Speaking Sound

There is serendipity about Joachim Kühn and Mateusz Smoczynski having combined. Their musical conversations are sparked off by catchy little themes or motifs. Dialogues evolve freely, but also have a real sense of focus. Pulse and breathing seem to be as one. The pair have the courage to set off wherever their combined fantasy and imagination will take them, finding all kinds of moods and emotions along the way.

On "Speaking Sound", the sounds do indeed speak for themselves. Jazz has always been about what musicians have to say through their instruments and about developing a personal sound. Kühn and Smoczynski do this in a way that is not just congenial but also completely enthralling. Both have roots in classical music: the pianist grew up in Bach's town of Leipzig, and the violinist, four decades younger than him, is a graduate of the Frédéric Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw. The principle that the European classical tradition can come alive through the expressive possibilities of jazz is part of the creative essence of both of these musicians.