Christopher Dell

Danielsson - Dell - Landgren - Salzau Music On The WaterCD / Vinyl / digital Lars Danielsson bass Christopher Dell vibraphone, speech Nils Landgren trombone What makes the installation “Music on the Water“ by Ilya Kabakov & Vladimir Tarasov, situated on the palace pond in Salzau so unique, is the way it captures the essence of music.It was exactly ten years ago, that the two artists created their idea of a visual “field of sound” in Salzau, and the pier in the pond that seems so raw and artless, has held a strange kind of magical attraction ever since. In the book about “Music on the Water”, Kabakov himself has said that “notes, sounds create a field of energy, a special ambience.” Music is experienced as something that happens in a space. “The notes arrange themselves in this ambience, and each of us wanders through a space on its energy map.”What can the visitor expect? The construction itself seems unfinished; time itself seems to have stopped. A scaffolding has been put up, walls are missing, a stone thrown would find no windows. The distinction between inside and outside has been rendered meaningless. The place provides no cover. Steel wires span the beams that hold no roof, and from them hang various everyday objects such as knives and forks as well as some metal sound rods. The wind breathes through the pier and draws quiet sounds from the objects touching each other. In all these years I have rarely experienced a summer festival in which this place didn’t attract visitors, enticing them to stay. It has a melancholy atmosphere; it draws us away from “the inevitability of everyday stress“ (Thomas Deecke in “Music on the Water“).But not until the festival year 2005 did the JazzBaltica artists discover the installation as a place for their music. The initiative had come from Siggi Loch, who had been a regular visitor to the installation. And he knew about the magical atmosphere of the early morning hours at “Music on the Water“. It was exactly at 6 o’clock on the morning of Monday the 4th of July 2005, and after the festival and the session at the palace, that Lars Danielsson, Christopher Dell and Nils Landgren carried their instruments past the tents of the campers and set themselves up, just as the sun was rising. At first only a few guests were present as they sounded the first hesitant, restrained notes – soft like the morning dew. They were accompanied by birdsong, protesting swans on the pond and the sound of the morning wind in the web of knives and forks above the three musicians. Rarely has music found its way back to its source in this way. It was an extraordinary example of musical silence. Kabakov und Tarasov would have enjoyed this space filled with sound playing a tangible leading role in their installation. JazzBaltica itself has never ended more aptly than on this early morning in the Salzau palace gardens.Credits: Recorded live and open air at the JazzBaltica Festival at 5:00 a.m. on July 4, 2005 by Cees Snellink Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann Produced by Siegfried Loch

Wolfgang Haffner - Dream Band live in ConcertCD / Vinyl / digital Wolfgang Haffner drums, table tubes & log drum Randy Brecker trumpet Nils Landgren trombone & vocals (Get Here) Bill Evans saxohone, vocals & piano (Bones from the Ground) Christopher Dell vibraphone Simon Oslender keyboards & piano Thomas Stieger bass Stars, Drive und Herz: Brecker, Landgren, Evans und mehr - Die „Dream Band“ des Schlagzeugers Wolfgang Haffner auf einem Live-Doppelalbum.Credits: Recorded during the Karsten Jahnke JazzNights Tour in Germany, November 2021 Mixed and produced by Wolfgang Haffner Recording engineer: Jochen Etzel Mastering: Peter Heider at Purecuts Cover art by Peter Krüll

