Lotz Of Music

Imaginative Pygmy Bop (1992-2024)

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Lotz Of Music

Maarten Ornstein, Claudio Puntin, Miguel Martinez, Felix Wahnschaffel, and Don Byron (clarinets, saxophone)
Stefan Schmid, Kris Goessens, Achim Kaufman, Marc van Roon, Edwin Berg, Rembrandt Frerichs, Franz von Chossy, Albert van Veenendaal (piano)
Jan Voogd, Marius Beets, Eric Surmenian, Johan Plomb, Jos Machtel (bass)
Lysander Lecoultre, Jörg Brinkmann (cello)
Stefan Kruger, Dré Pallemaerts, Michael Vatcher, Frederique Jeanne, Alan Purves (drums)
Sandip Bhattacharrya (tabla)

For the many top artists we have performed and recorded with from the Afro-Cuban scene in Cuba and Europe, please visit the Shango’s Dance site. To name a few:

Javier Campos Martinez (batá)
Miguel ‘Anga’ Diaz (conga)
Amalia Pedroso (vocals)

Lotz Of Music was my main ensemble following the release of our debut CD Puasong Daffriek. The name said it all — what was in the name was the game. I’ve always loved jazz as much as various world music or classical music, and Lotz Of Music naturally integrated these diverse styles in a way that felt deeply human and organic. It still does.

The ensemble took many forms over the years. We recorded film music for Rolf Orthel, explored our interpretations of Afro-Cuban traditions in a Cuban Roots project that later evolved into Shangos Dance, created ‘soapera’ theatre music with Eric de Vroedt in Pendant La Nuit, and developed the multimedia project A Dutch View On Fish.

Throughout its journey, I paired the flute with some of the finest clarinetists — Maarten Ornstein, Claudio Puntin, and Don Byron among them. Later, I restructured the group into a quartet, as I felt the need to focus more on my role as a soloist.

Lotz Of Music featured many guest artists and toured extensively across Germany, Slovakia, and Spain.

Lotz Of Music is also the name of my Foundation.

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Lotz Of Music published 8 CDs – among others a Yoruba trilogy– in Germany, The Netherlands and Cuba released on US, Dutch, German and Belgian labels. All of them are rereleased in 2025 on my own label Sonic Squid Music.

CD Puasong Daffriek
CD Le Coq Rouge (rereleased as Le Coq Rouge/D.J.S.)
CD Le Coq Rouge (rereleased as Le Coq Rouge/Baba Furruru)
CD Lotz Of Music in Havana (rereleased as Yemaya Olodo)
CD Pumkin Diaries
CD Pendant La Nuit
CD Bite!
CD Live at Jazzcase

Quotes on performances

Draai Om Je Oren (The Netherlands 2013)
“Five free spirits in an exciting collaboration. Surprising, urgent, visionary”.

Draai Om Je Oren (The Netherlands 2013)
“Wonder flautist Lotz and his collegues Don Byron, Van Veenendaal, Brinkmann and Purves gave an lecture in sublime free improvisation music. …. made this concert a true feast of improv.”

Volkskrant (The Netherlands 2012)
“Mark Lotz Meets Don Byron in Lotz Of Music: ‘… flautist Mark Alban Lotz who gave the most impressive concert. Especially the creative and intense interpretations (improvisations) within the compositions was breathtaking beautifull!’”

Het Parool (The Netherlands)
“Focus on colours with Lotz Of Music. The Highlight of the SJU Jazz Festival 2005.”

Frits Lagerwerf, VPRO Gids (The Netherlands)
“A great whisper concert! The Quartet of Mark Alban Lotz was one of the highlights of the SJU Jazz Fesival 2005.”

Draaiomjeoren (J.Los) (The Netherlands)
“Lotz en Freeman impress at the SJU Jazz Festival 2005. … The band (Lotz Of Music) played an enormous subtle fascinating set.”

Stuttgarter Zeitung (Germany)
“This is the time of discoveries in Jazz.”

Bonner Rundschau (Germany)
“Lotz Of Music’ is improvisation at it’s best!”

Rensch en Gouwe (The Netherlands)
“Sounding as free as jazz music is supposed to sound: a million dollar baby!”

Utrechts Nieuwsblad (The Netherlands)
“Full of absurd side leaps and sharp dialogues, with a distinctive role for the jazz orchestra under Mark Lotz. The playing felt remarkably freewheeling, natural, and effortless.”

Pieter Bots, Het Parool
“Lotz Of Music …. groovy improvisations which propel the play immensely or providing a hip lounge atmosphere …”

Adwin de Kluyter, Rotterdams Dagblad
“Lotz Of Music … playing finger snipping, head banging djazzz – sublimely executed, especially in the free improvisations – and like the play itself often leaning towards absurdity.”

Noord Holland Dagblad
“The play and the jazz music by Lotz Of Music turns out to be a remarkably good working combination.”

Mark Roos, Utrechts Nieuwsblad
“Full of absurd side leaps and mean dialogues with a distinctive role for the Jazz orchestra under Mark Lotz. The playing is remarkably freewheeling, natural and effortless, … “

Karin Veraart, De Volkskrant
“Violent dialogues in a mean relation play.”

JazzBulletin, Frank van Herk (The Netherlands)
“A sort of improvised ambient: an alternative ballad full of fantasy.”

Draai Om Je Oren (The Netherlands 2016)
“… what is happening in the deep sea. After the descent shows an exciting world full of strange sounds, tones and effects. Translated exquisite by Lotz and his companions into a visual, colorful, playful and very persuasive sound. If the term world music did not exist, he would have to be invented for this purpose.”

Neuburger Rundschau (Germany)
“A stimulating and vital mixture of all manners of playing jazz. ‘Lotz Of Music’ offers creative variety in this all too often dusty, formalistic world of jazz.”

Fuldaer Zeitung (Germany)
“Swinging and adventurous music in a boisterous package.”

Lippische Zeitung (Germany)
“A first class musical treat!”

NRC Handelsblad (The Netherlands)
“Jazz on flute – with Lotz not soft but heavy.”

Jazz Nu (The Netherlands)
“The craziest music of the Festival was played by ‘Lotz Of Music’.”

TAZ Bremen (Germany)
“A very original performance – executed with smart elegance.”

Weserkurier (Germany)
“Music without borders – just ‘Lotz Of Music’ indeed.”

Groninger Dagblad (The Netherlands)
“Mysterious and increasingly penetrating ostinato’s evoke an atmosphere of strange rituals.”

Draai Om Je Oren (The Netherlands 2016)
“Like no other, this quintet manages to create unusual sounds from their acoustic instruments. Often such that the original sound is no longer recognizable. Add to that sounds from a completely different source – especially Alan Purves and Albert van Veenendaal know the ropes with tape, inflatable animals, toy whistles and what not else – and you have a picture of Lotz Of Music. … Limits simply do not exist here, the music is influenced by diverse musical worlds as jazz, blues, non-Western music, avant-garde, musique concrète and folk. On paper, this looks like an inverted trash. That it does not is the strength of this group, because despite all these musical styles, the pieces sound every time as a wonderful unit, thanks to the compelling and infectious rhythms.”