Projects
CLAUS
RAIBLE
TRIO
CLAUS RAIBLE – piano
MILOS COLOVIC – bass
XAVER HELLMEIER – drums
Claus Raible has been leading his trio for over three decades with continuous consistency. For Claus, this is the most compact line-up, which at the same time offers the greatest possible freedom and agility.
Claus Raible’s music grips you, connects logic and passion, speaks to all your senses and turns even the most critical listener into a connoisseur of sound.
After the great success of TRIO! (ALR 1081), Claus Raible presents with FUGITIVE FIGURES for the first time an album on which he plays only his own compositions: Each of the eleven masterfully songlike originals is a gem of creativity and groove.
The consummate musicality displayed by the trio is based on the fact that each member not only further develops their personal faculties, but is also part of a living, generative musical organism that affords the listener endless joy.
In the course of his professional career, Claus Raible has worked with greats such as Andy Bey, Jimmy Cobb, Jesse Davis, Jon Faddis, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Mark Murphy, Lewis Nash, Houston Person, Ed Thigpen and many others.
He has performed at numerous international festivals, including the Montreaux Jazz Festival, Jazz Fest Vienna, Aspen Jazz (Colorado), Midem (Cannes), Trieste Loves Jazz, Denver Jazz Fest, Belgrade Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Internationale Jazzwoche Burghausen, and many more.
The young and dynamic current rhythm section is formed by the exceptional bassist Milos Colovic from Belgrade, who has already performed with Dena DeRose and Howard Curtis, among others, and Xaver Hellmeier on drums, who has become a congenial playing companion for Raible with his playing trained on great models such as Max Roach, Kenny Clarke and Art Taylor. This is a trio in which everyone speaks the same musical language.
SOME COMMENTS FROM CURRENT PRESS REVIEWS ON THE TRIO:
“…This is indeed Piano-Jazz-Trio music in its purest sense. … Fresh and vibrant. Magnificent!…” Michael Bakonyi, Concerto Magazine *****
“…Three birds of a feather have met here for brilliant music making. …” Ruedi Ankli, Jazz N’ More ****
“… The incisiveness of Raible’s original compositions opens infinite possibilities for variations. Thus they reside seamlessly along side Monk’s classics. …” Werner Stiefele, Rondo Magazine ****
“… Claus Raible is an exceptional pianist. He and his crew indeed really boil it down to the essence: that swinging intensity, that timeless relevance. …” Reinhard Koechl, Jazz Thing
„Spending an evening listening to Claus Raible must be a great experience that I hope to soon have… this recording already gives a good idea. … This is a fascinating record, one of a beautiful trio and a splendid pianist, Claus Raible, virtuoso and scholar like his predecessors, … but beyond that, the portrait of an artist who is part of the lineage of jazz’s most intense relationship to the piano. There is no doubt that he is one of the players today. … Well done to Alessa Records, small label and great music as it often is in jazz!” Yves Sportis, Jazz Hot, Paris
„… Raible’s flurry of notes are full of swing, it couldn’t be anything less, and the palpable passion that is transmitted to the listener lets one forget the remarkable technical aspects present on the disc. A great record.“ Vittorio Lo Conte, Music Zoom
„… One of the most important living Be-bop pianists is revisiting the classic trio set up. To our and his own audible and live visible joy. … What the following 62 minutes bring about: Captivating, contemporary Bop … . (Raible‘s) originals have what it takes to become timeless compositions, as does the music as a whole with it‘s freshness and originality. …“ Godehard Lutz, Jazz Podium
„…The highlight of the album: Monk‘s “Round Midnight“… Seldom is it possible to grasp the core of a composition in this way and at the same time to relate it to today in such an independent and exciting way. …“ Tom Fuchs, Piano News
“…Claus Raible has his own format as only a few internationally known artists in this genre have achieved. With his superlative technique and his smooth fluency, Raible’s style bursts with energy…”. Stefan Michalzik (Frankfurter Rundschau, 2022)
CLAUS RAIBLE
INTERNATIONAL TENTET
featuring BRAD LEALI
FLORIOAN JECHLINGER, STEVE FISHWICK – trumpets
LUDWIG HIMPSEL – french horn, LUKAS JOCHNER – trombone
BRAD LEALI – alto saxophone
CLAUS KOCH – tenor saxophone
HERWIG GRADISCHNIG – baritone saxophone
CLAUS RAIBLE – piano & arrangements:
MILOS COLOVIC – bass
XAVER HELLMEIER – drums
The Claus Raible Tentet presents an exciting melange of original compositions and original arrangements of jazz standards and bebop classics.
For the line-up Claus Raible was able to engage top soloists from six different countries.
This ensemble had its debut in 2009 and since then has performed internationally acclaimed in Europe and the USA.
We present a formation with an extremely unconventional instrumentation: two trumpets, two trombones and three saxophones as a bass section, i.e. a tentet, as opposed to the usual sixteen-piece full big band line-up. All the musical material was arranged and arranged by Claus Raible exclusively for this instrumentation. The concept is to create a format that allows both touring and live performance while combining the rich sound of a full orchestra with the compactness and agility of a small group.
