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The songs of some bands have a way of irresistibly sneaking into your ears. Luciel, a young band from Cologne, have a lot to offer when it comes to song writing ideas. Songs that seem to implant themselves effortlessly in your auditory passages, without revealing all their secrets immediately. Stylistically they are set in the border regions of r&b, soul and pop. Here at the office we can´t stop humming along. The musicologists among us wonder: how does something like that work? One colleague stammers something along the lines of “subliminal”. Well, we are no experts in psychology.

It is no secret: there a many great pubs in Cologne. The musicians of Luciel have chosen “Zum Scheuen Reh” (“The Shy Deer”) for their release concert. The house was packed and buzzing, as this excellent young band celebrated their very own brand of neo-soul on stage, serving wonderful hooklines and the finest of grooves. It comes as no surprise that these four musicians already have been supporting the likes of Bilal and Snarky Puppy. Simply fascinating music, which yesterday evening was additionally enriched by soul singer Rachel!

Jeff Cascaro has just finished his wonderful tour of four cities. And getting to the heart of it: jazz still has a great deal of potential, particularly when it appropriates popular songs. We heartily suggest that you look up Jeff Cascaro in the net and listen to his interpretation of “Ain´t No Love in the Heart of the City”. What you will find: rhythmic energy, beautiful timbres and sophisticated distinctiveness. That´s how the more laid-back hits stick to the mind.

For many years now Jeff Cascaro has been an ambassador of soul jazz. Along the way he has released quite a number of brilliant albums, already classics of the genre. At present the singer is on tour with his latest album love & blues in the city, underlining his status as a major voice in jazz singing. Don´t miss your chance to see and hear him this weekend, Friday the 16^th of November, at the Gulfhaus in Vechta.

Planning a tour can be like solving a huge jigsaw puzzle and sure can make one grow a couple of extra grey hair. But by mid November, when Lisa Bassenge and Andreas Lang will pick up Swedish pianist extraordinaire Jacob Karlzon at the airport Berlin for the final rehearsals, the joy will start to kick in. In my mind´s ear I start hearing songs like “Three Cigarettes, Grandma´s Hands ...”, and these wonderful musicians in the practice room, going through their material, discussing arrangements. On November 16^th they are expected to play a studio concert at the MDR.

Miu is hardly on the line to get. This has good reasons. Let the horn section play in here, the strings there, a few vocals here. Everyday life in the music business. Everyday life, if you push the second production together. We get financial support from the Initiative Musik gGmbH! That's not a piece of cake, because only in this way is it possible for us to produce a really thick album. And Miu really holds the strings in her hand. She is completely into it and will get her band on stage at Mojo Club Hamburg on August 31st. Then everyone can hear what has been created.

Lisa Bassenge´s new album “Borrowed and Blue” has been released quite recently. And we are hoping for and expecting an ever growing audience to discover this very special singer from Berlin. The critics have shared some very nuanced opinions on why this is such a wonderful album. Read for yourself:

Once upon a time I used to count my coins of German Marks and then walked them to my local record shop. While they were weighing heavy in my pockets, their chink was part of the joyful anticipation of the pending purchase. Credit Cards and streams don´t make any noise and don´t need to be walked. The world has become aseptic and somehow unwholesome, because there is less to sense. And to my mind the effects of this trend are to be felt in music culture as well.