Joscho Stephan Trio feat. Costel Nitescu - Four of a Kind (2023) [Hi-Res]

I discovered Costel Nitescu in 2006 at a guitar festival in Patrimonio, Corsica. I’d never heard of him before, but when he took the stage with a different band after my trio’s set, I enjoyed his playing immediately. In the up-tempo numbers, he displayed stunning virtuosity and an irrepressible joy. And in slow pieces, his sensitive improvisations and great tone were equally impressive.
After our respective performances, we met backstage and jammed on a few songs. It turned out Costel was also enthusiastic about my own playing, so we decided to “do something together.” As is so often the case, nothing came of it at first. Thirteen years later, a musical coincidence brought us together again. I was playing a gig with Sven Jungbeck near Paris, and the organizer set us up with two local musicians on bass and violin. At the last minute, the violinist called in sick, so Costel stepped in. The concert was fantastic, and this time I seized the opportunity and invited Costel to Germany for a few more performances. My long-term partners Sven Jungbeck (rhythm guitar) and Volker Kamp (double bass) were immediately enthusiastic about Costel’s playing, and the idea of a joint CD was born. Costel integrated seamlessly into our well-rehearsed trio, so we immediately had the feeling of being one unit. Hence the title of the present album: “Four of a kind.” The 13 pieces were recorded in just one and a half days. We hope you have as much fun listening as we did playing in the studio.