Benjamin Lackner Tour

German-American pianist Benjamin Lackner will be on tour through Europe in January, in support of his upcoming new quintet recording Spindrift,  featuring Mark Turner, Mathias Eick, Linda May Han Oh and Matthieu Chazarenc. Catch im on tour near you and see here for dates.

Back with a newly formed quintet, gathered together for a particularly fruitful 2024 session in Southern France, the German pianist Benjamin Lackner presents a different and exciting side of his composer-approach. Trumpeter Mathias Eick is the sole returnee from Lackner’s debut Last Decade, and can be heard in striking dualism with Mark Turner’s idiosyncratic saxophone dialect, forming a key-characteristic of the interplay that permeates Spindrift. The horn-duo and pianist are joined by the nonpareil bassist Linda May Han Oh and French drummer Matthieu Chazarenc, who was part of Lackner’s trio before the pianist’s tenure with ECM. Subtle fanfares meet contemplative lyricism in a programme of originals that always puts melody and ensemble chemistry first. Saxophone and trumpet take the lead, forming their own little ensemble section, and contribute elegantly interwoven lines and striking solos to an especially harmonious group                                                             sound and a tuneful set of songs. The album was produced by Manfred Eicher.