Awaking | Jazz Thing Next Generation Vol. 109 by Thomas Quendler

Thomas Quendler

Awaking | Jazz Thing Next Generation Vol. 109

Price: € 14.95
Format: CD
Label: Double Moon Records
UPC: 0608917146523
Catnr: DMCHR 71465
Release date: 29 August 2025
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Label
Double Moon Records

UPC
0608917146523

Catalogue number
DMCHR 71465

Release date
29 August 2025

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

About the album

With the "Awaking" trio, the excellent pianist now has another ensemble at the springboard. He never tires of stressing how important the alliance with his co-musicians is. And that music is not a playground for egos for him, but a matter of the heart. He will complete his Master's degree in Vienna without giving up his base in Graz. In the spring of 2025, Thomas Quendler won the Ö1 Jazz Scholarship of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, which will enable another album production. "Awaking" is a huge step on a promising path.

The natural limitations of the diatonic instrument eventually led him to the piano. At first, he played on his cousin's piano. He learned by playing by ear and by using online videos. Thomas Quendler received classical lessons at a music school when he was 13, and he discovered jazz piano when he was 15: a breakthrough for his further development. His outstanding musical talent was revealed within a very short time. Parallel to the regular school, he completed a preliminary course of study in Klagenfurt. The aforementioned Wolfsberg music school ensemble initially played jazz standards. Then Quendler & Co. discovered the great jazz rock/fusion tradition: Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, and Chick Corea’s Electric Band. On the other hand, Quendler also learned to appreciate Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly as well as Brad Mehldau and Shai Maestro in those years.

Thomas Quendler started playing the piano at a surprisingly late stage. His first instrument was the Styrian Harmonica, a diatonic accordion with a button keyboard. This plays a central role in the folk music of the region. Quendler's parents ran a popular inn in the area of the Saualpe Mountains above Wolfsberg. At the age of eight, he began to learn the accordion and to play music together with his mother, who had previously sung in entertainment bands. "I really wanted to learn an instrument. I enjoyed it. That gave me a lot of energy from an early age.” He also still played the harmonica when he had long since discovered the piano for himself. By the way, he discovered musicians such as Stevie Wonder, one of his great heroes to this day, through his mother's musical preferences.

The band Kernfusion was the first one at the very beginning. It was born from an ensemble at the Wolfsberg Music School in 2017. The small town in Carinthia, located halfway between Klagenfurt and Graz, is the home of Quendler and Gönitzer. Kočnik comes from the village of St. Michael ob Bleiberg farther south. When Kernfusion was already becoming more well known, Gönitzer, Quendler and Kočnik gradually became members of Origina1Nerd, the group of saxophonist Max Glanz (who also produces albums). Gönitzer and Kočnik are currently studying in Linz in northern Austria, while Quendler is studying in Graz. No problem! Thomas Quendler: "We have known each other for such a long time, and we are constantly involved in exchanging ideas . And we see each other often, already through the activities of the different bands." This growing bond, the fact that they have developed side by side over the years, now also benefits Quendler's trio. This was created on the occasion of his bachelor's degree at the prestigious Graz University of the Arts. "I wanted to do something different from the sound and vibe of other bands. But you can certainly hear certain parallels. For example, a lot is arranged much more strictly than is often the case with jazz piano trios."

Thomas Quendler was 23 at the time of the recordings. This is the first album of his acoustic trio. However, the three are not newcomers. To the contrary: for example, they have long been the core of two established fusion bands. With Origina1Nerd, you come across ingeniously complex fusion forms; the band Kernfusion is more rock oriented. Thomas Quendler mostly plays keyboards in both bands, and Jacob Gönitzer usually plays e-bass. Drummer Jonas Kočnik consistently shows enormous flexibility and power, a strong groove and precision.

"I simply had to incorporate one or two jazz standards," Thomas Quendler wrote in the liner notes, especially as a small tribute to all the inspiring role models in jazz history. However, he didn’t even consider recording a conventional interpretation close to the original. For him, dealing with pieces such as Ellington's swing anthem involves "finding his own approach to give the song such a special spin". This attitude, this desire for the other, is encountered again and again on "Awaking". Quendler's group is not one of the usual piano trios of the classical school. As much as the native of Carinthia has dealt with tradition, the influences that come together in his playing and his attitude extend far into other areas of style.

