armonie, ritmi intricati e assoli abbaglianti, "Book of Secrets" accompagna l'ascoltatore in un emozionante viaggio attraverso un paesaggio musicale che è allo stesso tempo familiare e allo stesso tempo inesplorato. Quindi, che tu sia un appassionato di jazz esperto o che stia semplicemente scoprendo il genere, "Book of Secrets" affascinerà sicuramente gli ascoltatori, coinvolgerà l'immaginazione e ispirerà momenti brillanti! Il polistrumentista e compositore Patrick Cornelius ha coltivato un notevole corpus di lavoro come compositore e bandleader, e ha eseguito la sua musica originale in alcuni dei migliori locali jazz del mondo. La discografia di Cornelius di più album di leader comprende maestri affermati e molte stelle nascenti, ed è un compositore pluripremiato, tra cui quattro ASCAP "Young Composer Awards" consecutivi. PATRICK CORNELIUS

TORI HANDSLEY "AS WE STAND"

Artista, produttrice e curatrice, l'atteggiamento punky e l'approccio innovativo di Tori Handsley hanno lasciato un segno indelebile sulla scena britannica e l'hanno vista lavorare con artisti del calibro di Shabaka Hutchings (Comet is Coming), Sarathy Korwar, Moses Boyd, Binker Golding, Nikki Yeoh , Nubya Garcia, Jake Long, Pat Thomas e Evan Parker.“Questo album significa molto per me e distilla le mie osservazioni, i miei sentimenti e le mie espressioni più profonde, riflettendo su dove ci troviamo in questo momento e sul nostro posto nella natura. È il momento giusto per stare in piedi e vedere il disagio che gli esseri umani hanno causato all'equilibrio della natura e alla nostra crescente disconnessione dal nostro paesaggio naturale. "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind" parla del mare, un luogo in cui stiamo lentamente assistendo ai danni causati alle barriere coralline, agli ecosistemi e all'inquinamento da plastica. "Polar Retreat" riflette sullo scioglimento delle calotte polari e celebra il nostro selvaggio,paesaggi aridi, rischiamo di perderli.“Sento che siamo di fronte a un bivio vitale, mentre ci rendiamo conto del danno che abbiamo causato al nostro mondo naturale, un mondo che così tanti di noi amano e da cui tutti dipendono. È solo attraverso queste realizzazioni che possiamo trovare soluzioni creative e vedere nuove possibilità per creare un mondo più luminoso. TORI HANDSLEY

SUSAN ALCORN QUINTET "PEDERNAL"

Susan Alcorn, una delle principali esponenti mondiali del suo strumento, ha portato la chitarra a pedali d'acciaio ben oltre il suo ruolo tradizionale nella musica country. Dopo aver pagato i suoi debiti nelle band country e western del Texas, ha iniziato ad espandere il vocabolario del suo strumento attraverso il suo studio della musica classica del 20 ° secolo, del jazz visionario e delle musiche mondiali."Pedernal" si apre con la linea di acciaio del pedale graziosamente scivolosa di Alcorn che suggerisce un blues scuro e minore che è unito in una carezza ondeggiante dal basso agile di Formanek. Gli accordi discendenti introducono la seconda sezione mentre la band entra nel vortice che si raccoglie, alla fine si risolve in un tema beatificamente lirico che sembra evocare il potere costante dell'iconica vista.Anche se nota per il suo lavoro da solista, ha collaborato con numerosi artisti tra cui Pauline Oliveros, Chris Cutler, la London Improvisors Orchestra, la Glasgow Improvisors Orchestra, Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark, Nate Wooley, Ingrid Laubrock e Leila Bourdreuil, George Burtm Evan Parker , Michael Formanek, Zane Campbell e Mary Halvorson tra gli altri. SUSAN ALCORN 

TOM GUARNA "SPIRIT SCIENCE"

