Lyft Trio - Weit (May 21, 2021)

Vast expanses, endless horizons, a view so overwhelming it leaves one breathless. Is it freedom? Or is it loneliness? These are just some of the thoughts on which Mario Castelberg, guitarist and composer, contemplated upon whilst hiking through the highlands of Norway. The inspiration for his compositions comes from the many adventures he has experienced over the years. Together with Joel Banz (b) and Janic Haller (dr), Castelberg sets his narrative to his own version of modern jazz under the name „Lyft Trio". 

Lyft Trio teamed up with saxophonist John Voirol to bring their second album “Weit” to life. Voirol’s expressive, experienced and radical style provided musical reinforcement, whilst adding a spontaneity and freshness which stands in opposition to the band’s traditional lyrical approach.

The album sustains a balance between dissonance and consonance, clear melodies and spherical noises, simplicity and complexity. In it, you will find the freedom of Jazz, the atmosphere of the Americana and the song-conducive catchiness of pop.

1. Weiterweiter

2. Another Nightingale

3. Lyft Trio feat. John Voirol - Valpelline

4. But This Time

5. Lyft Trio feat. John Voirol - Slow Dance

6. Hymn For You

7. Hoffnige

8. Lyft Trio feat John Voirol - Paranoid Apple

Mario Castelberg: Guitar, Composition

Joel Banz: Bass

Janic Haller: Drums

John Voirol: Tenor Sax (on Valpelline, Slow Dance and Paranoid Apple)

Joel Banz: Mixing

Steffen Peters: Recording Engineer

Andrin Schawander: Recording Assistant

Klaus Scheuermann: Mastering

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Mareille Merck Larus - Fadenschlag (March 2021 Mons Records)

Mareille Merck was born in 1996 in Stralsund (D) and lives in Zurich, Switzerland. She studied jazz guitar in Weimar (D), Lucerne (CH) and Zurich (CH) with Prof. Frank Möbus, Kalle Kalima, Lionel Loueke, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Roberto Bossard and others. Mareille is an acitve member of the swiss jazz scene – she is leader and composer of the band “Mareille Merck – LARUS” and also plays live on stage with various well known musicians. She shared the stage with famous musicians like John McLaughlin, Anne Paceo and Michael League, Bill Lawrence and Justin Stanton from Snarky Puppy.

Mareille Merck (guitar & composition), Florian Bolliger (double bass) and Janic Haller (drums) – three young musicians which are starting a journey together. Their baggage? Courage, adventurousness and risk appetite.

Their companions? Eventful compositions and lively improvisations. They combine complex harmonic and rhythmic structures with lyrical melodies and catchy musical motives.

With there way of playing together and being focused on dynamics the three musicians create atmosphere and space. Sometimes you feel hugged by warm sounds, nearly weightless, and then you find yourself in the middle of a hurricane where you don’t know what is up or down and the feeling of speed roars in your ears.

When you stagg back into silence the whispered dialogues of the instruments paint pictures of a magic world. Like „Larus“, the herring gull, flies above different landscapes, the three musicians take us with her music to a flight over crowded beaches, lonely islands, wide fields and rocky coasts.

Mareille Merck – guitar + composer

Florian Bolliger – double bass

Janic Haller – drums

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