Benjamin Lackner Quartet
Last Decade
'Benjamin Lackner makes the kind of music that soothes away the hardships and fears of the present like a healing ointment.'
Wolf Kampmann
With Last Decade, a snapshot resting in the infinite, the Berlin-based German-American sound philosopher Benjamin Lackner has created a counterpoint to the widespread greed for speed that is constantly forcing us to absorb ever more information at increasingly short intervals. Due to their structural transparency, the pianist's compositions provide a unique insight into the usually hidden interactions between the members of a quartet of first-class musicians conducted by Lackner in a highly focused way. The lyrical quality of the pieces affords his colleagues many opportunities to add their own character to the music, and to create subtle grooves alongside flowing solos. The multi-instrumentalist and band leader Mathias Eick has performed with musicians from a wide range of genres, from Chick Corea and the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra to the Norwegian psychedelic rock band Motorpsycho. As a trumpeter, he has defined his own language, subtly integrating the folklore of his home country Norway into the jazz idiom. The bassist Paul Kleber is Lisa Bassenge's songwriter and arranger, but can also be heard on many recordings with other artists as a guest, and of his own projects. The French drummer Matthieu Chazarenc is a sought-after sideman. He has worked with musicians such as Youn Sun Nah, Paolo Fresu and Mark Turner, and has already been a member of Benjamin Lackner's trio for many years.
