Falling Up

Falling Up is the second album of New York's Florian Höfner Group. An album that is established in the jazz category, but is too wide-ranging to pin down as the music flows between traditional jazz patterns and leaves room for influences from other angles.

The successor to the debut Songs Without Words from 2012, which received rave reviews in magazines such as All About Jazz and Jazz Weekly, contains seven original compositions and two covers: The Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" and an impressive adaptation of the traditional folk song "Black is The Color."

The compositions and arrangements of frontman and pianist Florian Höfner on Falling Up walk along the appropriate paths, but are an interesting balance between complex song structures and an enviable sense of beautiful emotional melodic content, in which the influence of pop and classical subtly seeps.

Drawing examples are the spiritual "Eleven," the rougher "Stoney Lake" and the urban sounding title track, which presents you with the bustling Big Apple after closing your eyes, beyond the rages of the day.

The musicians in this international quartet individually have commendable biographies. The German Höfner studied at the Manhattan School of Music, collaborated with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and twice won the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award.

The Canadian tenor and soprano saxophonist Mike Ruby is part of the pop band St. Lucia and works with the American drummer Ari Hoenig. The Australian bassist Sam Anning is in possession of the Bell Award as Young Musician of the Year and has performed with many including pianist Kenny Werner. The Austrian Peter Kronreif is a much sought after drummer who can be heard on more than 30 CDs.

Falling Up has a refined, modern sound. That makes this album appealing to a wider group than just traditional jazz music fanatics. A fascinating release that appears on September 17.

Translated from Dutch.