Wolfgang Haffner - Kind of TangoCD / Vinyl / digital Wolfgang Haffner drums Lars Danielsson bass & cello Christopher Dell vibraphone Simon Oslender piano Vincent Peirani accordion Ulf Wakenius guitar Alma Naidu vocals Sebastian Studnitzky trumpet Bill Evans saxophone (07 & 09) Lars Nilsson flugelhorn (03) “This isn’t about reproducing an original, it’s much more like a translation. When I absorb and adapt influences and when I write, I follow my own path – and that allows me to be myself. It’s a process from which something new and contemporary can emerge.” This is how Wolfgang Haffner describes the artistic approach in his “Kind of...” album trilogy, all of which have the unmistakable Haffner sound running right through them. After a first adventure in cool jazz, and then a search for musical traditions in Spain, his new destination is Buenos Aires: “From the moment Siggi Loch suggested tango as my third point of departure, I didn’t need any more convincing. Rhythm is the essence of tango, plus catchy melodies which can then be developed – and there’s so much emotion in it too.” “Kind of Tango” is indeed a kaleidoscope of shifting emotions. Haffner’s conception of tango has drama and propulsion in it, but also melancholy and longing, with room for frenetic outbursts too. All this is unified by his inimitable groove and feel that commentators have called “an absolute dream”, “magical” and “profoundly relaxed”. Alongside trusted co-protagonists Christopher Dell and Lars Danielsson, he has two guests with him who defy all the clichés associated with tango: guitarist Ulf Wakenius cut his teeth musically in Oscar Peterson’s band, and his Swedish heritage always shines through in his playing. Vincent Peirani is one of the leading innovators on the accordion, and he finds new ways to define the instrument’s role in the tango. Young pianist Simon Oslender is making a first appearance with the band. Jazz and tango find a natural yet constantly shifting equilibrium – to be heard particularly effectively on “Close Your Eyes And Listen” by Astor Piazzolla. In addition to compositions by Haffner himself and by his band members, pieces by the celebrated Argentinian bandoneon player and composer are the focal point of the album. Piazzolla’s innovations with the tango, such as bringing jazz into it, date from around 1955. Haffner and the tango seem perfectly matched to each other. Tango is no longer a fixed style nowadays, it is above all an attitude to playing and an attitude to life. Wolfgang Haffner’s approach to tango is both authentic and new. It is his and his alone. And it is irresistible.Credits: Cover art (detail) by Gert & Uwe Tobias