Tom Guarna – a guitarist praised by DownBeat for the “emotion, tension, surprise and passion” in his music – has assembled yet another dream team of a band for Spirit Science, his second release for Destiny Records and his eighth overall. To realize a vision steeped in Pythagorean ideas of sacred geometry, the New York-based Guarna convened a group of venturesome, virtuoso peers: reed player Ben Wendel, keyboardist Aaron Parks, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Justin Faulkner. These top-flight musicians richly complement Guarna’s textured guitar work, which blends his characteristically glowing electric guitar tone with otherworldly guitar synth and light-as-air steel-string acoustic. Overall, Spirit Science represents the broadest sonic palette Guarna has conjured on record. The album draws inspiration from sacred geometry, "those laws that drive everything in existence,” the guitarist explains. “It’s where math and science meet with spirit and matter – ideas that humans have studied since the ancients, from Pythagoras to Da Vinci." At a time when so many people are looking to science to save us from our global plight, the concepts of Spirit Science may have special resonance. “Science and natural laws drive every part of our lives whether we recognize it or not,” Guarna says. “You don’t need to know a thing about it to enjoy this music, but I hope the song titles are at least evocative food for thought. Mostly, I hope that listeners experience the album as an imaginative sonic journey that they can take from the safety of home.” TOM GUARNA

GORDON GRDINA "PRIOR STREET"

Chitarrista pluripremiato Juno con un suono unico che unisce musica jazz tradizionale, free / improv e musica araba. Haram, Peregrine Falls, The Gordon Grdina Quartet con Oscar Noriega, Russ Lossing e Satoshi Takeishi, Nomad Trio con Matt Mitchell e Jim Black, Square Peg con Christian Lillinger, Mat Maneri e Shazad Ismaily The Marrow Mark Helias, Hank Roberts, Hamin Honari.Grdina ha lavorato con le sue formazioni a Vancouver dagli anni 2000.Nel 2002 ha registrato il suo album di debutto The Grdina Trio (con James Danderfer e Simon Fisk). Nel suo album Unlearn: Gordon Grdina's Box Cutter u. un. Anche François Houle. Nel 2006 Grdina pubblicò l'album Think Like the Waves di Songlines, registrato in un trio con Gary Peacock e Paul Motian, che combinava elementi di musica araba e generi jazz. Nel campo del jazz, è stato coinvolto in 14 sessioni di registrazione tra il 2001 e il 2012.Grdina lavora con il suo trio (di Tommy Babin, basso, Kenton Loewen, batteria) e con il suo ensemble di dieci pezzi Haram, oltre che con Mats. GORDON GRDINA

TOM TALLITSCH "TEN"

È direttore musicale e compositore della compagnia di danza multimediale Big Sky Project, fondata da sua moglie Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch. La missione di Big Sky è: “Grassroots Community Fellowship. Riunire la comunità e tutte le risorse e le competenze disponibili per il baratto, creando così commercio, autosufficienza e arte in un villaggio. Un progetto e un luogo alla volta, la missione di Big Sky è quella di avviare la guarigione dell'ambiente in cui viviamo tutti, attraverso una filosofia creativa, innovativa, sperimentale, artistica e ispirata. "Tom possiede un'attività di tutoraggio musicale altamente raccomandato a Princeton, New Jersey ed è un noto educatore e clinico jazz. Lavora come insegnante di pianoforte per studenti dello spettro autistico presso il Princeton Child Development Institute e insegna pianoforte e fiati presso la Princeton Junior School.Tom Attualmente risiede a Hopewell, NJ. È originario di Cleveland, Ohio, dove ha iniziato la sua formazione musicale con pianoforte, clarinetto e sassofono. Ha vissuto anche a Cincinnati, Filadelfia e Hamilton, NJ. Ha conseguito una laurea in musica negli studi jazz presso il Conservatorio di musica (CCM) dell'Università di Cincinnati e ha partecipato a cliniche con Joe Henderson e Chris Potter. Ha studiato con i sassofonisti Rick VanMatre, Ernie Krivda, Mike Lee, Ben Schachter, Seamus Blake e il pianista Phil DeGreg. TOM TALLITSCH

SEAN FORAN "FRAME OF REFERENCE"

Acclaimed Australian pianist, Sean Foran, steps away from his work with the progressive piano trio Trichotomy, to release an album with a brand new ensemble of cutting edge British players. Featuring a collection of original works by Foran for the inventive line up of piano/Rhodes, guitar, saxophone, cello anddrums.Award winning pianist/composer“Lyrical expression in the manner of pianists John Taylor or Bobo Stenson” - BBC Online“a gifted pianist with abundant ideas and the technique to go with them - Irish Times“Foran's compositions are always interesting using restraint and intricate subtlety, incorporating classical ideas into a jazz-format” - The Australian.He has been the recipient of the prestigious Brisbane City Councils Lord Mayor’s Artist Fellowship in 2007, which together with funding from the Ian Potter Cultural Trust enabled him to complete his MA with distinction, studying with artists such as John Taylor, Lars Jansson, Tord Gustavsen and Matthew Bourne around Britain and Europe. SEAN FORAN

