A new work joins the impressive discography of one of Germany's most distinguished jazz musicians. Together with Italian organist Renato Chicco and first-call drummer Jorge Rossy, Johannes Enders presents his trio MicroOrganisms, whose latest live LP was recorded in Graz in 2022 and released on his own label 'Ammerton'. Powerful, dynamic, lyrical and upbeat, the best jazz through and through in organ trio format!
"Bach is immortal," writes Isang Enders in the foreword to his new CD of the six Suites for solo cello. "They say that Bach is the beginning and the end of all things, immortal, incomprehensible and even holy." Given this enormous challenge, no musician can be blamed for being plagued by doubts when approaching works of such calibre. And yet: "Bach's music is so human and thus always contemporary and pure. The suites should speak, they should sing and dance, hunt and contemplate – altogether subjectively and characteristically, now that I have overcome my doubts. The subjective aspect of this recording is the result of my firm conviction." These are the words of a young cellist, a high‐flyer, who led the cello section at the Dresden Staatskapelle when he was only twenty, then gave it up for a solo career. That is really all we need say; it is what marks out the Bach playing of Isang Enders from all the competing interpretations. Youthful vigour, consummate technique and a deep understanding of the works make for a perfect combination of head, heart and soul.
“The Anatomy of Melancholy” is the second co-operation of the German multi-instrumentalist and composer Carl Oesterhelt, and jazz-saxophonist Johannes Enders. Oesterhelt – drummer with the band F.S.K. – has been making appearances as theatre-musician at the Münchner Kammerspiele, the Thalia Theater Hamburg, and the Schauspiel Köln, as well as festivals like the Ruhrtriennale, or the Festwochen Wien. His composition in between classical music, new music, and pop is faced with the academically trained Johannes Enders, who has a professorship for jazz-saxophone at Leipzig University. After a recommendation from Coltrane-bassist Reggie Workman he studied in New York with Dave Liebman and Jerry Bergzoni before he, in the 1990s, founded the Tied & Tickled Trio with the Notwist-members Micha and Markus Acher, Andreas Gerth, Caspar Brandner, and Ulrich Wangenheim. He also performs with his own quartet, with Rebekka Bakken, amongst others.