Bruno Leicht (tp), Stefan Döring (as, bcl), Matthias Petzold (ts, ss cl, fl, cello), Dietmar Kruse (tb), Joachim Petzold (tb, only the duos), Jürgen Friedrich (p), Gregor Lindemann (bass), Ralf Schläger (dr)

Recorded 1996 May, 25th and 26th, and June, 15th
sound engineers: Tim Birkner, Bernd Pick

1. Neujahrslied
2. Don Quixote und die Warteschlangen
3. Der Himmel über Pingsdorf
4. Trentadue Panini (Duo)
5. Yussufs Traum
6. Strange Fruit (Billie Holiday)
7. Eleanor Rigby (Lennon/McCartney, Duo)
8. Ulysses 95
9. Nun laube, Lindlein, laube (Paul Hindemith)
 

Reviews:

“Wilful and self-confident, Matthias Petzold continues the tradition of modern mainstream jazz... Especially noteworthy is the strong handling of the diversity of moods - from a humorous Don-Quichotesque to a somber Chicago-adaptation. All in all an affectionate and creative CD that is definetly worth listening.”
(“Jazzpodium”)

“Petzold shows with his septet a wide stylistic variety. His music integrates folk songs, circus music, African music and pop songs. However, the main element is jazz, which he interprets in a successful synthesis of tradition and modernism.”
(“Das Rohrblatt”)

“One has to marvel at the compactness of the septet. If Matthias Petzold succeeds in sustaining his musical concepts, he will soon be in the forefront of German jazz.”
(“Der Jazzfreund”)

“The young leader with his clear lines sounds refreshingly different from other players of his age, since he has learned to wait and to leave space in his solos.”
(“Rondo”)

About the Music:

Ulysses - this giant figure of Greek mythology, is quasi the cover angel for Matthias Petzold´s new CD. Departure, strange voyages, shipwrecks, quests, homecoming ... “The story of Ulysses has always interested me. His faults, his defeats, but also his quests and optimism fascinate me. He is therefore an image of my work as a jazz-musician and in a certain manner also of human life as well.”
The first CD “Lifelines” represented experiences with basic musical ideas. Now it has reached a point, where music becomes the subject matter itself, which without detuors speaks to the listener in a grandiose format in a lively, warm manner. A music that tells stories...

It is certainly not by accident that the firast and last pieces refer metaphorically to the beginning and end of life. “Neujahrslied” (New Year´s Day Song) - the beginning of a new year, means that everything is possible, and the feelings it evokes are that of a newborn person. The musical impression is that of openness and confindence, whereas on the other side “Nun laube, Lindlein, laube” (Shed leaves, little lime, shed leaves) stirs melancilic heartstrings: Fall, parting, death.
The pieces in between are attempts to express different aspects of life. “Ulysses 95” is an ongoing struggle between phases of departure, set in a groove which is drifting throughout the pieces with moments of rest, with time set aside for some free musical lines. “Don Duixote und die Warteschlangen” (Don Quixote and the queues), the fight of the outsider against the windmills, even in its defeat represents some wit and liveliness. “Strange Fruit”, Billie Holiday´s complaint about the racism of the 30s, is an expression of mourning about destruction an violence. So the pieces go beyond the concrete situations they originate from and the listener may perceive them as symbols.

(Excerpts from the booklet text by Christina Koblitz)

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