Pocket Rhapsody II

Frank Woeste - Pocket RhapsodyCD / digital Frank Woeste piano, Fender rhodes & synths Eric Vloeimans trumpet Robinson Khoury trombone Julien Herné bass Stéphane Galland drums Oscar Woeste voice on Tryptique III Children‘s Choir Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine When Frank Woeste's "Pocket Rhapsody" album was released in early 2016, the pianist earned a well-deserved place in the limelight. Here was a pianist who “doesn’t sound like anyone else out there at the moment" (London Jazz News) with a "style at once powerful, elegant, rousing and outlandish" (ARTE Metropolis). The album also brought a strong reconnection with the German jazz audience, because although Woeste has made his home since 1999 in Paris, and has a substantial profile on the French scene – both through his own projects and as a result of his work alongside stars such as Youn Sun Nah and Ibrahim Maalouf – he was actually born in Hanover. Woeste is living proof of the power of what can happen when cultures combine. In him we find a technical grounding from German classical music coexisting with a passion for American jazz and with the spirit of his adoptive country: "I am strongly influenced by the particular way jazz has always been viewed in France, as music that can blend well with other forms – world music, French music... There is a freedom here to take the jazz language, to adapt it and find one’s own way," he reflects. "Pocket Rhapsody". The album title of Woeste’s first ACT album as leader encapsulated an approach to music that is rhapsodic, free and personal, and which he takes considerably further in "Pocket Rhap-sody II". There is a whole cornucopia of timbres, a big emotional range, the compositions encompass many different aesthetics inclu-ding pop and rock, but always with a clear sense of where we are. The album gives us much more of the beguiling sounds Woeste conjures from his 1970s Fender Rhodes and from various synthesizers, and there is a surprise: the joyous intervention of a children's choir. "My son Oscar sings in the ‘Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine’ choir. I would always take him along to his rehearsals and use the time to work on the material for 'Pocket Rhapsody II' on my laptop. And as I listened to my music with the choir singing in the background, I had a thought: the children’s voices could bring humanity and classical poise, they would be the perfect counterweight to rocky and electric sounds of the band." The other players in the line-up for “Pocket Rhapsody II” also signal a new direction. Whereas the first album was an American affair with guitarist Ben Monder and drummer Justin Brown, the follow-up now features Woeste's French band: Rising trombone star Robinson Khoury from Lyon, the Belgian drummer Stephané Galland on drums (one of the founders of AKA Moon, and a specialist in complex grooves and polyrhythms), and bassist Julien Herné, whose deep sense of groove Woeste got to know when they worked together in Vincent Peirani’s Living Being band. These were the musicians who also played the "Pocket Rhapsody" tours. The wonderfully lyrical Dutch trumpeter Eric Vloeimans is a major presence too: "We met at a festival a few years ago, and found that we gelled both musically and personally straight away, so we have been playing together a lot as a duo. I knew that he would be ideal for 'Pocket Rhapsody II'. I'm always on the look-out for musicians with their own voice who are up for playing my music," says Woeste. Woeste clearly enjoys the different personal imprints on his music that other players bring to it. Tunes that have appeared in other places can be completely transformed and reborn, and that is particularly striking when one compares the two pieces which feature on both the old and the new "Pocket Rhapsody" albums. "Mirage", apart from restating the original melodic line, is more or less unrecognizable as the tune of the same name on the first album. The title track is similarly transformed through a totally different arrangement and is roughly half as long; in other words, it has been reduced to its essentials. Other tunes have also appeared in different contexts: Woeste has already recorded "Wintersong" with saxophonist Seamus Blake, "Clair Obscur" with guitarist Lage Lund – both of these as duets in his "Libretto Dialogues" series. He has recorded “Noire et Blanche” with Dave Douglas. But here they sound every bit as fresh and new as, say, the three-part "Tryptique”, specially written for the album. What is remarkable is how all the different strands fit together so perfectly. Because of the experience the band has of extensive touring playing the repertoire together, the album has completeness and coherence despite all its stylistic openness, and all its joy, freedom and experimentation. "A rhapsody, “ Frank Woeste says, "is a free form which goes through a wide range of emotions." There is a very special immediacy and verve about "Pocket Rhapsody II”, but it is also beautifully put together. Woeste has again succeeded in creating what the Irish Times discerned in the first album: "the fresh and invigorating sound of a pianist daring to be different." Credits: Music composed, arranged and produced by Frank Woeste Recorded and mixed by Erwan Boulay at Studio Libretto, Paris, June 2019 Mastered by Guillaume Jay Children’s Choir Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine, directed by Gaël Darchen Music Project Director: Clotilde Sébert

