Uri Caine´s Bedrock live in Viersen 2009

Uri Caine, fender rhodes, piano, synthesizer, samples

Tim Lefebvre, bass
Zach Danziger, drums
Barbara Walker, vocals

recorded live at Jazzfest Viersen, Festhalle Viersen, Germany, September 19, 2009

1. Our Hour
2. Work It Out
3. Count Duke
4. Riled Up
5. Medley
6. Cute
7. Walk With Me

Bedrock´s latest cd "plastic temptation" was released on "Music Edition Winter & Winter"

Jan Lundgren, Richard Galliano & Paolo Fresu: Mare Nostrum live at JazzBaltica 2007

Paolo Fresu - trumpet, fluegelhorn
Richard Galliano - accordion, accordina
Jan Lundgren - piano

recorded live at JazzBaltica 2007, Große Konzertscheune, Salzau Germany, June 30, 2007

1. Mare Nostrum
2. Principessa
3. The Seagull
4. Years Ahead
5. Varvindar friska
6. Liberty Waltz
7. Chat Pitre
8. Valzer di Rotorno
9. Love Land

Paolo Fresu from Sardinia, Richard Galliano, raised in the southern France but of Italian offspring and Jan Lundgren of Swedish origin found each other and this collaboration of the three most melodically inclined musicians of today’s European jazz scene has grown and developed organically. Fresu, Galliano and Lundgren move within a great variety of modes of expression. Considering the fact, that the future of jazz can only be kept alive by opening it towards other musical cultures, the trio acts accordingly and presents a surprising amount of themes of very varied origins. The French touch is featured through an immortal tune by the great Charles Trénet. Swedish folksongs, Maurice Ravel's 20th century stylistics, Brazilian standards by Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes as well as originals culminate in a fascinating sound experience. Thanks to the remarkable musicianship of these three outstanding instrumentalists, the trio appears most capable of creating a fascinating whole, which – listened to from afar – seems difficult to obtain. This is the jazz with a contemporary tinge that provides a taste of the future: exciting, highly emotional and full of daringly creative artistic exchange. Thus, it aims at an audience interested in getting involved in its melodically intense projection.
In 2007 they recorded the studio album "mare nostrum" for ACT Music.

Florian Poser Vibes Trio featuring Cezary Paciorek live at Birdland/ Neuburg a.d.D. 2009

Florian Poser, Vibraphone

Oliver Karstens, Bass
Thomas Hempel, Drums
Cezary Paciorek, Accordion

recorded live at Jazzclub Birdland, Neuburg an der Donau, Germany, May 15, 2009

1. Calm Down (Florian Poser)
2. Take Me Along (Florian Poser)
3. Introspection (Florian Poser)
4. I Hear a Rhapsody (George Fragos/Jack Baker/Dick Gasparre)
5. After You’ve Gone (J. Turner Layton/Henry Creamer)

FLORIAN POSER is considered to be one of the most interesting and renowned vibraphonists in Germany. He studied with most of the leading vibraphonists of the presence like Wolfgang Schlüter, Tom van deer Geld, David Friedman, David Samuels and finally Gary Burton. With his Vibes Trio and Cezary Paciorek he released the 2009 album "Celestial Encounter" on Acoustic Music Records.

Kühntett live in Burghausen 2009

Axel Kühn (b)

Alexander Kuhn (ts, ss)
Christoph Heckeler (p)
Marcel Gustke (dr)

40th International Jazzweek Burghausen 2009, Wackerhalle Burghausen, March 18, 2009

1. Timeless Days (Kühn)
2. Blues For Christian (Kühn)
3. Zianoism (Kuhn)
4. Der Morgen danach (Kühn)
5. Das Auge des Betrachters (Kühn)
6. Living In a Balance (Kühn)
7. Verrückte Welt (Kühn)
8. There Is No Greater Love

Since its foundation in 2005, the band „Kühntett“ around bassist Axel Kühn has constantly worked on the enhancement of its style.
The first album „The Contemporary Jazzmovement“ (SDP1056-1) already caused a great stir among the jazz community. Their second album „Image of my soul“ was released in November 2008 on Satin Doll Productions.
The success of the band speaks for itself. In 2006, “Kühntett” came second place performing at the “International Jazz Award Biberach” as well as in 2007 at the “International Young Jazz Competition Straubing”, both highly esteemed jazz awards of the German jazz scene.
In 2009 they won the “1.European Young Jazz Competition Burghausen”

