„This is how the Crusaders would sound today.” Ed Motta
„… a really good album by keyboards player Matti Klein. I was really taken with this record and in fact I was gonna play it as my my favourite track of the week, but then it’s an instrumental, so I play it as my favourite instrumental.” Robert Elms, BBC London
"Soul Trio is an authentic album drawing on vintage instruments with a 21st century attitude.“ Thomas Fletcher, Jazz Journal UK
"My soul is like an eternal firework without rest," wrote Goethe. "People get up and drive your funky soul," said James Brown. Somewhere in between these soul brothers oscillates the Matti Klein Soul Trio, the small ensemble with the big sound. "Highly contagious grooves" (Zitty) that "directly reach the heart and mind of the enthusiastic audience" (Mindener Tageblatt) characterize this rather new Berlin band.
With his various vintage keyboards and as MD for the Brazilian soul superstar Ed Motta or with his band Mo 'Blow, Klein earned his reputation as one of the most interesting young groove jazz musicians on the German scene, appearing in renowned clubs like Ronnie Scott's in London, the Blue Note in Tokyo, the Highline Ballroom in New York, as well as at international festivals such as Pori Jazz, Jazz in Marciac and the Leverkusener Jazztage. The man in the smart hat also shared stage and studio with stars like Nils Landgren, Jimmy Somerville, or David T. Walker.
And now … the Matti Klein Soul Trio. The initial spark? Mo 'Blow celebrated their farewell tour in 2016 and keyboarder Klein soon found a new dream cast with his bandmate André Seidel on drums and Lars Zander on saxophone and bass clarinet. "In this trio, on the one hand, I can live out my love of instrumental groove jazz and on the other hand create an exciting format for my compositions, with the Wurlitzer as the main instrument, creating a new" basic sound "”, says Matti Klein. "Instead of a classic line-up with bass, the three of us, with the Rhodes bass in my left hand, can play pretty fat grooves." A new, exciting sound. "The soul in the band name is very important to me, also as an emphasis that this is an absolute affair of the heart."
This debut album, recorded, mixed and co-produced by Axel Reinemer in the Jazzanova Recording Studio, spans a wide arc – across a variety of styles, encompassing the musical evolution of Matti Klein, who wrote all the songs and also co-produced them. From the Soul Jazz groove "Kill It With A Pill", which picks up the listener where he was left with Mo 'Blow, via the crooked, but not bent "Fairly Odd Stories", the "African Taxi Trip", which pays tribute to Dollar Brand and to Matti Klein’s history with the Afrobeat band Kabu Kabu, the dreamy "down-tempo hip-hop flow" of "Windy Move", which dates back to a meeting with the producer Samon Kawamura, or the "unlucky love song" "Tastes Like Chocolate, Strawberry" to the eight and a half minute suite "River Journey", the musical travelogue of a multi-day canoe trip on the Jongunjoki, a very diverse and lonely river in North Karelia, Eastern Finland. The restless fireworks are audible throughout, rising from the depths of the soul to Hallelujah heights. As Soulbrother # 1 would say: “get up, get into it, get involved.”
credits
released January 31, 2020
Matti Klein - wurlitzer, rhodes bass
Lars Zander - bass clarinet, sax
André Seidel - drums
All Music Composed by Matti Klein
Recorded and Mixed by Axel Reinemer at Jazzanova Recording Studio
Mastered by Robin Schmidt at 24-96 Mastering
Produced by Axel Reinemer & Matti Klein
Cover Foto by Philipp Arnoldt
Cover Layout by Teresa Köberle & Safi/Betriebsbüro
Berlin-born pianist/musical director/composer Matti Klein is considered to be one of Germany’s most interesting groove-
keyboardist. Worldwide tours with Ed Motta, Mo’ Blow and his own projects have taken him to the world’s most renowned jazz venues, such as Blue Note Tokyo, Ronnie Scott’s, Pori Jazz, and Leverkusener Jazztage....more
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