The German soulful jazz outfit Matti Klein Soul Trio have today announced their very first UK tour, which consists of five dates.
Berlin-born pianist and composer Matti Klein is a wizard behind his Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric piano.
After completing music studies in his home city, he led the successful funky jazz quartet Moâ Blow for a decade, issuing three albums on the renowned ACT label, while also acting as musical director and/or arranger for domestic superstars such as Herbert Grönemeyer and Sarah Connor, international pop artists like Jimmy Somerville, plus latter-day jazz greats Ed Motta, Torsten Goods and Nils Landgren.
Klein has to date performed over 1000 international concerts in legendary venues such as Ronnie Scottâs (London), Blue Note (Tokyo), Highline Ballroom (New York) and New Morning (Paris), as well as at numerous major festivals.
Klein can now be heard alongside the bass clarinet, tenor saxophone plus effects of Lars Zander and the tight grooves of ex-Moâ Blow drummer AndrĂ© Seidel in the Matti Klein Soul Trio, which was formed after the dissolution of Moâ Blow in 2017 and who have released two well received soul/jazz albums to date in âSoul Trioâ (2020) and âSoul Trio Live On Tapeâ (2021). Both have often been compared to classic gems released on the Impulse label in the â60s.
MATTI KLEIN
Soul Trio buy/stream | Soul Trio Live On Tape buy/stream
[both Shuffle Shack Records/Membran]
I live out my love of instrumental groove jazz in this trio, which is an exciting format for my compositions with the Wurlitzer as the main instrument,â states Klein. “Instead of a traditional line-up with bass, the three of us can play pretty fat grooves. The soul in the band name is also very important to me, as it emphasises that this is an absolute affair of the heart.”
âSoul Trioâ was recorded, mixed and co-produced by Axel Reinemer of Jazzanova and spanned a wide stylistic arc that encapsulated everything from âAfrican Taxitripâ – which paid tribute to Dollar Brand, Kleinâs own history with the Afrobeat band Kabu Kabu, and was also a big favourite of DJ Robert Elms at BBC London – to the dreamy downtempo hip-hop flow of âWindy Moveâ and the ambitious 8+ minute suite âRiver Journeyâ, a video for which can be seen HERE.
âSoul Trio Live On Tapeâ was actually recorded before the debut, when the trio laid down a set of live sessions with producer/engineer Jochen Ströh (Tony Allen, Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Jimi Tenor) comprised of âdeep-fried contemporary soul jazzâ arrangements of songs primarily written for Mo’ Blow. Alongside their new leader, Zander proved his reputation as the most soulful tenor saxophonist in town and just why he had earned kudos for a bass clarinet sound enhanced with FX, while Seidel also displayed his chops, incorporating elements of rock, hip-hop, odd meter fusion and the sound of New Orleans into a unique style.
As for its contents, âRocket Swingâ had a hip-hop vibe with a jazzy fifth fall, âRayâ was a Meters-inspired shuffle, while âSunsqueezedâ had a wider compositional arc, evoking sunshine peeking through the clouds during a long, grey ten month Berlin winter to offer hope for the other two months. Its video can be seen HERE.
The Matti Klein Soul Trio are now set to provide further rays of light at venues around the UK to help melt away those post-New Year blues.
31.01.24 Â LONDONÂ Bulls Head, Barnes
01.02.24Â EDINBURGH Voodoo Rooms
02.02.24Â NOTTINGHAM Peggyâs Skylight
03.02.24Â NORTHAMPTON The Garibaldi
04.02.24Â BATH Komedia
MATTI KLEIN SOUL TRIO
Matti Klein – Wurlitzer piano, Fender Bass Rhodes
Lars Zander – bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, FX
AndrĂ© Seidel â drums
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