Miguel Zenón Quartet live at JazzBaltica 2009

Miguel Zenón - Alto Saxophone

Luis Perdomo - Piano
Hans Glawischnig - Bass
Henry Cole - Drums

recorded live at Kleine Konzertscheune Salzau, Germany, July 5, 2009

1. Oyelo
2. Pandero Y Pagode
3. Villa Plameras
4. Esta Plena

Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There, he studied classical saxophone at the famed Escuela Libre de Musica. Although Zenón was exposed to jazz while in high school, it wasn’t until he began his studies at the Berklee School of Music that his formal jazz training began.
In 2004 Zenón was asked to become one of the founding members of the SF Jazz Collective.
Esta Plena, his latest outing on cd, was released on Marsalis Music.
Earthy and sophisticated, the music of Esta Plena suggests a summing up of the work of saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón thus far. It is rooted in the traditional plena music of Zenón´s native Puerto Rico – reinterpreted with the sensibility, the approach and the tools of 21st century jazz.

Edmar Castaneda Group live at JazzBaltica 2009

Edmar Castaneda - Harp
Andrea Tierra - Vocals
Marshall Gilkes - Trombone
Eric Doob - Drums

recorded live at JazzBaltica 2009, Große Konzertscheune Salzau, July 5, 2009


1. Cuarto de Colores
2. Entre Cuerdas
3. Jesus De Nazareth
4. Autumn Leaves
5. Mediterraneo

Harpist, Band leader and composer Edmar Castaneda was born in Bogotá, Colombia where he started playing the Colombian harp at the early age of thirteen.
He has a unique style of playing harp, combining Latin Jazz with traditional Colombian music. Edmar has carved a firm place in the international jazz scene. A jazz harpist of imposing talent, he trans- forms the harp into a lead instrument to phenomenal effect. Producing cross-rhythms like a drummer, smashing chordal flour- ishes like a flamenco guitarist and collating bebop and Colombian music.“he is practically a world unto himself”.
Everything about his new album "Entre Cuerdas" feat. John Scofield and Joe Locke can be found on artistshare.

Karin Hammar Group & Mike Rodriguez live at JazzBaltica 2009

1. Fragments

2. Vera Cruz
3. Jumping The Gun
4. Only Time Will Tell
5. Chris-Crossed

Karin Hammar, Trombone
Jonas Östholm, Piano
Tony Overwater, Double Bass
Anders Kjellberg, Drums
Special Guest:
Michael Rodriguez, Trumpet

recorded live at JazzBaltica 2009, Große Konzertscheune Salzau, July 3, 2009

Stockholm based trombonist Karin Hammar had already notched up a long list of music references . Alongside tours and CD releases with jazz stars like Kenny Werner, Tim Hagans, Steve Swallow, Gary Burton or Maria Schneider it was first and foremost Nils Landgren, her kinsman on both instrument and native country who nudged her into the spotlight for example as member of the Jazz Baltica Orchestra or the EBU Bigband. In addition to that in Japan her recordings as Sliding Hammers with her sister Mimi, who also plays trombone, were highly acclaimed. "Everyday Magic" is her first own quartet recording released on SKIP.

NKQ – The Nigel Kennedy Quintet live in Burghausen 2009

Nigel Kennedy (violin)
Tomasz Grzegorski (saxophone)
Piotr Wyleżoł (piano, B3)
Adam Kowalewski (bass)
Krzysztof Dziedzic (drums)

40th International Jazzweek Burghausen 2009, Wackerhalle Burghausen, March 18, 2009

1. Introduction
2. Cloud
3. Where All Paths Meet
4. Father And Son
5. Nice Bottle Of Beaujolais, Innit?
6. Hills Of Saturn
7. Boo Booos Blooooze
8. Donovan
9. Third Stone From The Sun (Jimi Hendrix)

Mainly known as a classical violinist, Kennedy made his recording debut in 1984 with the Elgar Violin Concerto, but most know Kennedy through the version of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons which he recorded in 1989 with the English Chamber Orchestra. The release sold over 2 million copies and earned a place as one of the best-selling classical works ever. Besides his classical abilities he always had a great jazz sensibility: as a 10-year-old Kennedy would pick out Fats Waller tunes on the piano after hearing his stepfather's jazz records. At the age of 16, Kennedy was invited by Stéphane Grappelli to appear with him at New York's Carnegie Hall, under the threat from his teachers at the Juilliard that it would ruin his classical career.
Living in Krakow/ Poland he formed his NKQ with some of Poland´s finest jazz musicians, leading to the 2008 record "A very nice album", released on EMI.

