Quadro Nuevo

Childhood friends Mulo Francel and Didi Lowka founded the ensemble Quadro Nuevo in 1996. Since then, these adventurous artists have traveled to countless places from Helsinki to Hong Kong, from the Caucasus to Carnegie Hall in New York. Their daring musical style has earned them two ECHO awards, a gold record, the German Record Critics' Award, and several jazz awards. With the extravagant and playful accordionist Andreas Hinterseher and the pianist Chris Gall, who shines with his lavish wealth of ideas, they live their music in the here and now. This is reminiscent of four lads who cheerfully played music as they wandered through the southern city squares and fairs. This is how it was in the early days of Quadro Nuevo. Later, they spent time in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, rehearsing for days in the shimmering midday heat, swarming out in the evenings, throwing themselves headlong into the scene, accompanying dancers, intoxicating themselves with heavy wine, caipirinha, and fresh Brazilian music straight from the source. The result was the new album HAPPY Deluxe. From here, the virtuosos set off into new improvisational territory, sometimes soaring high into the air, sometimes diving into sparkling Mediterranean seas, sometimes chilling out in daydreams and nighttime reveries. Quadro Nuevo explains this musical homage to moments of happiness: "Our music has always been inspired by experiences and encounters. We were fascinated by the cheerfulness and friendliness of many people in Brazil. It colored our songs. That's how the title of the album came about. We are well aware that everyday life for many people is anything but carefree. Nevertheless—or perhaps precisely because of this—even in times of crisis and war, music can offer a positive alternative world." Mulo Francel: saxes, clarinets, mandolin Andreas Hinterseher: accordion, bandoneon, vibrandoneon, trumpet D.D. Lowka: bass, percussion Chris Gall: piano