FINI BEARMAN "PORGY & BESS"

Fini Bearman’s music melds influences as diverse as Brazilian and other South American styles, Western Classical traditions, modern jazz and contemporary popular music into and arresting and unique personal sound. Sometimes dealing with settings of poetry and other pre-existing texts, other times with original lyrics or open, wordless evocations, this music is honest yet witty, mixing lush harmony and orchestration with contemporary grooves.Fini has performed across Europe in a variety of musical constellations. Venues include Ronnie Scotts, the 606 Jazz Club, the Vortex, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the Barbican Center. She has also sung with her own band and as part of other ensembles at numerous music festivals including the London Jazz Festival, City of London festival and Howden Jazz Singers Festival. FINI BEARMAN
 

DARYL McKENZIE JAZZ ORCHESTRA "RETURN JOURNEY"

The Daryl McKenzie Band started in the early 80’s as both a versatile function band and a band that could back world class artists. Over the years both the 8-piece and big band have been critically acclaimed for their superb musicianship and polished professionalism.During the 90’s Daryl McKenzie took over the role of Musical Director of the Nine Network’s “Hey Hey It’s Saturday” which saw the Hey Hey Band perform with international artists such as Tom Jones, Joe Cocker, Barry Manilow, Bonnie Raitt, Trisha Yearwood, Roger Daltry and Randy Crawford; as well as Australian artists such as Tina Arena, Human Nature, Tommy Emmanuel, James Morrison, Rhonda Burchmore, Debra Byrne and Marcia Hines (to name a few!). A reunion series saw the Hey Hey band back in 2009. Other TV shows Daryl and the band were involved with included Australia’s Got Talent (series 1, 2007) and Dancing with the Stars (4 eps. 2005/6) and the AFI awards (2004). The band toured internationally to the USA and Malaysia and also performed to large concert audiences in Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Sydney, Gold Coast and Ayers Rock.The Daryl McKenzie Band has been in demand for corporate functions and major events including the Adelaide and Melbourne Grand Prix (Billy Thorpe, Tommy Emmanuel, Jack Jones), the VAC Federation Australia Day concert, the Sounds of Christmas for the Salvation Army (Thelma Houston), the reopening of the Adelaide Casino, the Myer Melbourne relaunch (Guy Sebastian), VAC New Years Eve and Morning Melodies, Lindsay Fox’s 75th birthday (50 piece orchestra), Carlton FC's 15th night (Vicka & Linda, Daryl Braithwaite, Anthony Callea), Anthony Warlow & Faith Prince (Hamer Hall 34 piece orchestra) and was featured at the North Queensland Jazz Festival in Mackay, Jazz in the Vineyards at the Morning Star Estate and the Castlemaine State Festival. The big band has also featured on the soundtracks of several movies such as “Bran Nue Dae”, “Death Defying Acts”, “The Wogboy”, “Two Hands”, “Love and Other Catastrophes”and “Bootmen”. As the 18 piece Daryl McKenzie Jazz Orchestra, the DMJO have recorded three critically acclaimed CD’s and appears monthly at the Apartment Bar and Restaurant performing with singers including Darren Percival, Wilbur Wilde, Rhonda Burchmore, Nina Ferro, Nichaud Fitzgibbon and Matt Hetherington.For occassions where a smaller band is more suitable, the Daryl McKenzie Band is available as a 14 piece band (still a big band sound), an 8 or 10 piece (a great function band with a horn section), and a 5 piece band (great for smaller weddings). All the bands feature top class singers.Both the big and small bands perform a wide range of material to suit all tastes. Our extensive repertoire ranges from the classic songs of the big band era through the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s disco hits and right up to the latest in great current dance music. We can tailor our repertoire to suit a themed function and can provide anything from an instrumental jazz trio to a symphony orchestra.Pricing for events are quoted individually depending on the customer’s needs. Example song lists are available for perusal. DARYL McKENZIE JAZZ ORCHESTRA
 

