Timo Vollbrecht’s FLY MAGIC (D/J/A/USA)
- Timo Vollbrecht - saxophone
- Matthias Pichler - double bass
- Sebastian Merk - drums
“Luminously fine” (All About Jazz Magazine) German saxophonist-bandleader Timo Vollbrecht is a passionate, improvising artist whose roots lie in Berlin’s innovative music scene. He creates his musical stories right at the explosive intersection of various musical styles and cultural diversity. With his quartet FLY MAGIC, he merges elements from contemporary jazz, post-rock, minimalism, new music and experimental soundscapes. Through this confluence of influences, the music of Timo Vollbrecht manages to transcend the limitations of musical genre.
The quartet’s “dynamic and emotive music is blessed with rhythmic fluidity and intricate twists” as The New York City Jazz Record puts it. A magical blend of vivacious energy and emotional intensity creates a genuine sound that often depicts the sensation of flying - hence, FLY MAGIC! Each composition creates its own universe and the band’s love for improvisation adds spontaneity to the mix. This touches the soul of music fans and jazz lovers alike.
FLY MAGIC is touring internationally. GRAMMY-Award-winning pianist Danilo Pérez invited the band to perform at the 2013 Panama Jazz Festival, followed by tours in Europe and the US. They also appeared at the Perth International Jazz Festival, the Thailand International Jazz Conference and played concerts in Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and China. At the Festival International de Jazz de Port-au-Prince in Haiti, FLY MAGIC shared the bill with highly acclaimed Branford Marsalis. This lead to a guest performance by Vollbrecht with Marsalis’s quartet at the legendary jazz-shrine Village Vanguard in New York. Their widely celebrated album, Fly Magic, was released in March 2016 and elected Jazz Album of the Week by Germany’s public radio NDR.
Acclaimed for his “warm blanket of sound”, Timo Vollbrecht released eight albums and received numerous awards (JazzThing Magazine). He has performed with Branford Marsalis at the Village Vanguard, with Kenny Werner, Randy Brecker, Joe Lovano and pop icon Robbie Williams. Vollbrecht was featured in different major publications and was among the Featured Artists of the Month in New York’s ‘jazz bible’ Hot House. In addition, he has appeared on such stages as the Blue Note Jazz Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Alice Tully Hall.
Keisuke Matsuno is a guitarist from Berlin, who has earned his reputation on the international improvised music scene thanks to his skillful creations of textural soundscapes. As a sound artist and highly inventive improviser, he plays in Jim Black’s band Crash and Grab and has performed with Dave Liebman, Chris Potter, and Till Brönner. In 2011, he gave his debut at Carnegie Hall and in 2016, he collaborated with John Zorn at landmark venues such as the Village Vanguard, The Stone and National Sawdust.
Matthias Pichler is one of the finest jazz bassists in Europe. Born 1981 in Tirol, he studied jazz bass at the Anton Bruckner University in Linz and was awarded Austria’s prestigious Hans-Koller Award in 2004 and 2006. In 2010, he won the Jazz Competition of the International Bass Convention in Berlin. Since 2005 he is a regular member of the Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio. Other collaborations include Harry Sokal, Ingrid Jensen, Dick Oatts, Jochen Rückert, Marc Copland, Kirk Lightsey and Johannes Enders.
Sebastian Merk is one of Germany’s most in demand drummers. He is professor for jazz drums at the Dresden Conservatory of Music. Prof. Merk has gained international acclaim for his solo work as a composer, as well as for his collaborations with Johannes Enders, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Lee Konitz, Spaniol4, Bartmes and Sebastian Studnitzky.