Firomanum live at Jazzfest Berlin 2008

Foto © Fritz Meffert, Collage Patrick Hespeler

Niels Klein - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinets
Arne Jansen - Guitar
Eva Kruse - Bass
Nils Tegen - Drums

recorded live at A-Trane, Berlin, November 7, 2008

1. Ranterkant jagt (Tegen)
2. March (Jansen)
3. The mean Spider of Tandonrine (Kruse)
4. CPO (Klein)
5. Progression (Tegen)
6. Firomatie (Tegen)
7. New/old Tenderly (Tegen)

A band without a leader? Is that actually survivable in this fast moving age? Even more when all band members already participate in a lot of successful projects?
Half of the quartet Firomanum lives in Cologne, the other half in Berlin. Since their formation in 2000, the four work on a democratic basis: Everyone writes for everyone, all play for all, together they’re Firomanum. This distribution of power, falls in place to a balanced ensemble. In every member are those sparks that the name of the band promises. And they sparkle auspiciously. After their succesful debut album „Firomanum“ in 2003 (Schoener Hoeren) they now sovereignly come up with their second album "SCOPE", released on Traumton:

Uri Caine´s Bedrock feat. Barbara Walker live at Jazzclub Unterfahrt, Munich/ Germany 2009

Uri Caine - Fender Rhodes E-Piano
Tim Lefebvre - Bass
Zach Danziger - Drums
Special Guest: Barbara Walker - Vocals

Recorded live at Jazzclub "Unterfahrt" Munich/ Germany, September 23, 2009

1. Othello
2. Work It Out
3. Till You Come Back To Me
4. Nymphomania
5. Riled Up
6. Defenestration
7. Walk With Me

Bedrock´s latest cd "plastic temptation" was released on "Music Edition Winter & Winter"

Nils Landgren Funk Unit live in Burghausen 2000

Nils Landgren (tb, voc)

Per "Rusktrask" Johansson (sax, fl)

Jesper Nordenström (p)
Robert Östlund (g)
Magnum Coltrane Price (b)
Hakan Landgren (perc)
Niklas Gabrielsson (dr)

recorded live at 31. International Jazzweek Burghausen, Wackerhalle Burghausen,
May 19, 2000

1. Walk Tall
2. Glen and Steve
3. Stop By
4. Compare To What
5. Ain´t Nobody

My favourite album by Nils Landgren´s Funk Unit is still the 1999 burner "5000 Miles", feat. Esbjörn Svensson, Tim Hagans, Roy Hargrove, Till Brönner, Fred Wesley, just to name a few... of course released on ACT:

Nils Landgren Project live at JazzBaltica 2002

Nils Landgren – tb, voc
Jonas Lindgren – vl
Örjan Högberg – vl
Matthias Helldén – cello
Sebastian Öberg – cello
Christian Olsson – dr, samples
Anders Widmark – p
Lars Danielsson – b
Wolfgang Haffner – dr

recorded live at JazzBaltica 2002, Große Konzertscheune, Salzau, July 6, 2002

1. Speak Low
2. Ghost In This House
3. This Masquerade
4. Nature Boy
5. The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men
6. Be There For You
7. Fragile
8. Everything Must Change
9. My Foolish Heart

The music of this concert was originally arranged for the album "Sentimental Journey",released on ACT. "Mr. Redhorn" once again gives way to his sensitive side and undertakes a trip to the land of emotions. "Sentimental Journey" - could there be a more appropriate title for an album from someone who is almost always speeding from one gig to the next, but who would like to shift down a gear? Nils declared that, "After all the hectic tours in this last period, it was simply the right time to do this album. I’ve always liked quiet songs that tell a story. It doesn’t make much difference to me whether I tell that story with words or with my instrument."

