Secret Songs has become a very personal album. The two artists play mostly their own compositions, together with a few special arrangements of well-known jazz standards. Miriam Ast‘s vocals and Victor Gutierrez‘s piano playing enter into an intense musical dialogue that is characterized by warm and lyrical sounds, experimental and free-form passages, and virtuoso improvisations. Ast employs her voice like a true musical instrument, knowing when to caress and when to emphasise. Her brilliant scat singing is complemented on some pieces by the distinctive intonations of British saxophonist Stan Sulzmann, a player who also serves up nimble and impressive duets with the pianist Gutierrez. A veteran of the British jazz scene, Stan Sulzmann has played with greats like Kenny Wheeler, Michael Brecker and Gil Evans. He is one of the duo‘s London instructors, and they have dedicated three compositions on the album to him. With his exciting improvisations and lively interactions with both vocals and piano, he has enriched the works enormously.
On all of these pieces, as well as those containing lyrics, Ast/Gutierrez focus on melody and harmony, telling stories of emotional intensity and urgency.
With their debut album Secret Songs, Miriam Ast and Victor Gutierrez have managed to bridge the gap between vibrant freshness and musical maturity. It‘s a huge success!
Weitere Neuerscheinungen:

Della Reese – “One of a Kind – live”

Mia Brentano’s Summerhouse

Zurich Jazz Orchestra & Steffen Schorn – “To My Beloved Ones”

Introducing SAMEKA

Dominik Schürmann Trio – “Moons Ago”

By The Way – “Time For Blue”

New York Duo – “Higher Perception”

Baschnagel Group – “Timeline Promenade”

Altfrid M. Sicking – “I AM”

Jonas Windscheid’s Paintbox – “Alto”

Erik Leuthäuser – “In the Land of Kent Carlson – Live at A-Trane Berlin”

Zurich Jazz Orchestra & Steffen Schorn – “Dedications”

Bending Times – “Songs of Faith / Glaubenslieder”

Mareille Merck LARUS – “Fadenschlag”

Rüdiger Baldauf – ”Strawberry Fields“
