CD 9709-2	Alexander von Hagke "Lorelei" Alexander von Hagke - tenor saxophone, clarinet Peter O’Mara - guitar Andreas Kurz - bass Bastain Jütte - drums

"Lorelei" is the first Album by the saxophonist, clarinetist and composer Alexander von Hagke under his own name. In addition to the current quartet he plays in such diverse groups as the heavy metal jazz band Panzerballett, the classical and jazz crossover quartet Passo Avanti and the hardbop formation Munich Uptown Jazz Sextet. Especially as a member of Panzerballett he developed a growing international Fan base.
Hagke studied saxophone and clarinet in New York and Munich with Rich Perry, John Ruocco and Leszek Zadlo. He also studied mathematics at the Technical University of Munich, published a book on computer science and worked for an international management consultancy. For his artistic activities, he received several awards and scholarships. He was awarded the Bavarian Art Prize 2011.

Sophistication and freedom for the musicians may go well along- thus the motto of the enja debut of the saxophonist and clarinetist Alexander von Hagke. His compositions were knowingly conceived to create lots of space for interaction while using various innovative concepts. „The challenge was to leave space for musicians' interplay without compromising ideas like odd, segmented forms, polyrhythms or complex harmonic changes“, says von Hagke, who has developped an own, unique style also on clarinet.
All participating musicians have known each other and worked together for years. Therefore they can interact especially tight and trustful, even when recording new material. „I wanted this unique tension and freshness in the recording“, tells Alexander von Hagke. Thus, he brought only new, formerly unplayed pieces to the studio. As is old jazz tradition, the tunes were directly recorded without a prior rehearsal. This was very demanding for the musicians, especially since the compositions are highly sophisticated. „We didn't talk much, but simply played music in a relaxed atmosphere“.
The result speaks for itself: The music sounds fresh, calm yet energetic, and at times melancholy. You can literally feel the musicians' enthusiam and the live atmosphere of the recording session.