MICHAEL FELBERBAUM QUARTET

After two albums and years of working together on stage, the Italian-American guitarist Michael Felberbaum is reunited with - Pierre de Bethmann on piano and keyboards, Gabriel Midon on double bass and Jonas Charles on drums — and we’re feeling a bit excited, just like when you recognise an old favourite song from the very first few seconds. It promises contemporary jazz that’s both sensitive and energetic, catching the ear by surprise, tickling the soul and throwing in a few subtle grooves. With Felberbaum, music is never simply played: it lives, it breathes, and at times it takes you to slightly hypnotic, almost psychedelic realms, where improvisation has as much of a place as raw emotion. The jazz press has previously praised his ability to blend intelligence and emotion in his projects. He has also been noted in previous ensembles for his subtle dialogues between instruments, where each musician becomes both a soloist and a partner, and where the group’s cohesion is what makes the music resonate from within. In short, this quartet forges a genuine group sound – open and captivating – that transforms a concert into an intense, almost exhilarating musical journey. It’s one of those evenings from which you emerge wondering how the hours have flown by so quickly.