Kurt Rosenwinkel (USA) – The Next Step

A pivotal jazz musician of the 21st century, Kurt Rosenwinkel is one of the most exceptional guitar talents of his generation. The multi-instrumentalist musician and performer’s 2001 album The Next Step occupies a central place in his multi-faceted career, and features a sound that Rosenwinkel began developing with his four-member band in the mid-1990s. On July of this year, a 1996 recording was released of the club concerts that yielded the material for the legendary album. To celebrate the event, the remarkable musicians who worked on the original recording are now reuniting in almost the exact same line-up for a world tour. With saxophonist Mark Turner replaced by Ben Wendel, whom we have already seen at the House of Music, the drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Ben Street will join Rosenwinkel for their first Hungarian concert in this configuration.

The genre-defining Kurt Rosenwinkel signed to the influential jazz music label Verve Records in 1995. Besides the guitar, Rosenwinkel also regularly plays the piano and is adept with a number of other instruments. He has also performed as a band leader and accompanying musician in a wide array of different groups. Rosenwinkel has worked with Brian Blade, Paul Motian, Joshua Redman, Aaron Goldberg, Louis Cole, and many more. He is also active outside jazz circles – particularly in the hip-hop arena, performing alongside Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest and with The Roots – after attending the same art college as the band's leader, Questlove. Numerous legends, from Eric Clapton to Donald Fagen, have also doffed a cap to his talent – Rosenwinkel has performed joint concerts with the former, and featured on an album of the latter.

The Next Step, released in 2001, is probably his most innovative record and features a performance that sensitively layers a wide spectrum of sounds (Jazz Times magazine lauded it as the best jazz album of the decade). Critics, however, have also rated several of his other albums among the most influential releases of the decade (Heartcore – 2003, The Remedy – Live at The Village Vanguard – 2008). July 2024, saw the release of an earlier recording from the Next Step quartet (The Next Step: Live at Smalls (1996)). The record was recorded at the Smalls Jazz Club in New York at the club nights where they worked on developing their sound. The release of the tapes – previously thought to be lost – has reunited the quartet (Mark Turner can only join one part of the tour, and will be replaced here by Ben Wendel, who has already performed a superb concert at the House of Music). Seeing them live is a must – each performer is an outstanding musician in his own right, and their interplay when performing Rosenwinkel's compositions is simply stunning.