CD ‘The Wroclaw Sessions’
Mark Lotz Trio
Spontaneous jam and recording with two dynamic young Polish musicians. This marks Lotz’s return to jazz with a classic jazz trio setting, his first recording in this format in some time.
The liner notes, written by Peter Westbrook, provide insightful context.
This page also includes an extended version of those liner notes.
"Mark Alban Lotz is bringing sexy back into jazz with his trio recording The Wroclaw Sessions.” (All About Jazz, USA)
“The Wroclaw Sessions” is a stellar example of musical chemistry and the essence of the sound.”
(Polish Jazzblog Spot, Poland)
“This is an album to die for.” (Jazz Da Gama, USA)
Mark Alban Lotz (c-, alto-, bass flutes, fx)
Grzegorz Piasecki (acoustic bass)
Wojciech Buliński (drums)
Released by Audiocave in 2019
Release 26st April 2019
Recorded march 3rd 2018 in Wroclaw, Poland by Lukasz Damrych
Mixed by Marius Beets at Studio Smederij Zeist, The Netherlands
NYC Jazz Record
2x Best Of 2019 (january 2020)
2x Recommended New Release (july and august 2019)
Flute Journal Review (UK)
All About Jazz (USA)
“Mark Alban Lotz is bringing sexy back into jazz with his trio recording The Wroclaw Sessions. It is rare for a jazz-flute recording to present itself with such a robustness.”
Jazz Da Gama (Canada)
“This is an album to die for.”
The Soundtrack Of My Life (Israel)
“An absolute must for Jazz flute connoisseurs“
Polish Jazzblog Spot (Poland)
“The Wroclaw Sessions” is a stellar example of musical chemistry and the essence of the sound.”
Clifford Allen (USA)
“It is very strong music. I’m quite hooked. It is rare to blindly receive an album that is so appealing.”
Moors Magazine (NL)
“Yet in the pure jazz tradition and of improvisation, nine creative pieces emerged that show that Lotz belongs to the absolute top of the improvising flute players.”
Opduvel (Belgium)
“In the hands of Lotz the flute is a wonderful solo instrument and he can build on a rhythm section that is focused and is solid as a rock.”
Music Frames (NL)
“It is fantastic how these three innovative musicians play music with minimal resources. They understand the art of omitting and only play what really matters. Exciting, inspiring and innovative!”
Flute Journal (UK)
“Many jazz flutists dare to include avant-garde abstractions in their improvisations these days, but few avant-garde artists have the courage to embrace the simple and the concrete. There is still beauty available to the freely improvising musician. Pure genius!”
Jazzflits (NL)
“Lotz and his companions strip the numbers until they have recovered its essence. It was perhaps a tough time in Wroclaw but the album is very successful.”
Point Of Departure (USA)
“Now that is turning lemons into lemonade.”
Jazz (Portugal)
“Full of musicality and adventure.”
Jazzenzo (NL)
“Exceptionally fresh performance.”
Jazz And Mo (Belgium)
“The trio shows that Parkers music also swings heavily on flute.”
JazzPodium (Germany)
“With his own tracks Lotz once again proves to be a veritable composer.”
UKVibe (UK)
“This is the spirit of jazz in its truest form.”
Magazine Walker (Japan)
“In the opening song of the album ‘Euterpe’, you find the trio’s unique character and its improvisatory nature which comes roaring powerfully.”
Mark Alban Lotz – The Wroclaw Sessions
Mark Alban Lotz comes from two traditions of innovation, Dutch jazz and jazz flutists in general. Largely free of traditional ‘schools’ of performance, flutists have consistently broken down barriers between genres — jazz, classical, world music. In the Netherlands, isolated from the critical elites of New York, musicians, including flutists Chris Hinze, Ronald Snijders and Peter Guidi, have forged their own traditions. Raised in Thailand, Uganda and Germany, trained in Holland and subsequently interacting with musicians in many countries, Lotz has forged a style and a temperament that creates coherence out of diversity.
Following a series of albums that runs the gamut of music traditions from Turkey to Cuba, Lotz’ 19th recording finds him returning to his first love — jazz. In Poland in March 2018, giving master classes and concerts, he was invited by bassist Grzegorz Piasecki to an impromptu recording session in the small town of Wroclaw with drummer Wojciech Buliński. The circumstances were not favorable: the musicians had little sleep, the studio was decidedly lo-fi, there was little time, and Buliński had to quit half-way through with a high fever. Nevertheless, tapping into the disciplines of jazz improvisation, taking a handful of melodic fragments, original head arrangements and one standard tune, Lotz, beautifully supported by Grzegorz and Wojciech, spins out nine unendingly creative performances that constitute the very essence of jazz. Another triumph for Mark Alban Lotz and the flute in jazz.
