Jan Schröder Quartet – From Here To Her

With his second CD ‘From here to her’ jazz guitar player Jan Schröder confirms the promises he did in his internationally enthusiastically received debut (‘OneLineDrawing’). ‘Multilayered’, ‘a direct hit’, ‘top quartet’ wrote JazzThing (Germany) and JazzPodium then. Schröders latest strikes again by its unusual richness in melodically haunting material, in themes as well as in improvisations. With hypnotically beautiful lines that often show a deep, romantic sensitivity, without getting sentimental. With subtle lyrical moments and even when the quartet sounds more ‘down to earth’ always that unique feeling for melody and form. The title composition is pure musical beauty without frills, the heart of the matter for this whole CD. The tender subtility goes for all of the quartet with its constantly changing colouring of classical song elements and modern jazzy rhythms. Tasteful and exact (Bas Kisjes double bass and Tuur Moens drums), with keyboardist Paul Maassen’s apt and matching choices for piano, fender rhodes or hammond. And always there is that original sound of Schröder himself, with that admirable playing style, very much his own, like you seldom hear.