“Wartburg” fizzes and shimmers with all the acuity of Michael Wollny's senses and his protean capacity to be alive to the possibilities and the magic of the moment. This is improvising at the limit, life seen through a dream. The album also documents a first-ever encounter of his trio with Emile Parisien, arguably the most influential and original voice on soprano sax today. A unique moment in contemporary jazz.

From Oslo to the Wartburg Castle at Eisenach is a 1,283 km car journey. It is a distance which can also be travelled by a totally different route, one which also passes through all the changing landscapes in between: you simply stay put on your sofa with your hi-fi in front of you. Michael Wollny has achieved a remarkable feat in making this possible, and the story – with his explanation of how it happened – is well worth telling.From 5 to 7 September last year, Siggi Loch invited Wollny, bassist Christan Weber and drummer Eric Schaefer to Rainbow Studio in Oslo to record a new trio album. For the third day in the studio, an encounter was arranged with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble, directed by Geir Lysne. This is a group interested in going beyond its own genre, and which also has the capacity to improvise. “After collaborating live a f...
line up

Michael Wollny / piano
Christian Weber / double bass
Eric Schaefer / drums
Emile Parisien / soprano saxophone (08 - 11)

Recording Information

Recorded live in concert by Adrian von Ripka
Rittersaal, Wartburg on September 15, 2017
Mixed and mastered by Adrian von Ripka,
December 2017

Produced by Siggi Loch

Cover art by Manfred Bockelmann