" will quickly understand what inspired the pianist, composer and arranger from Graz to come up with this idea. In his unconventional, yet deeply respectful version, much of what constitutes the Austrian comes together: joy in jazz traditions, an original, completely unique approach, technical class, a gripping energy level and the perfect intertwining of an excellent, rhythmically resourceful group. The Ellington piece opens "Awaking" with an initial exclamation mark. This is followed by other, mostly own pieces, from rock-energetic to emotional-romantic and all the way to a sparkling straight-ahead composition. As a second classic, the trio later reproduces a version of "Yatra-Ta", the furious Brazilian jazz piece by Tania Maria; it also has an unusually contorted sound, sometimes even staggered with an R&B groove.Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a ThingWhy start a debut album with a jazz standard when there are a number of your own pieces for people to discover? Anyone who listens to Thomas Quendler's version of

Warum ein Debütalbum mit einem Jazz-Standard beginnen, wenn es doch eine Reihe eigener Stücke zu entdecken gibt? Wer Thomas Quendlers Version des Duke Ellington-Gassenhauers „It Don’t Mean a Thing“ hört, versteht schnell, was den Pianisten, Komponisten und Arrangeur aus Graz auf diese Idee gebracht hat. In seiner unkonventionellen, dabei zutiefst respektvollen Fassung kommt viel von dem zusammen, was den Österreicher ausmacht: eine Freude an Jazz-Traditionen, ein origineller, ganz eigener Zugriff, spieltechnische Klasse, ein packendes Energielevel und die perfekte Verzahnung einer exzellenten, gerade auch rhythmisch findigen Gruppe. Das Ellington-Stück eröffnet „Awaking“ mit einem ersten Ausrufezeichen. Dem folgen weitere – zumeist eigene Stücke, von rockig-energetisch über emotional-romantisch bis zur funkensprühenden Straightahead-Nummer. Als zweiten Klassiker legt das Trio später noch eine Fassung von „Yatra-Ta“ nach, dem furiosen Brasiljazz-Stück von Tania Maria: auch das eigenwillig gedreht, zeitweise sogar versetzt mit einem R&B-Groove.
„Ich musste einfach ein, zwei Jazzstandards einbauen“, schreibt Thomas Quendler in den Liner Notes – vor Allem als kleine Hommage an all die inspirierenden Vorbilder der Jazzhistorie. Allerdings kam nicht infrage, eine brave, dem Original nahe Interpretation aufzunehmen. Für ihn gehört es dazu, im Umgang mit Titeln wie Ellingtons Swing-Hymne „einen eigenen approach zu finden - dem Lied so einen besonderen spin zu geben“. Dieser Haltung, dieser Lust am Anderen begegnet man auf „Awaking“ immer wieder. Quendlers Gruppe ist keines der üblichen Piano-Trios klassischer Schule. So sehr sich der gebürtige Kärntner auch mit der Tradition auseinandergesetzt hat: die Einflüsse, die in seinem Spiel und seiner Attitüde zusammenkommen, reichen bis weit in andere Stilbereiche.
Zum Zeitpunkt der Aufnahmen war Thomas Quendler 23. Dies ist das erste Album seines akustischen Trios. Newcomer sind die drei allerdings nicht. Im Gegenteil. Sie bilden zum Beispiel seit Längerem zusammen den Kern von gleich zwei etablierten Fusion-Bands. Bei Origina1nerd stößt man auf ausgefuchst komplexe Fusion-Formen - Kernfusion ist rockiger orientiert. In beiden spielt Thomas Quendler überwiegend Keyboards, Jacob Gönitzer in der Regel E-Bass. Drummer Jonas Kočnik zeigt durchweg eine enorme Flexibilität und Power, groovestark und präzise.
Ganz am Anfang stand die Band Kernfusion. 2017 war sie hervorgegangen aus einem Ensemble der Musikschule Wolfsberg. Die Kleinstadt in Kärnten, auf halbem Weg zwischen Klagenfurt und Graz gelegen, ist die Heimat von Quendler und Gönitzer. Kočnik kommt aus dem weiter südlich gelegenen Örtchen St. Michael ob Bleiberg. Als Kernfusion bereits weitere Kreise zog, wurden Gönitzer, Quendler und Kočnik nach und nach Mitglieder von Origina1nerd, der Gruppe von Saxofonist Max Glanz (die auch Alben produziert hat). Zur Zeit studieren Gönitzer und Kočnik in Linz im Norden Österreichs, Quendler wiederum in Graz. Kein Problem. Thomas Quendler: „Wir kennen uns schon so lange – wir sind ständig im Austausch. Und wir sehen uns oft, schon durch die Aktivitäten der verschiedenen Bands.“ Diese gewachsene Verbundenheit, die Tatsache, dass sie sich über Jahre Seite an Seite entwickelt haben, kommt nun auch Quendlers Trio zugute. Das entstand anlässlich seines Bachelor-Abschlusses an der angesehenen Kunsthochschule Graz. „Da wollte ich vom Sound und vom Vibe her etwas Anderes machen als mit den anderen Bands. Aber man hört sicherlich gewisse Parallelen. So ist vieles deutlich stärker arrangiert als es bei Jazz-Piano-Trios sonst oft der Fall ist.“
Zum Klavier war Thomas Quendler erstaunlich spät gekommen. Sein erstes Instrument war die Steirische Harmonika, ein diatonisches Akkordeon mit Knopf-Tastatur. Das spielt eine zentrale Rolle in der Volksmusik der Region. Quendlers Eltern betrieben ein populäres Gasthaus im Bereich der Saualpe oberhalb von Wolfsberg. Als Achtjähriger begann er, Ziehharmonika zu lernen und zusammen mit seiner Mutter – die hatte früher in Unterhaltungsbands gesungen – zu musizieren. „Ich wollte unbedingt ein Instrument lernen. Ich hab‘ das genossen. Das hat mir von Klein auf sehr viel Energie gegeben.“ Harmonika spielte er auch noch, als er längst das Klavier für sich entdeckt hatte. Über die musikalischen Vorlieben seiner Mutter entdeckte er übrigens Musiker wie Stevie Wonder, bis heute einer seiner großen Helden.
Die natürlichen Beschränkungen des diatonischen Instrumentes führten ihn schließlich zum Klavier. Zunächst spielte er auf dem seines Cousins. Er lernte nach Gehör und anhand von Online-Videos. Mit 13 bekam Thomas Quendler klassischen Unterricht an der Musikschule, mit 15 lernte er Jazz-Piano – ein Durchbruch für die weitere Entwicklung. Binnen kürzester Zeit offenbarte sich sein herausragendes musikalisches Talent. Parallel zur regulären Schule absolvierte er ein Vorstudium in Klagenfurt. Besagtes Wolfsberger Musikschulensemble spielte zunächst Jazz-Standards. Dann entdeckten Quendler & Co. die große Jazzrock/Fusion-Tradition: Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Chick Coreas Elektric Band. Andererseits lernte Quendler in jenen Jahren auch Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans Wynton Kelly oder auch Brad Mehldau und Shai Maestro schätzen.
Mit dem „Awaking“-Trio hat der famose Pianist nun ein weiteres Ensemble am Start. Dabei wird er nicht müde zu betonen, wie wichtig die Allianz mit den Weggefährten ist. Und: dass Musik für ihn kein Spielplatz für Egos ist, sondern Herzenssache. Seinen Master wird er in Wien machen, ohne die Basis in Graz aufzugeben. Im Frühjahr 2025 gewann Thomas Quendler das Ö1-Jazzstipendium des Österreichischen Rundfunks, das eine weitere Albumproduktion ermöglichen wird. „Awaking“ ist ein gewaltiger Schritt auf einem verheißungsvollen Weg.

