Cologne Jazzweek: Jochen Rueckert Quintet

Looking back, it was the right decision for Jochen Rueckert to abandon his percussion studies at the Cologne University of Music and Dance and move to New York in 1998. As a jazz musician, he didn't want to conform to the norm or fulfill expectations. In any case, word quickly spread in New York about the talent in the city - pianist Marc Copland brought the German into his trio, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel hired him, as did saxophonist Mark Turner. Rueckert kept in touch with Europe through a quartet with former fellow students from Cologne: Root 70 around trombonist Nils Wogram. He doesn't actually like orchestras. Maybe that's why he put together a quintet for his concert at the Cologne Jazzweek, with which he makes some of his songs sound like they were played by a big band. Seamus Blake is there on tenor, with bassist Doug Weiss representing the American side of this quintet. Europe is responsible for the low wind frequencies: with Wogram of course and the Dutchman Joris Roelofs on bass clarinet. And Rueckert is the primus inter pares on drums - what more could you want?