Wolfgang Haffner - Kind Of SpainCD / Vinyl / digital Wolfgang Haffner drums Jan Lundgren piano Sebastian Studnitzky trumpet Daniel Stelter guitar Christopher Dell vibraphone Lars Danielsson bass The “Sound of Europe,” captured and documented on CD and vinyl. For over 25 years, the ACT label has had a consistent mission to support and promote European jazz, and had substantial impact through doing it. All shades, all hues…but with an emphasis on specific countries and regions, among which maybe the best examples are Sweden and France. Of these two countries, ACT’s connection to Spain is perhaps the less well-known, and yet the very first production by the label was a venture involving Spain, Germany and the USA. In July 1992 label founder Siggi Loch brought the WDR Big Band together in Cologne with a few of the finest flamenco specialists from the Iberian peninsula, as well as heavyweights from American jazz such as Al Di Meola. The result was “Jazzpaña” (ACT 9212-2) which garnered two Grammy nominations, a major success for the fledgling record label. The arrangements on the album were by the (then unknown) composer/ arranger Vince Mendoza and by the Turkish-born star US producer Arif Mardin. 25 years later, and award-winning German drummer Wolfgang Haffner is doffing the cap to both Mendoza and to Mardin – the latter died in 2006. On “Kind of Spain” Haffner and an acoustic sextet have combined the music of the Iberian peninsula and jazz. The first track “For Vince & Arif” is a tribute to both of the great arrangers – the drummer worked several times with both of them. “During the session,” remembers Haffner, “Siggi played us one of the tracks from “Jazzpaña”. It had those typical flamenco hand-claps. We spontaneously decided to sample the claps, and jammed over them.” Following on from the successful 1950’s cool jazz and bop excursions in “Kind of Cool”, “Kind of Spain” is again with an 100% acoustic band. Traditional Spanish music meets jazz. A cultural heritage which is more than 500 years old encounters the blue notes of the New World; flamenco and folklore meet new compositions by the bandleader. The vibe created by this sextet is introvert, warm and atmospheric, and the listener’s mind might easily drift off… to a roof terrace somewhere in Granada by night, perhaps. “My original wish was to record as a quintet,” says the ECHO Jazz prize-winner for drums from 2010. “A band with bass, guitar, piano and trumpet was already in existence. But then I decided that I absolutely wanted Christopher Dell to be part of the group as well, because he has had such an important role in my live band for years.” Vibraphonist Dell, who like pianist Jan Lundgren was on “Kind of Cool”, gives a particular tonal colour to this endeavour. Lars Danielsson has been a fixed presence in Haffner's groups right from the beginning; the bassist (who also plays cello) was on Haffner's ACT debut album “Shapes” in 2006, has been a member of his acoustic trio, and has been a musical close colleague for several years. Sebastian Studnitzky, who brings in his velvety trumpet sound, is another musician who has a long playing history with the drummer, not least the time when both of them were members of the Nils Landgren Funk Unit. And then there is the youngest member of this team: guitarist Daniel Stelter. “That melody is so strong that the softer you play it, the stronger it gets,” said Miles Davis of Joaquín Rodrigo's “Concierto de Aranjuez,” which he recorded for his 1960 album “Sketches of Spain.” Here Daniel Stelter plays the unforgettable tune – very much in the idiom of the trumpet legend. Stelter, whom Haffner got to know during Al Jarreau's final concert tour, demonstrates tremendous concentration - and also tenderness. "Space in music is essential to me," says Haffner. “Just a few notes, played in ballad tempo, that really appeals to me." Understatement is the order of the day on "Kind of Spain", with no one adding a note more than is necessary, and a bandleader whose drumming never has a scintilla of attention-seeking about it. "I like strong melodies and beautiful harmonies," Haffner emphasizes. "The very last thing I think about is how I am going to accompany the songs on the drums." Both "Tàpies" and "Salinas", composed in Haffner's adoptive home, Ibiza, show evidence of his elegant restraint. The traditional Andalusian 16th century piece "El Vito," and Lars Danielsson's exciting "Pasodoble," which is reminiscent of Spanish folk dance, are both invigorating popular songs. On these tracks Dell and Lundgren both shine with fine solos. So who knew? Spanish music...played by German and Swedish jazz musicians. Who would have guessed that so much Mediterranean passion and sensitivity can exist north of the Alps? And the answer is: everyone who knows Wolfgang Haffner. Credits: Produced by Lars Danielsson with Wolfgang Haffner Executive Producer & Curator: Siggi Loch Recorded by Arne Schumann at Hansa Studios Berlin, January 21 & 22, 2017 Mixed by Arne Schumann@Schumann&Bach Mastered by Peter Heider at Purecuts

