MATTI KLEIN SOUL TRIO : first ever UK tour by Berlin-based jazz keyboard whizz and cohorts starts 31.01.24

MATTI KLEIN SOUL TRIO
UK TOUR 2024
FIRST EVER UK SHOWS IN JAN/FEB

The German soulful jazz outfit Matti Klein Soul Trio have today announced their very first UK tour, which consists of the following five dates:

31.01.24 LONDON Bulls Head, Barnes
01.02.24  EDINBURGH Voodoo Rooms
02.02.24  NOTTINGHAM Peggy’s Skylight
03.02.24  NORTHAMPTON The Garibaldi
04.02.24  BATH Komedia

Berlin-born pianist and composer Matti Klein is a wizard behind his Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric piano. After completing music studies in his home city, he led the successful funky jazz quartet Mo’ Blow for a decade, issuing three albums on the renowned ACT label, while also acting as musical director and/or arranger for domestic superstars such as Herbert Grönemeyer and Sarah Connor, international pop artists like Jimmy Somerville, plus latter-day jazz greats Ed Motta, Torsten Goods and Nils Landgren.

Klein has to date performed over 1000 international concerts in legendary venues such as Ronnie Scott’s (London), Blue Note (Tokyo), Highline Ballroom (New York) and New Morning (Paris), as well as at numerous major festivals.

MATTI KLEIN | live photo by WP Steinheisser Photography

Klein can now be heard alongside the bass clarinet, tenor saxophone plus effects of Lars Zander and the tight grooves of ex-Mo‘ Blow drummer André Seidel in the Matti Klein Soul Trio, which was formed after the dissolution of Mo’ Blow in 2017 and who have released two well received soul/jazz albums to date in ‘Soul Trio’ (2020) and ’Soul Trio Live On Tape’ (2021). Both have often been compared to classic gems released on the Impulse label in the ‘60s.

“A smokin’ hot series of sessions featuring Klein and his superb band. Lars Zander on tenor is just sensational, and his forays on bass clarinet add even more grit to the hard-swinging proceedings ****”
JAZZWISE
“An authentic album drawing on vintage instruments with a 21st century attitude”
JAZZ JOURNAL
“A varied and intriguing musical menu. Not too many albums take you from ’60s smoky New York jazz clubs to the tundra of Finland in less than an hour!”
SOUL&JAZZ&FUNK

“I live out my love of instrumental groove jazz in this trio, which is an exciting format for my compositions with the Wurlitzer as the main instrument,” states Klein. “Instead of a traditional line-up with bass, the three of us can play pretty fat grooves. The soul in the band name is also very important to me, as it emphasises that this is an absolute affair of the heart.”

MATTI KLEIN
Soul Trio buy/stream | Soul Trio Live On Tape buy/stream
[both Shuffle Shack Records/Membran]

‘Soul Trio’ was recorded, mixed and co-produced by Axel Reinemer of Jazzanova and spanned a wide stylistic arc that encapsulated everything from ‘African Taxitrip’ – which paid tribute to Dollar Brand, Klein’s own history with the Afrobeat band Kabu Kabu, and was also a big favourite of DJ Robert Elms at BBC London – to the dreamy downtempo hip-hop flow of ‘Windy Move’ and the ambitious 8+ minute suite ‘River Journey’, a video for which can be seen HERE.

‘Soul Trio Live On Tape’ was actually recorded before the debut, when the trio laid down a set of live sessions with producer/engineer Jochen Ströh (Tony Allen, Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Jimi Tenor) comprised of ‘deep-fried contemporary soul jazz’ arrangements of songs primarily written for Mo’ Blow. Alongside their new leader, Zander proved his reputation as the most soulful tenor saxophonist in town and just why he had earned kudos for a bass clarinet sound enhanced with FX, while Seidel also displayed his chops, incorporating elements of rock, hip-hop, odd meter fusion and the sound of New Orleans into a unique style.

As for its contents, ‘Rocket Swing’ had a hip-hop vibe with a jazzy fifth fall, ‘Ray’ was a Meters-inspired shuffle, while ‘Sunsqueezed’ had a wider compositional arc, evoking sunshine peeking through the clouds during a long, grey ten month Berlin winter to offer hope for the other two months. Its video can be seen HERE.

The Matti Klein Soul Trio are now set to provide further rays of light at venues around the UK to help melt away those post-New Year blues.

MATTI KLEIN SOUL TRIO | photography by Rob Stirner