Just the other week David Axelrod had passed away. Any way you look at it, it’s a huge loss for the music world and Jazz lovers specifically. Our Facebook feed was lit up for days with people paying tribute to this Jazz legend and revisiting the beast of a world that he had crafted over the years. As sad as letting go of another musical giant was (we’ve been losing a lot of them lately – goodbye Clyde Stubblefield), the farewell he received was a beautiful reminder that Jazz is as relevant in 2017 as it ever was. 

On that note, we would like to introduce you to Lucia Cadotsch, a singer who, in our humble opinion, is seriously pushing the Jazz idiom forward. Her debut LP entitled Speak Low  (recorded with Otis Sandsjö on tenor sax and Frans Petter Eldh on double bass) got the hardcore Jazz world shook and the critics chattering away. In April, the follow up, Speak Low Renditions, will be be released. The LP will revisit songs from the previous record, but this time interpreted by a host of hand picked guests (Frans Petter, Dan Nichols, Julian Sartorius, Marc Lohr, Evelinn Trouble, Oy, Colin Vallon, Trummershlunk, Marc Neyen and Don Philippe). We are honoured to offer you a glimpse into what’s to come with Frans Petter’s rendition of Speak Low. We also got a few questions in with Frans and Julian Sartorius, who supplied the track with its unique beat. Btw., for those of you who don’t read liner notes or download coverless rips, both Julian and Frans played on JamesZoo’s FOOL, out now on Brainfeeder. Oh oh!

What’s the state of Jazz in 2017? 
Julian Sartorius: That’s really hard to say. There are so many forms of Jazz these days, so many different scenes, so many musicians that have a totally individual approach to Jazz.
Frans Petter: Good shit is happening everywhere, it's taking over. People need to acknowledge that the music referred to as Jazz is the main ingredient in the most interesting things out there.

Who do you guys think is really pushing the idiom forward right now?
FP: New York trumpeter Peter Evans is pushing all the borders. The amount of inventiveness in his body of work is insane. 

Just to test your palettes: Does Jazz have to played live or improvised for it to be Jazz? 
JS: Yes.
FP: Jazz can be anything. Everything can be Jazz. Me and my girlfriend at home with an expensive Riesling, that's also Jazz.

Does it even matter? 
FP: No.
JS: What counts is the result, no matter if it’s improvised or not.

So what about this track here? How did this come to life?
JS: I was a guest in Lucia’s band SPEAK LOW. We developed this version together and recorded it live in a studio in Berlin. Petter then did all the postproduction on it – amazing work.
FP: We recorded a few tracks and Speak Low was the one I decided to bring into my studio to add more layers. Most of the synth sounds are derived from sampling Otis’ saxophone.

Frans Petter, you also play with Lucia Cadotsch as a part of the Speak Low trio, correct? How did you guys meet?
FP: I got to know Lucia in Copenhagen many years ago. We used to live in the same house, lots of musicians around and lots of interesting music around. We were young and developed a curiosity for experimenting with different styles. 

Julian, did you play with Lucia before this session? 
JS: No, Lucia and I didn’t play together before. But we know each other for a while now and we both grew up in Switzerland, so it was great to finally play together.

Was she there when you guys recorded this version? 
JS: Yes.
FP: Otis, Lucia, Francis Fuego, Charlie Stone, they were all there. It was a party.

Out of curiosity, did you guys also retrack the vocals on this one, or was it just the instrumentation that was redone?
FP: It's actually all new. It's one whole take, I just shortened the solo a bit and tightened up the arrangement in the post-production. I didn't use any of the stems from the album version. 

I heard about the ECHO nomination, that’s big! Congratulations!
FP: Cheers. I hope I win.
And both you, Petter, and Lucia  were nominated, right? But in separate categories?
FP: Yeah, Lucia for best vocalist and I'm in the low-end category.

Outside of this project, what are you guys working on right now? Frans Petter: I'm working on an EP, it features Julian on one track and my band Amok Amor is set to release our sophomore album on Intakt Records in May. It's a mad one.
JS: I’m working on a new solo album. It will be released in June on Everest Records. It’s an album that I’ve recorded on a 10 day hike through Switzerland. All the sounds and beats are recorded outdoors in the mountains and the woods. It will be called „Hidden Tracks“.

When will we get to see this madness live? 
FP: It's gonna be wild, it's all happening at Berghain Kantine on the 26th of May. A lot of the people involved with the album will be there making music. New collaborations, new renditions. I'll bring my MPC.
We better be on the guest list.