Jakob Manz: Groove Connection (LP)

"Jakob Manz always surprises you," says pianist and keyboardist Roberto Di Gioia, who together with Siggi Loch produced the 21-year-old's album, which will be released in 2023. "The fact that Jakob plays the saxophone incredibly well, and in all kinds of directions of modern jazz, has gotten around by now. That he also sounds 100% authentic in soul, funk and rhythm'n'blues is certainly not yet known by everyone. And when you think you've really heard everything from him now, he plays such a deep, soulful blues solo that you can hardly believe it." With the release of his jazz-rock debut "Natural Energy" in 2020, Jakob Manz showed how much potential he has. This was followed by prominent appearances at the Leverkusen Jazz Days, the Jazz Baltica, in the Porsche Arena Stuttgart (as a guest soloist at "70 years SWR Big Band") or at the ACT30 anniversary concerts in the Berlin Philharmonic Hall. In 2022, the delicate acoustic duo album "The Gallery Concerts I" with pianist Johanna Summer was released, showing Manz as an improviser of great depth and sensitivity. And he has received many prominent awards, most recently the Landesjazzpreis of his home state of Baden-Württemberg. If the debut album was still a cross-section of his broad musical spectrum, "Groove Connection" is a close-up of Jakob Manz' perhaps greatest strength: to thrill his audience with soulful melodies, crisp solos and a strong sense of rhythm. To further fuel these rare qualities with an international top line-up was the starting point for producers Roberto Di Gioia and Siggi Loch. The latter says: "Jakob Manz is an incredible talent and for me he stands in the tradition of great saxophonists like Lou Donaldson, his hero David Sanborn and also of Klaus Doldinger. All musicians who found their characteristic sound on the basis of jazz in combination with soul and blues and became successful with it worldwide. In the case of Klaus Doldinger, I experienced this myself when I motivated him in 1969, at the height of the success of his jazz quartet, to try something completely new with the album 'Motherhood'. The recording became the blueprint for 'Klaus Doldinger's Passport,' his most successful and acclaimed project to date." And so the bar was set high for the "Groove Connection" from the very beginning: an album of international caliber, with musicians who, like Jakob Manz, deeply penetrate the vocabulary of soul jazz and rhythm'n'blues and fill it with their own life. Roberto Di Gioia, on the keys and also as a songwriter, was set from the beginning - due to his history with Klaus Doldingers Passport, the cult band "Zappelbude" and his current band Web Web, but also because of his pop & soul sensibility as a producer of Max Herre or Joy Denalane. First choice for the low tones was the American Tim Lefebvre, a hero of Jakob Manz, an authority of his instrument and collaborator with artists as diverse as David Bowie, Wayne Krantz, Tedeschi Trucks Band or Michael Wollny. The stylish groove is contributed by the Swede Per Lindvall - among others member of the first Nils Landgren Funk Unit and drummer for ABBA. Bruno Müller, one of the most sought-after German session guitarists, adds the funky spice. The soft, warm counterpart to Jakob Manz' brilliant alto saxophone is created by Swedish trombonist Karin Hammar. And finally, guest appearances by guitarist Nguyên Lê, trumpeter Paolo Fresu and speaker Mark Harrington set further accents. When the Groove Connection met in the studio, things immediately clicked, as Roberto Di Gioia recalls: "We had everything perfectly prepared, including the best bass equipment for Tim. And then he arrives, plugs his 500€ no-name tour bass into the amp, starts playing a bit, Per Lindvall joins in and immediately something happens. That's when I had to shout into the control room for the first time that they should record immediately." The vibe of the first few minutes continues throughout the duration of the recording. Everything flows, everyone seems to subconsciously grasp exactly what the music really needs, which notes to play and which ones not to. In the end, one or two takes are enough for most of the tracks on the album. The fact that this succeeds so seemingly effortlessly and that the result sounds so light and effortless, but at the same time so rousing, is proof of the great mastery of all involved. Everyone has mastered their craft and, even more importantly, all have deeply internalized the vocabulary of this music, all communicate at eye level and full of joy. A joy that is transferred to the listeners from the very first bar - with a mixture of originals and groove-jazz versions of Adele, Billie Eilish, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie and many more. There are not many young jazz musicians who master their instrument as virtuously as Jakob Manz and whose playing sounds at the same time so unpretentious, clear, song-serving and soulful. The fact that he succeeds in this is due on the one hand to his talent and the single-mindedness with which he works on his musical expression. And on the other hand, it is due to his will to inspire and touch the audience with his music. He says that it is important to him to play his very special instrument, the alto saxophone, in a way that fills the room, but at the same time reaches each individual listener directly and immediately. And one can state that he succeeds in this, whether in the club, in large concert halls, on festival stages or wherever one hears his new album.