In 2020, as live music tentatively returned to Berlin under strict regulations, the Takatsuki Trio Quartett organized a monthly concert series at the Kühlspot Social Club. Though the Takatsuki Trio Quartett, always includes Rieko Okuda (Piano), Antti Virtaranta (Bass) and Joshua Weitzel (Guitar, Shamisen), they exclusively perform as a quartet, inviting a fourth player to join them and lend a fresh perspective on their dynamic sound. This recording, At Kühlspot, documents one of those encounters with saxophonist Silke Eberhard, just days after she was awarded the prestigious Berlin Jazz Prize. The band itself derives their name from the Japanese city Takatsuki, located directly between two major metropolises Kyoto and Osaka.
Drawing from their namesake, they maintain a similar multi-directionality through structured ambiguity: Trio or quartet? Jazz or experimental sound? Minimalist composition or uninhibited crescendo? Between Kyoto, Takatsuki and Osaka is the unifying force of the Hankyu-Express train, a fourth object that draws the entities together. Like so, a trio becomes a quartet with its addition. At Kühlspot is the first 577 release for both Silke Eberhard and Takatsuki Trio Quartett.
1. Hotspot Kühlspot
2. LITTLE PREVIEW FOR 'At Kühlspot' ALBUM
Silke Eberhard: Alto saxophone
Rieko Okuda: Piano, voice
Antti Virtaranta: Double bass
Joshua Weitzel: Guitar, shamisen
Recorded on August 20, 2020 by Antti Virtaranta at Kühlspot Social Club, Berlin
Mixed by Antti Virtaranta
Mastered by Jeremy Loucas as Sear Sound, New York City
