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[em]

[em] II

Act

Album description

Since ACT started their series Young German Jazz with Michael Wollny’s trio debut 'call it [em]', the press has been celebrating him, not only as a representative of a new generation of German jazz musicians, but also as a most promising young talent on the piano.

"The pianist and his Berlin-based band nodded to hip hop and drum'n'bass while fizzing with the energy of experimental rock: this is the future sound of jazz" (Observer Music Monthly).

"The compositions on [em] II are shorter, crisper and to the point. Of the fifteen tracks on [em] II, the one that best sums up the sound of the trio for me is "Dance & Grow":

"The powerful duality between the written and the improvised is typical of the challenges these young musicians set themselves, and the aplomb with which they carry it off verges on the breathtaking. (Jazzwise)

Review from The Observer

These German jazzers aren't the most immediate of groups - but their endless flow of ideas will suck you in.

The music biz long ago rendered terms like 'excellent' or 'brilliant' meaningless. It's a shame, because when an album comes along that is genuinely excellent (or brilliant) it's necessary to reach for the kind of superlatives that would barely do justice to the Second Coming.

So by saying [em] II announces the arrival of a major young band I realise this may be construed as a monumental understatement, particularly since it's my album of the year.