Cologne Jazzweek: Lucia Cadotsch AKI

To understand the new quartet of Berlin-based Swiss singer Lucia Cadotsch, one must first take a look at her successful trio Speak Low. Since 2015, she has been singing well-known and lesser-known pieces from the "Great American Songbook" with Petter Eldh (bass) and Otis Sandsjö (saxophone), two Swedes who also live in the German capital. But that's it with the references into the jazz history. The way in which the three approach this time-honored collection of songs is indeed unique. They make these songs their own as if they had never done anything else. London pianist and organist Kit Downes is featured as a guest on the latest Speak Low record. With him, Conor Chaplin (bass) and James Maddren (drums), Cadotsch explores the chamber music aspects and contexts of songs both foreign and his own. Together they celebrate the simplicity of pop as well as the creative experimentation with the material. This by no means requires virtuosity, just a keen sense of musical detail and aesthetic nuance to transform any song - foreign or their own - into pure magic.