Natalia Mateo

Various Artists - Fahrt ins Blaue III - dreamin in the spirit of jazzCD / digital Esbjörn Svensson E.S.T. Symphony Youn Sun Nah, Ulf Wakenius & Lars Danielsson Wolfgang Haffner Quartet feat. Dusko Goykovich Nils Landgren Quartet Paolo Fresu, Richard Galliano &Jan Lundgren Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr, Tim Lefebvre & Nate Wood Viktoria Tolstoy Cæcilie Norby & Lars Danielsson Matthieu Saglio &Vincent Peirani Ulf Wakenius Norah Jones, Joel Harrison & David Binney Jan Lundgren Quartet Michael Wollny & Vincent Peirani Natalia Mateo Jens Thomas & Christof Lauer Daydreams and soothing stories...in the Spirit of Jazz "There's a place for us, somewhere a place for us. Peace and quiet and open air wait for us. Somewhere…". These words from the classic song from Leonard Bernstein's “West Side Story” set the tone for "Fahrt ins Blaue III - dreamin' in the Spirit of Jazz": this is uplifting music, to take the mind and the soul to a place of safety. The kind of quiet interlude in a day which is always restorative. Switch off and then switch back on – better focused. We find calm, intimacy, thoughtfulness here; the sixteen tracks in this compilation have a sense of flow, while also allowing the listener to wander off into all kinds of musical dream worlds....From the very first spacious piano tones of Esbjörn Svensson’s "Ajar", one feels time standing blissfully still. This little gem, and the "e.s.t. Prelude" which follows it, is our entry point into the dreamy universe which will open itself up to us over the next 67 minutes. Youn Sun Nah's bittersweet "Lento", based on the music of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin, gently emerges, seamlessly followed by Dusko Goykovich’s wonderfully warm and sad muted trumpet as he contemplates the falling of "Autumn Leaves" with Wolfgang Haffner's "Kind of Cool" ensemble. Then we hear singer/trombonist Nils Landgren, gentle almost to the point of weightlessness in "Somewhere". There is poetry and the originality in Paolo Fresu, Richard Galliano and Jan Lundg-ren’s Mare Nostrum Trio: we hear Swedish pianist Lundg-ren’s earwormish ballad “Aurore”. Lundgren also appears with his own quartet, with some hushed lyrical magic from Finnish saxophonist Jukka Perko in "No.9". On "Fahrt ins Blaue III", Michael Wollny and Vincent Peirani show their astonishing kinship of spirit and their serendipitous ability to move together in their duetting on "The Kiss". Accordionist Peirani is also to be heard with Ricardo Esteve’s heart-rendingly lovely flamenco guitar and cellist Matthieu Saglio on the poignantly sad but uplifting and warmly Mediterranean "Bolero triste". We then hear the Wasserfuhr brothers transport us to New York's Brooklyn Bridge with a sweeping view of the shimmering Manhattan skyline at dusk with their relaxed grooving jazz ballad "Carlo". For peace and inspiration, there’s a man and his guitar: Ulf Wakenius plays Keith Jarrett's "My Song". That is followed by the duo of Caecilie Norby and Lars Danielsson enchanting us with an intimate version of Leonard Cohen's “Hallelujah”. Two more singers take us to the world of cinema: Natalia Mateo sings Wojciech Młynarski's gorgeous lyrics to Krzysztof Komeda’s “Lullaby” from "Rosemary's Baby", starting in her native Polish, and drifting into utterly beautiful wordlessness; and Viktoria Tolstoy offers that most pensive and gentle of breakup songs, "Why Should I Care". from the Clint Eastwood film "True Crime", with some stupendous guitar work from Krister Jonsson. And then there is an appearance by inimitable Norah Jones alongside guitarist Joel Harrison and saxophonist David Binney. She recorded a languid version of the country song "Tennessee Waltz" on ACT, on the album "Free Country", from the same era as her 27 million-seller "Come Away With Me". Pianist Jens Thomas and saxophonist Christof Lauer give us the quiet poise of “Green Dance”. This epilogue sums up the aesthetic of "Fahrt ins Blaue III": dreamlike music of beauty, tranquillity and calm – that it is well worth spending some time with. Credits:Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann

