Denise Schaefer

Eric Schaefer breathes new vivacity into the old master with infusions of progrock and new wave, ambient and dub: Welcome to the club, Mr. Wagner!
Michael Wollny and Eva Kruse certainly won't take it personally when we say that Eric Schaefer stands most clearly for the pop element and humorous undertones in the trio [em], 'Germany's most creative jazz trio' (Kulturspiegel). This Berlin drummer 'has proven uncompromising vitality in totally different directions such as free improvisations and classical compositions, punk and diverse folklore, new music, minimal music, pop and electronic' (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), and in the widest range of band projects away from [em], from 'Soulmate' and 'Henosis' to 'Johnny La Marama' and the Arne Jansen Trio.

Eric Schaefer has been described as the “central shining star of the German jazz scene” by the prestigious weekly Die Zeit, while the Munich broadsheet Süddeutsche Zeitung has referred to the “wide-ranging inspiration that he brings to the jazz world.” In “Kyoto Mon Amour” the drummer/composer takes on the challenge of building bridges between Japanese and western music.

The soundtrack will be released digitally on March 5, 2021 and will be available to stream/download on Amazon, where you can also check out audio samples. Primates created by the BBC Studios Natural History and narrated by Chris Packham follows our closest animal relatives and reveals how much we have in common with them. The 3-part series, which was filmed over two years in locations around the world, from the snowy Atlas Mountains to the flooded jungles of Sumatra and Brazil, premiered last May in the UK on BBC One and made its U.S. debut last fall on PBS.

On “Bliss”, Eric Schaefer and his band The Shredz blend the fusion jazz of the sixties with the jazz dub of the nineties and the club music of today to concoct an explosive hubble-bubble of a magic brew. It’s not Voodoo. It is merely style and good taste, skills and know-how, complex compositions and improvisatory passion.

“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.

With Oslo, Michael Wollny and his trusty rhythm section (bassist Christian Weber and drummer Eric Schaefer) confirm that their project is as solid as ever. Recorded at Rainbow Studio in the Norwegian capital in September 2017, the album confirms that Wollny is one of the most skilful German jazz pianists of his generation. An improviser, here he deploys his staple piano style, with plenty of spaces and silences. His playing carries a sincere romanticism which never feels overdone, and a muted tonality.

Drummer and composer Eric Schaefer has been described as the central shining star of the German jazz scene. On "Kyoto mon Amour", he takes on the challenge of building bridges between Japanese and Western music. Over more than a decade, he has made three visits to Korea and stayed in Japan no fewer than six times, trips which have greatly influenced Schaefer's musical psyche.