Various
De-phazz Presents Octaves
"De-Phazz presents Octaves" proves that completely new doors open in the mind and heart when the quiet stars of the international neoclassical piano scene draw on the jam-packed song catalog of the soul, pop, jazz, and electronica institution founded in Heidelberg in 1997. "After we had explored all formats with De-Phazz, such as big band, orchestra, and unplugged, I realized that we didn't yet have pure piano interpretations of the most important songs," explains co-producer and idea generator Dirk Mahlstedt about the origins of the album. When he clicked through the vast neoclassical universe on Spotify on a rainy Sunday and discovered a host of great artists, the idea was clear. Together with the Stuttgart label Klangspot Recordings, they put out inquiries - and were surprised by the overwhelming response. Within a very short time, 17 pianists from eight countries and three continents not only agreed to participate, but also delivered their versions of De-Phazz pieces from the band's 28-year history. "De-Phazz presents Octaves" now features such diverse personalities as Argentinian neoclassical great Cristian Vivaldi, Swedish ballad expert Ana Rebekah, Norwegian jazz musician Bugge Wesseltoft, England's streaming pioneer Becky Ainge, and East German rock producer and film music legend Rainer Oleak. Also featured are classical pianists such as Ukrainian Lera Palyarush, Nordic noir representative Stein Austrud, Sweden's nu-jazzical rising star Rikard From, and De-Phazz veterans Eckes Malz and Ulf Kleiner. But whatever the respective background, everyone is united by an audibly deep sympathy for the source material.