"On his second trio album, Stephan Noel Lang presents a cycle of 11 evocative originals that seem like tender tracks of personal experience and reflect the artist's almost minimalist concentration on the essential, each composition a little gem in its own right (...) Lang's music switches seamlessly between different idioms and with its fluidly developing motifs, tells little musical stories that send the listener on an associative journey, as it were, sensitively accompanied by his accomplished fellow musicians on double bass and drums." - Esenæl
From the remastered edition, which is now available on all relevant streaming platforms:
Another impression of the studio recordings for "Tender Tracks":
Track 8 & 10: Robin Draganic (bass) & Rainer Winch (drums)
"It takes three to tango..."
The Oblivion Trio, founded in 2013, brings together three outstanding musicians from the jazz and classical genres, who have joined forces to celebrate the art of Tango Nuevo. This crossover ensemble focuses on concertante and virtuoso arrangements of Piazzolla classics that were created especially for this trio.
In May 2024, their debut album ‘Hommage á Piazzolla’ was released:
The album opens with an original composition penned by the pianist...
...and ends with an original arrangement of Piazzolla's most famous composition:
Acoustic Pop, Brazilian rhythms, British Beat, German lyrics and Sixties Psychedelia are some of the elements found in these songs. Original and at the same time catchy melodies go hand in hand with a sonorous language that describes the everyday and the unusual in a simple yet poetic way.
"SONGBOOK: A simple title, and yet an idiosyncratic, distinctive island in the wide world of jazz, where you can roam and discover something new again and again: The romantic beach, an imaginative adventure playground, the observatory of a psychedelic sky gazer, a bamboo bar with drinks and exotic rhythms." (Volker Präkelt)
(Album available on all major streaming platforms)
"It's pleasing when albums have simple and catchy names: Like SONGBOOK - a colourful and form-filled chain of eleven songs that the pianist Stephan Noel Lang, who has so far mainly been instrumental, has woven under this title. (...) it's best to just let it pass, like the jazzy, padded pop song "Hörst du mein Herz, wie es singt", the cosmic and eloquent homage to Mother Earth ("Mutter Erde") and the loopy, experimental "Moebiusband", which is so much fun that you immediately feel prompted to occupy yourself with the legendary mathematical loop. "Red, Yellow and Blue" comes across like an exuberant child: no surprise, Lang dedicated it to his daughter.
At this point at the latest, the instrumental quality of SONGBOOK be praised - the Brazilian-inspired guitar of Gregor Zimball and the earthy bass of Robin Draganic. The accomplished drummer Rainer Winch is at home in all styles and provides kicks of energy, even when things are pensive, serious or lovingly spacy. Stephan Noel Lang reaches for the full on the grand piano, pulls off complex vamps, leaves no questions unanswered when it comes to changes and voicings and glides into his solos quite naturally, staying at the core of the song and weaving arcs from there." (from the liner notes)
"The Stephan Noel Lang Trio presents with "Echoes" a modern microcosm sending the listener on a journey of discovery until the last note" (Angela Ballhorn - CD Liner Notes)
Stephan Noel Lang (piano)
Robin Draganic (bass)
Rainer Winch (drums)
From the reviews of German-language trade magazines:
🇬🇧 "In the pieces of the Berlin pianist (. . . ) influences of soul jazz of the 60s, Latin American music and even traces of free improvisation reverberate - and yet it remains independent music." - Jazz Thing
🇩🇪 "Auf seinem Debüt-Album präsentiert er neben dem Evergreen "You don't know what love is" ausschließlich Eigenkompositionen, die oft auf einfachen Grundmotiven beruhen. Durch rhythmische und dynamische Variationen setzen sich diese Muster wie in einem Kaleidoskop zu immer neuen, interessanten Klangbildern zusammen. Neben bluesigen Themen wie "Alright!" stehen subtile, nuancenreiche Motive, so bei dem im 7/4-Takt geschriebenen "Kallipygos". Die Stücke haben allesamt einen sehr logisch angelegten, oft mehrstufigen Aufbau, der an die Verwandlung einer Raupe zum Schmetterling erinnert, wie bei "Lily of the Valley". Melancholische Stimmungen, etwa bei "Parting" finden sich ebenso in Langs Stücken wie fröhliche afrokubanische Rhythmen, so beim abschließenden "Goodbye". Mit dem Bassisten Robin Draganic und dem Schlagzeuger Rainer Winch hat Stephan Noel Lang zwei kongeniale Partner gefunden, die sich mit ihm auf konzentrierte, intensive musikalische Dialoge einlassen." - Andreas Geyer (Jazzpodium)
"Man muss ja den Jazz nicht immer neu erfinden, um interessante Musik zu machen. (…) Titel wie "What's My Name" oder "Here's To Joy" künden von einem spielerischen Umgang mit der Tradition. Der Schein des Bekannten trägt die Stücke leicht ins Ohr und schärft zugleich den Sinn für ihre rhythmischen und harmonischen Besonderheiten. Das kompakte Trio mit Rainer Winch (Drums) und Robin Draganic (Bass) sorgt so für ein entspanntes Hörvergnügen (...)" - Stefan Arndt (Jazz Thing)
"Mit Lyambiko-Bassist Robin Draganic und Schlagzeuger Rainer Winch hat er eine sehr relaxte (...) subtile CD aufgenommen, auf der er auch sein kompositorisches Talent beweist - vom Soul-Jazz der 60er Jahre über impressionistische Balladen bis hin zu Tango-Nuevo-Anklängen reicht das Spektrum" - Martin Schuster (Concerto)