Florian Herzog – Almost Natural

Tension and release, chords and clusters, pulse and beat, bonus and penalty: it is often contrasts and opposites from which a work of art derives its tension, and true beauty reveals itself only when it is marked by a flaw. In his improvisational music, Cologne-based bassist and bandleader Florian Herzog also draws on the principle of opposites, without, however, allowing himself to be dominated by it. Equally important to him are parameters inherent to music itself, such as rhythm and dynamics, harmony and melody, which he knows how to unfold together with Sebastian Gille (saxophone), Chaerin Im (piano, synthesizer), Leif Berger (drums), and himself on the double bass. This brings out qualities that ensure contemporary jazz gains even more tension and is further energized when anticipation and interaction give structure and form to the free improvisation flowing from the four musicians.