CHAD EBY QUARTET "THE SWEET SHEL SUITE"

For years, our children have loved the poetry and stories of Shel Silverstein, and my wife and I have been deeply moved by the "grownup" messages that are delivered in ways that are equally meaningful to our children. It occurred to me that the meter, spirit, and imagery (both implied and brilliantly drawn) of these works were perfect foils for musical inspiration. The first compositions were completed in the winter of 2012-13, and I finished the last few in May of 2014. A few words about each of the tunes (leadsheets of which will download for you in PDF format): Lester (The Wish-Waster) – Lester is a character who receives wishes from a genie, and proceeds to use them to wish for more wishes, becoming greedier and greedier but yet never actually accumulating anything. The melodic fragments repeat and pile up on top of one another as the tune rolls along, eventually ending with Lester’s dissonant demise, with nothing to show for it. One of Lester Young’s favorite vehicles, “Oh, Lady Be Good," provides a loose framework. The Long-Haired Boy – This anti-bullying parable touches me deeply. The song represents the boy’s long hair lifting him into the sky, and helping him soar up and down amongst the clouds, finally bidding a not-so-fond farewell to the townspeople who tormented him, and then wanted him to be their friend once they discovered he can fly. Ourchestra – Just a go-get-em, burnout-type tune. The poem is about people playing a bunch of wild-sounding, body-part instruments, and the crazy band they make up. CHAD EBY QUARTET
 

THELONIUS "CROWS ON THE BEELINE"

Thelonius is a five piece urban jazz band based in Bristol UK performing a mix of originals, classics from the golden age of hip-hop and some nasty jazz tunes.Imagine if Mr Monk and A Tribe Called Quest - with J Dilla in tow - all ended up in a small smokey jazz club in Prague. SECOND ALBUM – “Crows on the Beeline” is the title of Thelonius’ new album which has been released worldwide and is available from iTunes. “On behalf of Music Resource Group and our distinguished judging panelists, it is our pleasure to congratulate Thelonius on winning top honors in the Jazz EP category for Reminisce in The 12th annual Independent Music Awards.” REMINISCE, the debut EP from urban-jazz band Thelonius, as featured on the BBC6 Gilles Peterson show and Tom Robinson’s Fresh On The Net, is now available from a variety of sources including iTunes and Amazon. Bristol-based Thelonius cement the relationship between jazz and hip-hop through their interpretations of classics from A Tribe Called Quest, J Dilla, The Roots, Common, De La Soul, Gang Starr, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, E.S.T and Robert Glasper as well as a host of originals that bear that unmistakable mix of strong and interesting beats and instrumental dexterity from the soloists. THELONIUS
 

JEX SAARELAHT TRIO "LIMINAL"

Melbourne pianist-composer Jex Saarelaht, best known as the leader of a long-running trio, debuted his quartet with saxophonist Julien Wilson at the 2007 Wangaratta Jazz Festival. Since then the personnel has settled to include Jonathan Zwartz (bass) and Niko Schäuble (drums).Since the mid ‘80s, Jex has performed and recorded with an impressive list of Australian and international musicians, from Dale Barlow and Bernie McGann to Vince Jones and Chris Wilson, from Renee Geyer and Kate Ceberano to Sheila Jordan and Steve Lacy. Key international performances include the Edinburgh Festival, Birmingham International Jazz Festival, London’s Jazz Café and Southbank, and the Aarhus International Jazz Festival, Denmark.A founding member of legendary Melbourne bands, Dianna Kiss and Doug de Vries’ New Tango Quintet, Jex has also led his own bands, including the Jextet in the mid ‘80s. His trio played its first gig in 1993 with the same line-up (Philip Rex and Niko Schäuble) remaining to this day. They released a superb 2-CD set, ‘Fridays, Late’ (Bennetts Lane) in 1999. JEX SAARELAHT TRIO
 

CHRISTIAN VUUST "URBAN HYMN"

