Songs Without Words

...the effortlessness of the players is jaw-dropping as they follow along like a dolphin armada over the stutters and spurts of Hoefner's hopscotch-like rhythms and hotel-bar mellow-outs.
Scope.com

New York-based pianist Florian Hoefner, best known in his native Germany through tours with the group Subtone, brings his unique brand of modern jazz to New York City with "Songs Without Words." Using many of his contemporaries in the New York jazz scene, the two-time winner of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award presents a set of original compositions with appeal to a wide span of music fans and jazz lovers alike.

Production Info:

Produced by Florian Hoefner
Recorded by Michael Brorby at Acoustic Recording, NYC
May 9th and 10th 2011
Mixed & mastered by Dave Darlington at Bass Hit Studio, NYC
Edited by Tyler McDiarmid
Photography by Maximilian Motel
Cover design and layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Songs Without Words

emusic Review (Dave Sumner)
This is one of those modern jazz recordings that, at first blush, seems like a straight-ahead affair. But then the melodies get dreamy and the rhythms sparkle and crack on the surface of the composition, and it just doesn�t do to call it straight ahead anymore. Pianist Hoefner rounds out a quartet with tenor/soprano sax, bass and drums, for a serie ...

Midwest Record (Chris Spector )
New York based German piano man loves to improvise and he knows how to pick a crew that knows how to follow. He never takes off into the cosmos and has a solid feel for what he does that has been building him a well deserved international reputation making him a real go to guy for insiders. With this being a friendly, accessible work, the word is ...

Skope,com (Skope)
Sometimes strengths could be construed as weaknesses, as here, wherein this jazz-piano New Yorker-by-way-of-Germany stretches out in rabidly improv mode on his opening track, then does a 180 and heads in the direction of chill modern prog, stuff that comprises the bulk of the album. Only reason I mention that is the whole continuity thing; most ja ...

Urban Flux (Rob Young)
In retrospect, when I think about music particularly jazz I usually hear it from an abstract prospective. In other words, the seed is planted by the author to generate innovative, alluring melodies and stimulating progressions. From this point, creativity follows to develop a sequence of patterns, colors, and shapes. These of course are the essenti ...

Jazz in Space (Nick Bewsey)
Currently based in New York, the German pianist Florian Hoefner launches his stateside debut, �Songs Without Words,� (OA2 Records) a sturdy, involving recording of original tunes that showcases Hoefner�s lyrical style and impressive band mates. Mike Ruby on tenor and soprano saxophones, bassist Sam Anning and Peter Kronreif on drums (each of them a ...

BR-Klassik, Bavarian Radio (Germany) (Staff)
When a young European jazz musician gains ground in the USA it is for a reason. And in this case you will immediately hear the reason. Pianist, Florian Hoefner, born 1982 in Nuremberg (also known as a member of the very successful German group Subtone) who has been living in New York City since 2008 does not only play the piano in a clear, conci ...

Bird Is The Worm Jazz Blog (Dave Sumner)
Of the hundreds of albums I�ve listened to in 2012, Florian Hoefner�s Songs Without Words possibly excels best at offering lovely melodies made memorable. These are not simple tunes, but they are simply presented. There is a congeniality to this album akin to pop music, and the melodies are infectious as hell, but they are anything but sweetnes ...

Jazz Society of Oregon (Tim Willcox)
German pianist Hoefner offers up an interesting set of originals on this excellent quartet outing. From the first flurry of notes over the rubato intro to "Cross Hill," you get the feeling that this isn?t going to be a typical straight ahead affair. The album is full of beautiful compositions like this. "Uncertain Times" is an arresting, note-fill ...