Language Selection
Lava Quartet
Germany, Spain, Portugal
Almut Kühne - voice
Jordina Millà - piano
Gonçalo Almeida - double bass
Wieland Möller - drums, percussion, gongs
“When Almut Kühne sings, it can sound like a shortwave radio being nervously scanned, or like dialogue in a mysterious language,” observes Odilo Clausnitzer on SWR. The accompanying headline reads: “From Breathing to Twittering.” The Berlin-based vocal improviser—recently nominated for the German Jazz Prize—pours forth her vocal magma: at times eruptively, at others flowing gently, and then again in the soaring arc of an operatic cry, drifting over the instrumental drones of her fellow musicians in the Lava Quartet. Whether performing their “Ethereal Chant” or the gulping “Wasserkreise” (Water Circles), the ensemble—comprising Catalan pianist Jordina Millà (based in Salzburg), Portuguese bassist Gonçalo Almeida (based in Rotterdam), and drummer/percussionist Wieland Möller (raised in Stralsund and based in Berlin)—always undulates in perfect sync with the collective dramaturgy of sound. “It is a testament to the power of spontaneous musical expression and creates an exciting and unpredictable musical journey for both the performers and the audience,” states the accompanying note to their debut album.
Almut Kühne - voice
Jordina Millà - piano
Gonçalo Almeida - double bass
Wieland Möller - drums, percussion, gongs
“When Almut Kühne sings, it can sound like a shortwave radio being nervously scanned, or like dialogue in a mysterious language,” observes Odilo Clausnitzer on SWR. The accompanying headline reads: “From Breathing to Twittering.” The Berlin-based vocal improviser—recently nominated for the German Jazz Prize—pours forth her vocal magma: at times eruptively, at others flowing gently, and then again in the soaring arc of an operatic cry, drifting over the instrumental drones of her fellow musicians in the Lava Quartet. Whether performing their “Ethereal Chant” or the gulping “Wasserkreise” (Water Circles), the ensemble—comprising Catalan pianist Jordina Millà (based in Salzburg), Portuguese bassist Gonçalo Almeida (based in Rotterdam), and drummer/percussionist Wieland Möller (raised in Stralsund and based in Berlin)—always undulates in perfect sync with the collective dramaturgy of sound. “It is a testament to the power of spontaneous musical expression and creates an exciting and unpredictable musical journey for both the performers and the audience,” states the accompanying note to their debut album.
