Markus Harm - Out in Space (2024) [Hi-Res]

"There are always new paths to take." Markus Harm has experienced this many times. Such ways do not necessarily have to lead over unexplored terrain or be extraordinarily spectacular. Sometimes a special charm, a special tension, lies simply in what new encounters open up. The album "Out In Space" is the first of a completely new quartet formation. However, it is explicitly not the Markus Harm Quartet. This has existed for more than 10 years and has released three albums to date—including in a traditional lineup, but with guitar instead of piano. Incidentally, this was also preceded by a foursome with the Harmzone group.

With his new album "Out In Space", the saxophonist, who is currently commuting between Franconia and Vienna, has decidedly opened a new chapter—a kind of new beginning, but one that does not break with the previous one. "I just wanted to have a band with other favorite musicians I've played with in recent years." Pianist Andreas Feith and Markus Harm have long formed a familiar team. The two also work as a duo, and their second album is in planning. In Feith's own project, to which he had invited the saxophonist, he met bassist Martin Gjakonovski for the first time. The Macedonian has lived in Germany for more than 30 years. "Martin has been a hero of mine since I was a little boy!" Markus Harm stated enthusiastically. He had met drummer Vladimir Kostadinovic, a Serb from Austria, through his mentor and former teacher Tony Lakatos.

Harm knew clearly from the beginning that he wanted to compose pieces specifically for this lineup. He already played along with some of them in preparation for their first concert together. Others were inspired by that memorable evening. The brilliant saxophonist, enormously experienced as a bandleader and as a sideman, might formally be at the helm here. However, he considers himself a team player. "Everything always has to be done on an equal footing with me. That is very important to me. I always think collectively. That's exactly why I chose these musicians. They contributed great ideas." This input is not to be underestimated; all contribute their own character and sound to the group.

A prime example is the title track, which begins with a subtly improvised dialog and develops into an atmospheric masterpiece of collective sensitivity. What counts is the space, the space in the truest sense of the word that you leave behind, that you fill with empathetic togetherness. Speaking of meanings: Markus Harm composed the opener with the idiosyncratic title "Ringelpulli” (trans.: striped sweater) as a tribute to the most prominent striped sweater wearer in the jazz world, Pat Metheny, and specifically composed it for a quartet without a guitar. "Ups and Downs" refers to two levels: the philosophical and the technical of two compositional parts. "Home" is a heartfelt dedication to the parents that Harm has always been able to rely on as well as to the various places that have become home, including the people who have contributed to it. "Trane Station" is, of course, a bow to saxophone icon John Coltrane. Finally, "Lost And Found" is followed by "Don't Scrumble, Mr. Humble", a musically appealing, content-wise snappy blow against a certain type of person, whom you unfortunately meet again and again in jazz: complacent musicians who put their egos above everything else and know no humility, no respect for others—the opposite of what Markus Harm is and lives.

The saxophonist's tone and expression are consistently captivating, regardless of whether on the alto or the soprano sax. His playing does not lose its warm, vocal, narrative quality even in intense pieces and passages. "Out In Space" is an impressive step forward for the saxophonist. No wonder that he also wants to establish this well-balanced quartet as a future working band. But he also often plays as a sideman, whether as a regular member of the highly successful ensemble of clarinetist and composer Rebecca Trescher or in various big bands. He also continues to play in his duo with pianist Andreas Feith; concrete plans are in the making. Meanwhile, Harm does not neglect his teaching as a professor for jazz saxophone at the renowned University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, a position that he took up in 2022. The really good ones are particularly in demand.