Jan Roth - Kleinod (2018)

Jan Roth’s second album "Kleinod" will be released on May 2018. Four years after his gorgous debut "L.O.W." Roth delivers a real gem in the best sense of the word. Personally valuable, with light patina, various scratches, and one or two significant dents. Loaded with important stories and memories, with dignity and full of love, "Kleinod" has become a band album. The album of a band, however, whose members prefer to leave space for each other. Roth's unobtrusive piano unites the seven other instruments played on the album; but more as an underlying texture in the background. His "all-time-favourite" bass player Alex Binder, and the "amazing" drummer Maximilian Stadtfeld, lend hand to the songs, with their airy playing, helping set the tone for the rest of Roth's album. Finally, Antonia Hausmann and Fritz Moshammer make the music shine even brighter with trombone, clarinet, trumpet and flugelhorn. While the former were planned from the outset, the latter just ""in town for a few days, having nothing better to do. The magic of chance." says Roth. "These four gems made it very easy for me to play the piano." The album opens largely promising. "Herbst" sets the stage with Roth's signature, gentle and open piano. The piece draws in warm tones, less of a view of a dark winter and more a view that goes back to a long and great summer. "Boicycle" is about a boy who learns to ride a bicycle, just as the helping hand lets go of the handle bars: shaky and overwhelming at first, but alas, a proud conquer of a new freedom upon release. With the exceedingly graceful piece, "Schnuppe," Roth lets align that he is not a star, and... ugh, you can't translate that, sorry.