Various Artists - Magic Moments 13CD / digitalBest Jazzinfotainment: 16 tracks, 75 minutes of music in the Spirit of Jazz, including Nils Landgren & Jan Lundgren, Wolfgang Haffner,Ulf Wakenius, Solveig Slettahjell, Grégoire Maret, Vincent Peirani & Emile Parisien, Kadri Voorand, Viktoria Tolstoy, Jazzrausch Bigband.Credits: Compilation by Siggi Loch Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann

Various Artists - Fahrt ins Blaue Nguyên Lê &Paolo Fresu, Lars Danielsson feat. Jan Bang, Wolfgang Haffner, Bugge Wesseltoft, Jacob Karlzon 3, e.s.t. Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Cæcilie Norby, Oddjob, Frank Woeste, Viktoria Tolstoy feat. Nils Landgren, Ida Sand feat. Jan Lundgren, Nils Landgren Funk Unit, McJazz [directed by Annette Humpe & Anselm Kluge], Roberto Di Gioia's Marsmobil feat. Johannes Enders, Tonbruket, Michael Wollny Trio On Fahrt ins Blaue, atmospheric soundscapes pass by: organic, dynamic, virtuosic, and smooth. The compilation floats effortlessly between electronic textures and acoustic jazz. The journey begins. Time seems to stand still at first: A breeze from Sardinia drifts through a mysterious Asian world (“Lacrima Christi”). The sound cosmos of trumpeter Paolo Fresu and guitarist Nguyên Lê is hypnotic and directionless. A groove sets in — a simple piano melody floats on the surface (“Ironside”): chill-out jazz with blue notes by the master of atmosphere, Lars Danielsson. The Fahrt ins Blaue continues with “Germany’s coolest drummer” (ARD ttt), Wolfgang Haffner, and his drum & bass-inspired ambient jazz (“Shapes”). Pianist and sound tinkerer Bugge Wesseltoft offers insight into his “New Conception of Jazz” (“Existence”). Things become weightless with Jacob Karlzon’s electro-acoustic piano trio jazz (“Bubbles”). The Esbjörn Svensson Trio takes us on a summery, joyful joyride with their virtuoso fun-hit “Spam-Boo-Limbo.” Things take a quirky turn when Clint Eastwood rides across the soundscape in “Ecstasy of Gold”, from the Western classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, in a jazzed-up version by Swedish jazz cowboys Oddjob. That feeling of cool summer rain on your skin is evoked by Ida Sand with her haunting cover of the Eurythmics’ “Here Comes The Rain Again.” And Nils Landgren’s Funk Unit meets us with a funked-out, laid-back take on an ABBA classic (“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”). We make a relaxed stop with Annette Humpe’s McJazz. With charm and a wink, she serves up “Coffee & Tea.” Nu jazz, minimal electro, and lounge pop intertwine in a unique blend crafted by keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Roberto Di Gioia. On “Yelloworange,” he’s joined by saxophonist Johannes Enders. In a moving and elegiac homage, Dan Berglund’s Tonbruket remembers the late Esbjörn Svensson — the shining star of European jazz who passed away in 2008 — with “Song For E,” before the Fahrt ins Blaue ends with the Michael Wollny Trio: “Questions In A World Of Blue.”Credits:Compilation produced by Marco Ostrowski Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann

Frank Woeste - Pocket RhapsodyCD / digital Frank Woeste piano, Fender Rhodes, organ & bass synth Ben Monder guitar Justin Brown drums Guests: Ibrahim Maalouf trumpet on 02 & 08 Youn Sun Nah vocals on 03 Sarah Nemtanu violin Gregoire Korniluk cello “There are times,” says pianist Frank Woeste, “when I think how useful it would be to have a third hand.” That thought seems to encapsulate an important trait in Woeste's playing, namely his natural urge to arrange and to orchestrate at the piano, something which is evident right from the start of his album “Pocket Rhapsody.” Woeste is not just an exceptionally fine pianist and a gifted exponent of the Fender Rhodes, he also has a thorough understanding of his own creative process. If all art is about leaving an impression, then Woeste's mission is to etch a deep mark both as a player and as a composer. His debut as an artist on ACT, then, not only reveals a musician brimming with ideas, but also a fully-fledged composer and an extremely adept arranger. His trio with guitarist Ben Monder and drummer Justin Brown creates a sound which is orchestral in its scale and its impact. The intimacy of chamber music goes hand in hand here with the forward propulsion of a jazz trio, and with the power of a big band. In other words, the title “Pocket Rhapsody” gets it right. People who know the French jazz scene well have been aware of Woeste's exceptional qualities for a long time. He is one of the few German jazz musicians to have become a recognized name in France. The pianist, now 39, has received praise from critics and wowed audiences as a member of the bands of French trumpet heroes Ibrahim Maalouf and Médéric Collignon, or alongside Stéphane Belmondo, Michel Portal, Sylvain Luc or Flavio Boltro. He even had an early spell as the pianist in the very first band of singer Youn Sun Nah. It was through the connection with Nah that Siggi Loch eventually became aware of him, which has led to him being welcomed in as a member of the ACT label family. Woeste's name has until recently been a closely guarded secret among insiders - the broadcaster WDR recognized him not long ago as “one of the best German jazz pianists.” Woeste was born in 1976 in Hanover, into a highly musical family. “Everyone played an instrument, and we made all kinds of music together as a family, from chamber music to jazz standards,” he remembers. “I tried out all kinds of instruments, drums, clarinet, flute and accordion. I ended up with the piano…and stuck at it.” His experience as an exchange school student in the US solidified his interest in jazz. Before he had completed secondary school, he had enrolled as a junior student at the University of the Arts Bremen. He played in bands on the local scene, had a stint with the regional youth jazz orchestra in Lower Saxony, and was also pianist with the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra (BuJazzO) until 1999. However, two years before that, in 1997, he was accepted as a student at the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris (CNSM). Paris is where he has found both musical and personal fulfilment, and where he stayed to live. Woeste's style probably owes its individuality to his experience of more than one culture. Notably, Arab and Asian influences have stayed with him, following trips under the aegis of both Cultures France and of the Goethe Institute. In his music are to be found the ideas of French “folklore imaginaire,” with structures from classical composition, drum'n'bass, funky syncopation, American improvised jazz from its heyday, and avant-garde electronica. Combined together, they make “Pocket Rhapsody” into a masterpiece. On this album a kaleidoscope of different tonal colours, a mighty chorus of sounds is progressively revealed. These are organized and integrated by someone with a precise knowledge of how to use and to combine both acoustic and electronic instruments. The listener will hear this to good effect in the directive energy of “Buzz Addict,” informed with prog-rock attitude, or in “Interlude,” a quiet piece in which Ben Monder's electric guitar has the dominant role. Further evidence is to be found in “Melancholia,” a classical ballad with strings added, and perhaps above all in the title track, which contains all of these different strands, which culminates in a savage crescendo, and then falls back into silence. Woeste is not short of eminent companions for this voyage. Youn Sun Nah sings “The Star Gazer” with the kind of captivating emotional intensity that might be expected of her. Ibrahim Maalouf contributes his incomparably expressive, oriental-tinged trumpet lyricism to the glistening “Moving Light” and to “Nouakchott,” a magical and richly evocative whirring of warm air over the desert sand. The time has come for Frank Woeste to be re-discovered in Germany as a prodigal son, and to be recognized more widely as a prodigious talent.Credits:Composed, arranged & produced by Frank Woeste Lyrics on 03 by Youn Sun Nah Recorded by Frank Woeste at Studio Libretto, January 2014 Additional Recording by Peter Karl at Peter Karl Studio, New York, March 2014 Editing and Mixing by Julien Carton and Frank Woeste at Sweetspot Studio Mastering by Raphael Jonin and Maël Vallin Cover art by Terry Winters, „Clocks and Clouds“ (7), 2012 / ACT Art Collection

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