Artist(s)

Thomas Quendler (piano)

Jakob Gonitzer (bass)

Jonas Kocnik (drums)

Composer(s)

Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington influenced millions of people both around the world and at home. He gave American music its own sound for the first time. In his fifty year career, he played over 20,000 performances in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East as well as Asia. Simply put, Ellington transcends boundaries and fills the world with a treasure trove of music that renews itself through every generation of fans and music-lovers. His legacy continues to live onand will endure for generations to come. Winton Marsalis said it best when he said 'His music sounds like America.' Because of the unmatched artistic heights to which he soared, no one deserved the phrase “beyond category” more than Ellington, for it aptly describes his life as well. He was...

Simply put, Ellington transcends boundaries and fills the world with a treasure trove of music that renews itself through every generation of fans and music-lovers. His legacy continues to live onand will endure for generations to come. Winton Marsalis said it best when he said "His music sounds like America." Because of the unmatched artistic heights to which he soared, no one deserved the phrase “beyond category” more than Ellington, for it aptly describes his life as well. He was most certainly one of a kind that maintained a llifestyle with universal appeal which transcended countless boundaries.

Duke Ellington is best remembered for the over 3000 songs that he composed during his lifetime. His best known titles include; "It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing", "Sophisticated Lady", "Mood Indigo", “Solitude", "In a Mellotone",and "Satin Doll". The most amazing part about Ellington was the most creative while he was on the road. It was during this time when he wrote his most famous piece, "Mood Indigo"which brought him world wide fame.

When asked what inspired him to write, Ellington replied, "My men and my race are the inspiration of my work. I try to catch the character and mood and feeling of my people".

Duke Ellington's popular compositions set the bar for generations of brilliant jazz, pop, theatre and soundtrack composers to come. While these compositions guarantee his greatness, whatmakes Duke an iconoclastic genius, and an unparalleled visionary, what has granted him immortality are his extended suites. From 1943's Black, Brown and Beige to 1972's The Uwis Suite, Duke used the suite format to give his jazz songs a far more empowering meaning, resonance and purpose: to exalt, mythologize and re-contextualize the African-American experience on a grand scale.

Duke Ellington was partial to giving brief verbal accounts of the moods his songs captured. Reading those accounts is like looking deep into the background of an old photo of New York and noticing the lost and almost unaccountable details that gave the city its character during Ellington's heyday, which began in 1927 when his band made the Cotton Club its home.''The memory of things gone,'' Ellington once said, ''is important to a jazz musician,'' and the stories he sometimes told about his songs are the record of those things gone. But what is gone returns, its pulse kicking, when Ellington's music plays, and never mind what past it is, for the music itself still carries us forward today.

Duke Ellington was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1966. He was later awarded several other prizes, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969, and the Legion of Honor by France in 1973, the highest civilian honors in each country. He died of lung cancer and pneumonia on May 24, 1974, a month after his 75th birthday, and is buried in theBronx, in New York City. At his funeral attendedby over 12,000 people at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Ella Fitzgerald summed up the occasion, "It's a very sad day...A genius has passed."

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