Wolfgang Haffner - Kind of CoolCD / Vinyl / digital Wolfgang Haffner drums Christopher Dell vibraphone Jan Lundgren piano Dan Berglund bass Dusko Goykovich trumpet Jukka Perko alto saxophone Guests: Max Mutzke vocals Frank Chastenier piano Christian von Kaphengst bass Nils Landgren trombone James Dean and Marlon Brando were the glamorous heroes of the silver screen in the 50s. Character actors, sex symbols, blasé eccentrics with a penchant for extravagance. Role models for the rebellious youth: the embodiment of cool. A new attitude towards life was spreading around the USA. "The Birth of the Cool" also happened at the same time in the field of jazz, leading it to become the soundtrack of a generation. Miles Davis, John Lewis and the Modern Jazz Quartet, Dave Brubeck and Chet Baker (the "James Dean of jazz") gave jazz a whole new direction: the search for a special "cool" atmosphere based on tone and space in jazz, on substantial melodies with a laid-back approach designed for the collective. But this music was never cold-cool, it was merely played and conceived with what one might call a cool head. It is exactly this feeling and understanding of music that speaks from the heart of Wolfgang Haffner and drives his music forwards. So producer Siggi Loch didn't have any problem at all in convincing him to reinterpret an old understanding of the attitude with "Kind of Cool" in a way that was reminiscent of the origins of coolness in jazz: "The first jazz record I ever had was a gift: "Dave Brubeck live in Carnegie Hall". Immediately after that I went out and bought the Jazz Messengers and the Modern Jazz Quartet. That is how I began to occupy myself with jazz," Haffner recalls. So even if this ECHO Jazz-winning drummer, who is one of Germany's most successful jazz-band leaders, has played with the crème de la crème of the international music scene since then, in nearly all styles all the way through to rock and pop, and even if he has been involved in a good 400 albums, the source of it all were the heroes of modern jazz between 1950 and 1960. "I wouldn't call myself a cool, swing or bebop drummer," says Haffner. "I try to find the essence of the music. But the timing, melody and compositional structure of the cool jazz, that is in the nature of my music. The sound is the focus, and I think that is the important thing." Three main pillars define "Kind of Cool": First of all, "cool“ jazz tunes had to be on it. "So What" for example, the opener of "Kind of Blue", and "Django", the perhaps best-known composition by John Lewis, from the first album of his Modern Jazz Quartet. Secondly, standards were chosen from different styles that lent themselves to a "cool" interpretation. The most logical choice was "Autumn Leaves", made famous by the versions crafted by Cannonball Adderley with Miles Davis in 1958 and by Bill Evans in 1959. The Broadway ballad "My Funny Valentine" from 1937 also became a modern jazz standard thanks to the recordings made by Chet Baker and Miles Davis. And Billy Eckstine's "Piano Man" can be considered one of the "coolest" numbers made with the Kansas City sound of Count Basie; the two recorded it in 1959. Finally, Wolfgang Haffner contributed three of his own compositions that fit into the programme. "If you try to copy what they played back then, you can only lose," Haffner explains. "Nobody needs a second "Kind of Blue". What makes "Kind of Cool" so special is confronting the disparate fathers of the "cool“ tradition with the other feature, and to take the resulting number down to a common denominator: Davis' "So What", for instance, is dipped in the Modern Jazz Quartet sound by means of the vibraphone, while contrastingly the strict quartet piece "Django" gains the dynamic and ethereal splendour of the brass. Haffner's normally opulent compositions, that work with the dynamics and various sounds and rhythms, appear here in a sober, classic light. "Kind of Cool" is permeated by the typical Haffner feel that flows organically and naturally through the music. Haffner has a veritable all-star band at his side for "Kind of Cool". No other could have met the requirements better than Dusko Goykovich. The 83 year-old trumpeter with an ECHO Jazz for his life's work actually played together with the fathers of cool and modern jazz like Miles Davis, Art Blakey and Chet Baker. Pianist Jan Lundgren could also be considered as being ideal for the project, thanks in part to his profound mastery of the Great American Songbook and classical music; but also to his clear touch, intelligent phrasing and extraordinary timing. The vibraphone has a very special role on "Kind of Cool", having been one of the characteristic sounds of the Modern Jazz Quartet under the mallets of Milt Jackson. Christopher Dell, the virtuoso, avant-garde all-rounder among vibraphonists meets the challenge with aplomb. Finnish saxophonist Jukka Perko takes on the role of Paul Desmond, while e.s.t. bassist Dan Berglund helps Haffner provide the relaxed groove. Max Mutzke, a true soul man, takes over the vocal part on "Piano Man": "He'd never even heard of the piece, but in the end we used the very first take – it was perfect right off the bat," Haffner recalls. Jazz is just as "cool" today as it was then. Credits: Recorded by Arne Schumann on August 14 & 15, 2014 at Hansa Studio, Berlin. Recording Assistant: Jonas Zadow “Piano Man“ recorded by Philip Krause on July 15, 2014 at Emil-Berliner-Studio, Berlin Mixed by Arne Schumann @ Schumann & Bach Mastered by Peter Heider at Purecuts Cover art (detail) by Gert & Uwe Tobias, by permission of the artists

Unique musical encounters at Schloss Elmau: Highlights of the jazz partnership between Sweden and Germany - previously unreleased!

"A wonderful, moderate yet innovative homage to one of the great composers of the past century by one of the great vibraphonists of our time. Light yet highly ambitious. Simply terrific." - JAZZPODIUM

"A fantastic record" - STEREO