Born in Aarhus, Denmark, in 1964. Tenor saxophonist and composer. Also plays soprano and alto saxophone, clarinet and bass clarinet.Associate professor at the Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus, Denmark. Teaches saxophone, jazz ensemble, ear training and entrepreneurship.Has studied at Berklee College of Music, with Herb Pomeroy, George Garzone, Hal Crook, Joe Viola, and Jerry Bergonzi.Has performed with Lars Jansson, Aaron Parks, Ben Street, Jeff Ballard, Hal Crook, Alex Riel, Audun Kleive, Silje Neergaard, Per Jørgensen, poet Peter Laugesen and the bands Pauseland, Must and Den Danske Salmeduo. Has toured with his own band in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Greenland, Iceland, England and Germany.Has recorded 15 albums as leader or co-leader; and over 50 albums as sideman.“Vuust’s mature tenor playing is delightful”Jazz Special (Scandinavia’s leading jazz magazine)“Christian Vuust has a masterful and soulful tone”Ingmar Glanzelius, Dagens Nyheter (Swedish national daily newspaper)“Vuust’s playing exudes an unobtrusive authority which, in concert with his smooth rhythmic sense, he creates an ideal balance between statements and expressions.”Boris Rabinowitsch, Politiken (Danish national daily newspaper) CHRISTIAN VUUST
 

HIDDEN ORCHESTRA "ARCIPELAGO REMIXES PART 2"

The music combines all the different musical traditions Joe has been involved in – years of Classical training (composing from an early age, singing in choirs and playing in orchestras), whilst at the same time playing in all manner of bands and ensembles, DJing and producing, and performing live improvised experimental music.By tapping into the energy of virtuoso drum solos and adding the elements of other music that are dark and beautiful, he creates Electronic music made with acoustic instruments, drums, field recordings and natural sounds – intense, beat-driven Classical textures with layers of energy, emotion and atmosphere.Like all of Joe's mixtapes, there is a broad and multi-layered range of music and sound from around the world, from contemporary releases stretching back to the 1940's and something from every decade in-between - including imagined collaborations such as Burial with vocals from Argentinian folk legend Mercedes Sosa, or Linton Kwesi Johnson reciting poetry over Tipper's immaculately-produced beats.There is also a wealth of sound design and spoken word, taken from interviews with composers, radio programmes (many recorded by Joe), and poetry recitals.Other artists making appearances in this fast-paced mix include Four Tet, King Tubby, Frank Sinatra, Junip, Kidkanevil and Daisuke Tanabe, Squarepusher, The Four Tops, DJ Shadow, Floex, Finley Quaye, Clarinet Factory, Origamibiro and many more…HIDDEN ORCHESTRA
 

NAT BIRCHALL QUINTET "LIVE IN LARISSA" DIVINE HARMONY IN DUENDE JAZZ BAR

Nat Birchall is one of the UK’s most special musicians, a spiritual, soulful saxophonist who has drunk deeply from the endless well that is the music of John Coltrane. A modest man, Birchall is happy out of the limelight but nonetheless has found international acclaim for a series of fine albums on Matthew Halsall’s Gondwana label as well as more recently his own Sound Soul and Spirit imprint. This, his sixth album, is his first ever live recording and is released on vinyl and download only. A decision Birchall took on listening to the tapes and thinking the music really suited the warmth of vinyl. It features the core band from his last recording World Without Form: pianist Adam Fairhall, vibist Corey Mwamba, bassist Nick Blacka (GoGo Penguin) and drummer Paul Hession. They all bring something to the music as Birchall explains: “Adam has been in the band since the beginning and he's there because he understands the music and plays with conviction. Corey is in the band because of his unique approach to playing, it doesn't actually matter that he plays vibes. I asked him to play because of his playing, not his instrument. He is a free spirit but knows when to play and when not to play. Nick is a great bassist who has a great ability to improvise strong melodic lines within his accompaniment, which is actually pretty rare. Paul is a very great drummer who can play seamlessly throughout a piece if it goes from "time" to free tempo and back again, and makes it sound natural”. The recording came about when Birchall played two nights at the Duende Jazz Bar in Larissa, Greece in May 2013 – where, despite the tiny stage, the warm welcome and overwhelmingly positive reaction to the music inspired the band to reach deep within themselves for two nights of truly inspired music. Thankfully the tapes were rolling and despite the tiny stage and proximity of the mics (a nightmare for mixing) the music was really happening. As Birchall recalls: “There was such a positive atmosphere at the gigs, with people so obviously coming to hear the music with open arms ( and ears ) that we felt very blessed to be on stage. I think the record documents how the band sounds on a given night, with original songs, and one or two by other people, played in an extended way. With everyone able to stretch out and play as long as they like”. NAT BIRCHALL QUINTET
 

