With great joy we release this Recording of Angelika Hagen and Andi Schreiber. It is, simply put, beautiful, immensely atmospheric and intimate music, these two masters of the violing play and improvise. Recommended!

Get it here!

Get it here!

Listen Closely is proud to announce another album release by one of the finest Austrian keyboard wizards: Philipp Nykrin

February 22nd marks the day that Philipp Nykrin releases his new album “Songbook”, which features 4 Solo pieces and 6 duos. For the duos he teams up with his long time associates Nina Fiva Sonnenberg on vocals, Fabian Rucker on saxophone and Martin Eberle on trumpet.

Come out to the release show of “Songbook” on February 22nd at Wiener Konzerthaus! Also to be heard there: Philipp Nykrin’s Wire Resistance (if you haven’t yet: go and check out their debut album –  Listen Closely 14).

Hiroi, Band of guitar player Michiru Ripplinger, release their Album “Return of the Koi” on Listen Closely.

Hiroi, is Japanese, to which guitarist Michiru Ripplinger has a strong connection by his mother, means “wide” and describes the mood that is conveyed by his compositions.
Stylistically, apart from modern jazz, this wideness is expressed through the occasional trip to the singer / songwriter genre, and rock elements that can be found in the music of this formation. Closed-mindedness is not for them.
Hiroi sees itself not as a band with a lead singer, but rather as five equal musicians. They alway focus to do justice to the meaning of their band.

They will celebrate the Release with a concert on 30.4. at the hoerthoert-Festival.

We are happy that the Viennese Klezmer/Surf/Avantgarde Band “Nifty’s” release their album “No. 3” (it is their third album, who would’ve thought) on Listen Closely.

The Releaseshow takes place on October 7th at the Chelsea/Vienna.

We are happy to welcome “Matrioska Dreamteam” to the Listen Closely Family! The Trio consists of Violin – Doublebass – Drums, which is quite an unusual Instrumentation. Their very convincing Debut is callen “Unusual Place”.

This is what they say about their own music:

The music of violin player Florian Sighartner, double bass player Sebastian Küberl and drummer Judith Schwarz is based on a settled rock attitude that shows up in a subtle dress of different playing modes of jazz. Unconventionality is part of the concept and begins with the instrumentation and doesn’t end with the compositions. The violin suddenly acts as rhythm instrument, the double bass mutates into a guitar and the drums turn out to be a bowed instrument. The sound of this band is exceptional; virtuosity is never self purpose and due to tasty arrangements and extended instrumental techniques the lack of a typical harmonic instruments turns out to be a gate to an unimagined sound.

Florian Sighartner – violin
Sebastian Küberl – double bass
Judith Schwarz – drums

Agnes Hvizdalek – voice

Jakob Schneidewind – bass, electronics

Recorded and mixed by Jakob Schneidewind Mastered by Martin Siewert

Trio ZaVoCC – Daham – Artwork by Anna Zangerle

Trio ZaVoCC, consisting of Christoph Cech on piano, Raimund Vogtenhuber on electronic devices and Werner Zangerle on Saxophones release their second Album “Daham”. It was recorded on three consecutive nights at the Brennkammer at Porgy & Bess in Vienna during live concerts. It is the follow up to their debut Album “on tour”. It captures the energy and inspiration of three night, three sets of pure improvisation.

I’m really happy to welcome a great Band to the Family that Listen Closely has become: Philipp Nykrin and his Band Wire Resistance, with Mario Rom, Fabian Rucker, Stephan Kondert and Andreas Lettner. The Releaseconcert is at Porgy & Bess/Vienna on February 23rd.

Philipp Nykrin’s Wire Resistance
Philipp Nykrin – piano, synthesizer, electronics
Mario Rom – trumpet
Fabian Rucker – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, synthesizer
Stephan Kondert – bass
Andreas Lettner – acoustic & electronic drums

Right after the first hoerthoert – Festival, that took place in May 2013, ended, the members of hoerthoert, a registered society that is part of the Listen Closely Family, decided that the Festival has to happen again.

In the last year a lot of things happened on Listen Closely, we celebrate 7 new Releases, 5 of them will present their new Tunes and CD during the Festival. As Guests we have the Philipp Harnisch Quartet, the Septett GNIGLER, Para, Sweet & Lovely and Mira Lu Kovacs/David Six. Wenzl Dnatek and Matador couldn’t make it to the festival due to other obligations.

The Lineup is quite diverse and very promising. We have got everything ranging from a Duo to a Septett, Free Improvisation, Modern Jazz to Spoken Word.

Don’t miss this, it’s going to be really good!