The Brahms Project

Rosenwinkel and Brodbeck team up again off the heels of their successful first collaboration “The Chopin Project”. This time, with their telepathic quartet intact, they tackle the music of Johannes Brahms. The Brahms Project.

Brodbeck's new arrangements take up the yearning melodies and classical-romantic harmonic structures of Johannes Brahms and find a new form of expression with these familiar and carefully selected compositions. The "folk style" to which Brahms felt connected becomes a refreshing jazz sound in which the ritual element of Hungarian dances is revived, as well as the touching beauty of the late piano pieces. Rosenwinkel's long expanding phrases open up new world of sound and emotion and the expressiveness of his playing come to the fore in a powerful way on this recording. In addition, Brodbeck's selected orchestrations with the Traxel-Rossy rhythm duo move within an extremely song-
serving framework. We experience earthy groove-emphasised music upon which improvisations expand. Brahms' famous lullaby rounds of the programmeand canonises this extraordinary repertoire

1. Hungarian Dance No.1
2. Intermezzo op.117
3. Intermezzo op.118
4. Rhapsody No.1
5. Wiegenlied
6. Intermezzo op.116
7. Cello Suite
8. Hungarian Dance No.5
9. 4th Ballad
10. Allegro Giocoso, 4th Symphony

Kurt Rosenwinkel – Guitar
Jean-Paul Brodbeck – Piano
Lukas Traxel – Acoustic Bass
Jorge Rossy – Drums

Produced by Jean-Paul Brodbeck
All original compositions written by Johannes Brahms
All arrangements written by Jean-Paul Brodbeck

Recorded at Soundfabrik, Berlin, April 30th & May 1st, 2024
Recording engineer Guy Sternberg

Mixed by Guy Sternberg & Kurt Rosenwinkel at LowSwing Studio, Berlin
Mastered by Kurt Rosenwinkel

Artwork photo by Lena Thiemann
Graphic design by Vojta Drnek
Production coordinator Michaela Bóková

Released on Heartcore Records, 2025