CHRIS CARROLL "CURRENT SHIFTS"

Chris Carroll is a New York City-based drummer, who has amassed a vast musical vocabulary. Stylistically, his drumming pulses with cross-cultural rhythms. With roots deep in rock music and a love for jazz & improvised music, Chris is known for performing music that is simple in form to extremely complex. His awareness of musical dynamics supports the artist’s ability; he or she can be reticent, or, in the alternative, explosive and an all-out powerhouse.  Drawing from a diverse pool of musical and spiritual influences, Chris blends his curiosity for different cultures with an eye (and ear) towards the future.Recently, Chris released, “Current Shifts,”  which is his second CD as a leader. This jazz-based project is driven by influences ranging from South American traditional music to music originating from Mid-Eastern cultures. “Current Shifts” is a bold followup to Chris’ first album, “Facing Away,” which features his own idiosyncratic arrangements of the music of a number of jazz icons, such as Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus.Chris’ is also in demand as a sideman, having recorded with  Nat Janoff,  Bryan Murray and Justin Flynn . He plays regularly with many of New York’s finest musicians, including Rez Abbasi, Donny McCaslin, Francois Moutin, Ben Monder, Brad Shepik, Ron Affif, Paul Bollenback, Hans Glawischnig, Alex Blake, Pedro Giraudo, Jay Azzolina, Matt Penman, George Colligan, Felix Pastorius, Ben Street, Drew Gress, Vic Juris and Sam Blais, while touring internationally. CHRIS CARROLL
 

MICHAEL BELLAR THE AS IS ENSEMBLE "OH NO OH WOW"

Michael Bellar has performed music on six continents but being a native of North Carolina, he stands by his slow, southern roots. Along with creating music and touring with his group, the AS-IS Ensemble, Michael has also toured and or recorded with Amos Lee, Art Garfunkel, Howie Day, Wheatus, Jump Little Children, Teddy Geiger, Euro pop superstar Giorgia and Jay Clifford’s Rosebud. His national TV appearances include Late Night with David Letterman, the Late Show with Conan O’Brien Show, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Ellen Degeneres Show, TRL, Good Morning America, Regis and Kelly and the CBS Morning Show. Michael has produced and scored music for CUT Music (LA), Fluid (NYC), Bang Michael is the founder, composer and keyboardist of the AS-IS Ensemble. This highly excitable, alt-jazz group has performed at such venues as Avery Fischer Hall at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, South By Southwest and the JVC, Bell Atlantic and New York City Winter Jazz Festivals along with being the former house band at the world-famous Blue Note jazz club in NYC. They have opened for John Scofield, Tea Leaf Green, Medeski Martin & Wood, Grant Green Jr. and JFJO.  In a review of their first ever performance in New York City, they were hailed as “Generation Next” by Billboard Magazine. The group has recorded three studio CDs – “Turned On Turned Up” (2009), “Like It Is,” and “REACT!”Music and Razorhead. MICHAEL BELLAR
 

HILDEGARD LERNT FLIEGEN "THE FUNDAMENTAL RHYTHM OF UNPOLISHED BRAINS"

Founded in 2005 by singer and composer Andreas Schaerer, this Swiss sextet has already grown a beard and started to stay out late. Schaerer’s compositions slip through any easy attempts at categorization as easily as a trout squirms free of a fisherman’s hands. The group was finally brought ashore in 2007, when they released their first album for the Swiss label Unit Records. The reviews were glowing, sales were brisk, and the album had to be re-released after being sold out in a couple of months. Since then, the band has traveled thousands of kilometers on the Autobahn, drank many a liter of gas station coffee, and played more solos and refrains than they care to remember — on tours in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia. They’ve tickled the fancies of audiences and expert juries alike. In May 2008 the group won the ZKB Jazz Prize. The long and storied list of stages where Hildegard Lernt Fliegen has performed include many a jazz club and cabaret, but also festivals such as Jazznojazz Zürich, Cully Jazz, BeJazz Winterfestival, Offside Festival Geldern, Suisse Jazz Diagonales, Langnauer Jazz Nights, Dresdner Jazztage, and the Stanser Musiktage.November 2009 was no time for putting their feet up and relaxing by the fire. Au contraire, Hildegard had a date with destiny and was beaver-busy preparing their second album — Vom fernen Klang der Sache — appeared as a CD/picture-book designer by the Zurich-based illustrator Peter Baeder. Hildegard made her music video debut with the song “Seldom was Covered with Snow and an Old Oak,” in a charmingly surrealist staging directed by Maria Sigrist.Hildegard Lernt Fliegen made Russia their home in the fall of 2010. The group toured for two weeks through a landscape which seemed to have been painted just for them. Two stowaways on board — the filmmaker Michelle Brun and sound editor Martin Ruch — recorded the highlights of this Swiss-Soviet summit before locking themselves for a few months in an editing studio… Meanwhile, Hildegard continued touring, returning to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The following fall the band returned to their ursine hometown (Bern) to release the CD Live in Moscow and their concert tour film Tales Wander. HILDEGARD LERNT FLIEGEN 
 