The orchestra can be heard on the production “A Dedication To The Ladies – Claus Raible & the BOP-chestra” (TCB 30942).
“… The arrangements are carried by high musical intelligence, the timbres are very sophisticated. The play with light and shadow, shine and transparency, splendor and pastel, gripping drive and somnambulistic moods is optimally balanced … “ Dr. Tobias Böcker, Birdland, NR
“… Originals like “The Frontline” from (Raible’s) pen or compositions by his fellow musicians with sensational arrangements, incredibly fresh and inspired …” Jazzzeitung
“… Raible, still the leading bebop pianist of our republic, has extended his unquestionable talent toward arranging, finding musically highly intelligent versions of jazz standards for his ten-piece ensemble, creating a sound from ten musicians that never lapses into the choral persuasive violence of usual big bands, but remains transparent and sonically represents the sum of ten individualists …” Dr. Claus Regnault, Süddeutsche Zeitung
Throughout his professional career, Claus Raible has worked with such greats as Andy Bey, Jimmy Cobb, Jesse Davis, Jon Faddis, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Dusko Goykovich, Mark Murphy, Lewis Nash, Houston Person, Ed Thigpen, and many others. He has performed at numerous international festivals, including the Montreaux Jazz Festival, Jazz Fest Wien, Aspen Jazz (Colorado), Midem (Cannes), Trieste Loves Jazz, Denver Jazz Fest, Belgrade Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Internationale Jazzwoche Burghausen, and many more.
“Claus Raible has a format of his own like few internationally who move in this genre. With his superlative technique and supple fluency, Raible is a furious stylist.” Stefan Michalzik (Frankfurter Rundschau)
With a unique style and sound, which echoes the influences of his past, Brad Leali is one of the most notable saxophonists of current times.
Leali has toured and recorded with numerous jazz greats, including several years with the Harry Connick Jr. Orchestra and with the Count Basie Orchestra. Leali was a standing member of the Kennedy Center Honors Band and performed for President Obama’s inaugural celebration.
Currently the Professor of Jazz Saxophone at UNT, Brad continues to perform domestically and abroad, including touring with Lyle Lovett & His Large Band. See http://bradleali.com/press-kit/ for videos and more information.
“His solos are sparkling and Cannonball Adderley influenced.” - Evening Standard (London, England)
„Saxophonist Brad Leali was among the most soulful and exciting I‘ve heared recently“ New York Times
CLAUS RAIBLE
QUINTET
featuring Brad Leali, Steve Fishwick
STEVE FISHWICK – trumpet
BRAD LEALI – alto saxophone
CLAUS RAIBLE – piano & arrangements:
MILOS COLOVIC – bass
XAVER HELLMEIER – drums
“Claus Raible has a style all his own, unlike most others working in this genre internationally. With his superlative technique and smooth fluency, Raible is a furious stylist.” Stefan Michalzik (Frankfurter Rundschau)
The quintet led by renowned pianist and bandleader Claus Raible captivates its audience, appealing to all the senses with a combination of logic and passion, and immediately igniting that famous spark in the audience.
Raible has now adapted the program of his current trio production FUGITIVE FIGURES for a quintet and presents a brilliant ensemble:
The front line features the rousing alto saxophonist Brad Leali from the USA and the trumpeter and top soloist of the British jazz scene, Steve Fishwick. The necessary drive is provided by the energetic rhythm section with Milos Colovic and Xaver Hellmeier.
Claus Raible is one of the driving forces behind the European jazz scene: a magnificent musician, composer, and arranger. Over the course of his professional career, he has collaborated with greats such as Andy Bey, Jimmy Cobb, Jesse Davis, Jon Faddis, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Mark Murphy, Lewis Nash, Houston Person, Ed Thigpen, and many others. Claus Raible has performed at numerous international festivals, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, Jazz Fest Vienna, Aspen Jazz (Colorado), Midem (Cannes), Trieste Loves Jazz, Denver Jazz Fest, Belgrade Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, and Internationale Jazzwoche Burghausen.
With his distinctive sound and style, Brad Leali is one of the most remarkable contemporary saxophonists. Leali has collaborated with numerous jazz greats such as Clark Terry and Freddie Hubbard, and spent many years with the Count Basie Orchestra at the invitation of Frank Foster and under the direction of Grover Mitchell. As a permanent member of the Kennedy Center Honors Band, he performed at the White House during President Obama’s inauguration.
“ His solos are sparkling and Cannonball Adderley influenced.“ Evening Standard, London
“ Saxophonist Brad Leali was among the most soulful and exciting I’ve heard recently.“ New York Times
Steve Fishwick is widely regarded as one of the best jazz trumpeters in the United Kingdom and quickly gained international renown thanks to his flawless technique and wonderfully fluid, harmonically rich improvisations. Steve cites Art Farmer, Miles Davis, and Woody Shaw as his major influences, but he has developed his own unique musical language.
“Steve has his own style. He plays from the bottom to the top of the horn whilst maintaining the integrity of the chords. I can’t think of another trumpet player that can do what he does.” Wynton Marsalis