Johannes Bigge Trio
Pegasus
Photo: Dovile Sermokas
If a young pianist wants to stand out from the confusing competition among jazz piano trios, he needs something special: interesting pieces, distinctive musical partners and a sense of exciting improvisation. This is exactly what Johannes Bigge has to offer. Barely 26 years old, Michael Wollny’s master student at the Leipzig Academy shows us exceptional expressive power in his individual compositions and performances, at times lyrical, at others bursting with energy. No wonder that the concerts of the Johannes Bigge Trio have long been highly praised by the public and the experts alike. Whether in intimate clubs or on big stages, like in the context of the Leipzig Jazz Festival, Bigge’s Trio captivates their audience with clear melodies, wide arches and sometimes startling contrasts. For two years, the much sought-after drummer Moritz Baumgärtner has been on board; his sensitive to rousing rhythmic work inspires the dynamics of the band. Pegasus, the debut album of the trio, also lives – among others – from these particular interactions.
„This young pianists musical and compositional language is of such striking filigree delicacy and multidimensionality, that listening to his music for the first time without knowing anything biographical about him, one would think of a mature and older composer.“
- Thorsten Hingst in Jazzpodium (04/2016)
„His music sounds indeed tremendously fresh and different.“…“It’s not surprising, that such a courageous album is released on the niche label of the musician Nils Wogram.“
- Frank von Niederhäusern in Kulturtipp (05/16)
„How these eight pieces pulsate, how they turn and turn, how they build up and fade away, how chords cumulate and resolve into delicate melodies, lies far outside the usual framework of what most other piano trios offer.“
- Werner Stiefele in Rondo (02/2016)
“Bigge's musical topography combines softly curved, inviting and edgy soundscapes that are at times sensitive, at others brightly illuminated.”
- F.A.Z. (Feb. 25, 2015)
“Johannes Bigge has a wonderful talent for jazz improvisation and composition. Even now still being quite young he has already developed a real personal style in his playing and especially his writing.”
- Richie Beirach
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