EMILIA MARTENSSON "ANA"

Emilia Mårtensson moved to London in 2000 to study at Trinity College of Music. In 2010 she joined Kairos 4tet as vocalist and lyricist and was a key factor in helping the group win Best Jazz Act at the 2011 MOBO Awards. In 2012 she released the duo album And So It Goes... with pianist Barry Green, and was described by The Observer as The New Face of British Jazz. “Mårtensson invests every sound with a skimming, rapturous lightness and clarity.” (Jon Fordham, The Guardian) Pianist Barry Green has played with a wide-range of British jazz stars including Don Weller, Bobby Wellins, Christine Tobin, Ian Shaw, Dave Green and others, and is a regular member of groups led by Ingrid Laubrock and Larry Bartley. He leads a quartet featuring Mark Hanslip, Oli Hayhurst and Tim Giles, which plays his own compositions, and he co-leads the quartet Babelfish, with singer Brigitte Berha. “A cerebral swinger with a liking for unexpected harmonic turns.” (The Independent} Sam Lasserson is a London-based bassist who is part of New York drummer Jeff Williams’ powerhouse UK quintet, and has played with Bobby Wellins, Anita Wardell, Martin Speake, Frode Kjekstadt and others, “Lasserson... exhibit[s] a hard-driving resourcefulness ... to rival some of the world’s best-known post- bop practitioners.” (The Guardian Online) Brazilian percussionist Adriano Adewale moved to London in 2000. He has performed with his own bands Sambura and the Adriano Adewale Group, which released an acclaimed debut album, Sementes in 2008, and has played with Latin jazz legends including Airto Moreira, Flora Purm and Seu Jorge. EMILIA MARTENSSON
 

KIESEWETTERS GAMMARAMA "FOR THE CATS"

Jan Kiesewetter is a young man with ambitious goals, which he also achieves. The saxophonist is not only a gifted instrumentalist, but also a composer who is attracting attention. He had a stack of pieces that he composed and for which he was looking for a band that fit to them. He finally found the band members in 2011 and then immediately won the "Augsburg Art Promotion Prize" with them. The jury stated that he was awarded the prize because his band was distinguished by "a high degree of instrument mastery, musical presence, maturity and a commanding nature." The band name GammaRama has a hidden meaning: the music should penetrate everything in its path like gamma rays. However, the compositions are also penetrated by blues and jazz history, where Thelonious Monk repeatedly turns up, by multifaceted rhythms all the way to Cha Cha Cha, and by dreamy ballads to swinging uptempo numbers.Jan Kiesewetter studied at Richard Strauss Conservatory and at HMT in Munich. He recently earned his Master's degree under Florian Trübsbach and is now a teacher too. Courses and workshops held by Michael Riessler, Joe Gallardo and Ingrid Jensen, among others, have left their traces, and the courses held by Gregor Hübner especially helped Kiesewetter in developing his own composition style. However – and this has advanced his work significantly – he also is involved in other fields from new music all the way to musicals in his concerts. A fortunate coincidence: mature, rich sound on an instrument and a gift for composition come together in one person.The guitarist Bernd Huber is also involved in such wide-ranging projects. Although he graduated from the premier school of jazz guitar (under Peter O´Mara and Geoff Goodman, among others), he also studied classical guitar parallel (under Susanne Schoeppe). However, you can also frequently hear him as accompaniment for jazz singers or in bands that play  R&B, fado or free improvisations – a real jack-of-all-trades! KIESEWETTERS GAMMARAMA