Joscho Stephan - Four of a Kind (2023) Hi Res

Moments of happiness: In 2006, I was a guest for the second time with my trio at the guitar festival in Patrimonio, Corsica. The second formation of the evening included Costel Nitescu on violin, who was unknown to me at the time. His irrepressible joy of playing and virtuosity, in the uptempo numbers, impressed me at the time just as much as his take on the slower pieces, where his sensitive improvisations and great tone were in the foreground. After our gigs we both met backstage and jammed together, Costel was also impressed by my playing, so we decided to "do something together". As is so often the case, nothing came of it at first. It was only 13 years later that a musical coincidence brought us together again. In 2019, I played a gig with Sven Jungbeck near Paris, where the organiser wanted to bring Sven and me together with two French colleagues on bass and violin. At the last minute, the originally planned violinist dropped out due to illness, and Costel stepped in instead. After a fantastic concert, I seized the opportunity this time and agreed with Costel that we would invite him for some concerts in Germany. My long-time partners Sven Jungbeck (rhythm guitar) and Volker Kamp (double bass) were immediately taken with Costel's playing, and quickly the idea of a joint album was born. Costel fitted seamlessly into our well-rehearsed trio, so that we immediately had the feeling of being one unit. This led directly to the title of this album - "Four of a Kind". The 13 numbers were recorded in only one and a half days. We hope you have as much fun listening to them as we had recording them in the studio.