Natalia Mateo - De ProfundisCD / digital Natalia Mateo vocals Sebastian Gille saxophone Simon Grote piano Dany Ahmad guitars Christopher Bolte e-bass Felix Barth double bass Fabian Ristau drums Enigmatic and profound The title of Natalia Mateo’s album, “De Profundis” - meaning ‘out of the depths’ in Latin - sets the tone: the inspirational well-springs for her music are both personal and profound. Subtle, knowing songs leave the listener in no doubt of a determination to mark out musical paths that are Mateo's, and hers alone. Thoughtful, original compositions and highly personal adaptations of songs reflect her story set against a backdrop of East and West, a life punctuated by changes of surroundings, by departures which lead to fresh beginnings. The music of “De Profundis” has a three-fold inspiration: Poland, her country of birth, with its natural closeness to the Slavic traditions has left its mark, as have the international influences of her elective home city of Berlin; finally, Mateo is particularly drawn towards unconventional artists from music, literature and fine art, free spirits such as Joni Mitchell, Maya Angelou and Louise Bourgeois. What she values most about them is the way they have made their mark through a vehement yet unruffled mode of expression, their depth and sustained creativity. There is courage and consistency in the way Mateo follows her intuition as singer, composer and bandleader, and finds her own expressive strength. She combines facets of jazz, Polish folk music and the singer-songwriter tradition. With her affecting intensity all of these are combined in a mesmerizing kaleidoscope. In “De Profundis” Mateo and her band show the experience accrued through the past few years of extended touring. The singer herself captivates not just through intensity but also through restraint. At times the sparseness of sound and structure can be intense, while judiciously chosen instrumentation creates a very distinctive sound. Quiet, emotionally charged passages contrast with sudden bursts of fierce energy. Born in 1983, Mateo now has all the experience, craft and judgement one could ask for - as well as the self-awareness to know that she will occasionally divide opinion. Alongside Mateo herself, the guitarist Dany Ahmad, pianist Simon Grote, bassist Christopher Bolte and drummer Fabian Ristau form a regular band which has grown together over the course of several years. Songs and arrangements have often emerged from the interplay of the band working together. The multi-layered and expressive “Eksplozja Paranoja” has joint authorship by all the musicians. Another commonly created setting, of William Blake’s philosophical poem “Eternity” has a nimbler feel. It is remarkable how seamlessly tenor saxophonist Sebastian Gille fits into this band. His varied and empathetic contributions reinforce moods, and his focused but rough-edged timbre makes for a fuller and richer band sound. Guitarist Dany Ahmad also has range and flexibility to spare, from fast passage-work on the acoustic guitar to emphatic interjections on electric. Drummer/ percussionist Fabian Ristau holds back in some ballads, but can both lay down grooves and mark out sharply defined accents. Bass duties are shared between Christopher Bolte on electric and Felix Barth on upright. Compared with her highly praised debut on ACT “Heart of Darkness”, Mateo sings more often in her native Polish. Alongside a traditional Polish song, Mateo and her band have also taken more recent compositions, and interpret these in a highly individual manner. There is Krzysztof Komeda’s theme from the classic Roman Polański film “Rosemary's Baby”. Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” is rhythmically re-set, reharmonised, to emerge in a completely new guise. From originals and covers, through singing that can be gentle/lyrical and angular/punchy, moods from melancholy to anger, the range of “De Profundis” is wide. Track by track, more of what constitutes Natalia Mateo’s artistry and fascinating individuality is revealed. Credits: 01, 04, 06, 07 & 10 arranged by Natalia Mateo & Band 09 arranged by Natalia Mateo Produced by the artists Recorded by Łukasz Olejarczyk at RecPublica Studios, Lubrza (Poland), October 20 - 24, 2016 Mixed and mastered by Klaus Scheuermann The Art in Music: Cover art by Uwe Kowski, Tisch 1, 2015 / ACT Art Collection, Galerie EIGEN + ART Leipzig/Berlin

Various Artists - Magic Moments 8 "Sing Hallelujah"CD / digitalThe eighth edition of the popular series Magic Moments is a 71-minute musical joyride through the current ACT release schedule, and features not just the stars of the label but also its newcomers and discoveries. The ACT label's proprietor and producer-in-chief Siggi Loch has put together a programme of sixteen tracks, under the title “Sing Hallelujah.” Encompassing jazz, soul, gospel and Afro-American roots music, it is yet another example of the Munich-based label defining itself by the will to be different, and by steering well clear of predictable and well-trodden paths. This is music “in the spirit of jazz,” which slips effortlessly between genres. It is fresh and up-to-date, and refuses to be a slave to any pre-ordained style. Magic Moments 8, “Sing Hallelujah” places the vocal artists of ACT in the spotlight. The collection opens with soul-blues legend Mighty Sam McClain, who died very recently. He is heard