A lot of heart went into the making of "Sentimental Journey"; it is a project that is worked down to the smallest detail. What is more boring than a record on which every piece sounds pretty much the same? That’s not the case here. Every song has its own individual arrangement and stands alone in its beauty. Landgren is no friend of simple solutions - he’s not content with getting his ideas ready-made. Instead of using the usual string ensemble for an adequate background, he opted for the original FleshQuartet out of his Swedish homeland. Landgren intoned, "It’s damned hard to translate the ideas you have perpetually running around in your head into sounds, but I never thought it was possible that they could sound better in reality than the way I had painted them in my fantasy. I’ll always be indebted to the Fleshquartet for their contribution to this recording."

Rolf Kühn: Blues for Swingers - The Hamburg Tapes

Rolf Kühn Combo: Hamburg Souvenirs 1962
Rolf Kühn, clarinet
Line up unknown
recorded live at Studio Hamburg, May 1962

1. Just Friends (Klenner)
2. Hämmerchen-Polka (Gietz/Bradtke)
3. Steeplechase (Charlie Parker)
4. If I should lose you (Rainger/Robin)
5. Bag's Groove (Milt Jackson)
6. Star eyes (Raye/dePaul)
7. Blues for Swingers (R.Kühn)
8. Striptease-Susie (R.Kühn)
9. Little Girl Blue (Rodgers/Hart)

Rolf Kühn is a living legend among Germany´s top jazz musicians. Having played with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Friedrich Gulda, Jimmy Garrison, Albert Mangelsdorff, Chick Corea, Randy & Michael Brecker, Eddie Daniels and his younger brother Joachim Kühn, just to name a few, he masters a wide range of styles.
Rolf Kühn recently celebrated his 80th Birthday with a great concert with the NDR Big Band. His latest record with some of Germany´s finest young jazz musicians is called "close up", released on Jazzwerkstatt.

Tomasz Stańko & Władysław Sendecki: Lob der Träume Suite

Lob der Träume Suite, Part I-V
Tomasz Stańko, trumpet
Władysław Sendecki, piano

recorded 1998 live at Studio Hamburg

Sendecki studied at the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy and the Academy of Music in Krakow. He played with his own groups, Extra Ball and Sunship, as well as alongside Leszek Zadlo and Janusz Stefanski in the Polski Jazz Ensemble, with Zbigniew Namysłowski, and with the Novi Singers. In 1981 he left Poland for political reasons, and settled in Switzerland, where he started an international career with the Polski Jazz Ensemble. Since 1996 he has been the pianist for the NDR Big Band. He also founded the Hamburg Jazz Quartet with Gerry Brown, Detlev Beier and Ingolf Burkhardt.

Roberto Fonseca Group live at Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele 2009

Roberto Fonseca : piano, keyboads
Joel Hierrezuelo : percussion
Javier Zalba : clarinet, saxophones, flute
Ramsés Rodríguez : drums
Omar González : bass

recorded live at Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, July 3, 2009

1. Lento y despacio
2. Bulgarian
3. Lo que me hace vivir
4. El ritmo de tus hombros
5. Siete potencias
6. Consumatum est
7. Drume Negrita
8. Llegó Cachaito
9. Eighties

Roberto Fonseca is a Cuban jazz pianist, born in Havana in 1975. After an early interest in drums, Fonseca switched to piano at the age of 8, and by 14 was experimenting with fusing American jazz and traditional Cuban rhythms; he appeared at Havana’s Jazz Plaza Festival in 1991 when he was just 15.
Fonseca studied at the Cuba’s prestigious Instituto Superior de Arte, where he obtained a Master’s degree in composition, even though he often says that he was a really bad student. After earning his degree, he left Cuba to find his sound.
His first album, En El Comienzo, which he recorded with Javier Zalba and the group Temperamento, was awarded “Cuba’s Best Jazz Album” in 1999. This success encouraged him to work on two solo records: Tiene Que Ver and Elengo, combining latin jazz, drum and bass, hip-hop, urban music and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
In 2001, Fonseca went to Japan to record No Limit: Afro Cuban Jazz. He also toured with the Buena Vista Social Club the same year and has worked with Rubén González, Ibrahim Ferrer, Cachaito, Guajiro Mirabal and Manuel Galbán.
In the words of one reviewer, his first album on the enja label, Zamazu, is “a deftly varied and well-sequenced set that leaves a strong impression of who Fonseca is and promises plenty for the future". The latest offering by this great pianist is called "Akokan", released on enja