here with Knut Reiersrud, the Norwegian guitarist. Reiersrud himself is also heard later on another track with singer Solveig Slettahjell and the trio In The Country. They perform “Borrowed Time” from the album "Trail of Souls,” a CD which marries the American gospel and spiritual traditions with a Norwegian sound aesthetic. The title track “Sing Hallelujah,” a song by Mike Settle, is sung by Torsten Goods. He is surrounded by an all-star band of Roberto Di Gioa, Tim Lefebvre and Wolfgang Haffner, and delivers the song with his characteristic cool and nonchalance. Ida Sand has one track "Hey Hey, My My,” in which she honours Neil Young. The voice of Natalia Mateo "has a story all of its own to tell,” in the words of Die Zeit. Mateo gives “I Put a Spell on You,” - sung in the fifties by American blues singer Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and later a huge hit for Nina Simone – a treatment which is bound to take people by surprise. Norwegian singer-songwriter Randi Tytingvåg shows her genuine class on “Steady Going,” a song with its roots in American folk and country music. Drummer Wolfgang Haffner in “Piano Man” brings vocals to his “Kind of Cool” group with the powerful soul singer Max Mutzke. The final tracks of Magic Moments 8 are all instrumentals, but they could not be more varied and contrasted. Bassist Dieter Ilg with his regular trio interpret Beethoven; Iiro Rantala plays John Lennon's “Imagine” alone at the piano; saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, a 3-time Downbeat winner in 2015, honours the great Charlie Parker with “Bird Calls. The old cowhand shout of Yippee Ki Yay….in Berlin? Kalle Kallema the Finnish guitarist now makes his home in the German capital and his trio's take on the western classic “Ghost Riders In the Sky,” by Stan Jones and the Death Valley Rangers really does bring High Noon to the mean streets of Kreuzberg. Pianist Frank Woeste, born in Hannover, is a new face on the ACT Label. He has been a major and consistent success in France where he now lives, and where he frequently performs with Ibrahim Maalouf and Youn Sun Nah. Here the singer brings her unique and inimitable voice to “Star Gazer.” “If music be the food of love, play on,” begins Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night. Add the words “... and of life,” and what results is an artistic credo, the philosophy which underlies all that the ACT label does. Siggi Loch and his team have been producing nourishing music for the past 23 years with an unstinting passion and an instinct for quality. This is music which goes straight the hearts and minds of people whose ears are open to the unexpected, and who love good music. “Magic Moments 8” is 100% true to that vision.Credits: Compilation by Siggi Loch Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann

Natalia Mateo - Heart of DarknessCD / digital Natalia Mateo vocals Gregor Lener trumpet & effects Simon Grote piano Dany Ahmad guitars Christopher Bolte bass Fabian Ristau drums & percussion “I always went my own road and on my own legs where I had a mind to go.”This quote from the 1899 short novel “Heart of Darkness” by Polish writer Joseph Conrad could also be Natalia Mateo’s philosophy of life. The 31 year-old vocalist is a wanderer between the worlds - musically and in real life. Born in Poland, raised in Austria and now living in Germany, she has absorbed the most varied of impressions and cultures into her being. She draws from the Slavic ballad tradition, from American jazz and singer-songwriters ranging from Joni Mitchell to Amy Macdonald, and from contemporary pop and rock music. Mateo’s music is a highly personal declaration of love to tradition and modernity, to familiarity on the one hand and on the other to the wanderlust throbbing in her heart and head, to the beauty of emotional attachment, of deepest interpersonal relationships and the independence we live while in them. “Jazz blossoms with deep roots” is how the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper recently summarised a concert appearance of Natalia Mateo. The German Jazzpodium writes of the singer: “Mateo’s voice has something crystalline, something wistfully brittle. She sounds vulnerable, but not violated, self confident but without the slightest hint of elitist ambition.” And the Jazzthetik magazine sees in her music “the mysterious other that casts a spell on you.” Natalia Mateo is as yet still an insider tip, but now with her ACT debut she presents her captivating art to a broader audience. “This voice has its own story to tell“ (Die Zeit).Credits:Produced by the artists Executive Producer: Marco Ostrowski Recorded by Markus Braun at Fattoria Musica, Osnabrück, September 12 - 14, 2014 Mixed and mastered by Klaus Scheuermann