JOCHEN RUECKERT QUARTET FEAT. MARK TURNER (US/DE/UK)
JochenRueckert– drums, Mark Turner – saxophone, Mike Moreno –guitar, Orlando LeFleming–double bass
The New York City-based exiled German-born drummer Jochen Rueckert presents his working quartet with guitarist Mike Moreno, bassist Orlando LeFleming and legendary saxophonist Mark Turner. The quartet plays a majority of Jochen’s compositions (containing surprisingly more optimistically swinging sections rich with harmonies than one would expect from a Teutonic drummer) sprinkled with the occasional 3/8 bar; some new, some from the band’s latest release „We Make The Rules“. Apart from Wayne Shorter or Herbie Hancock, who are among Jochen’s favorite musicians/composers, his other influences can be pinpointed to Rueckert’s formative years in the 1990s: Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mark Turner and Reid Anderson; there are even hints of 1900s classical music and a quote from a Deftones song on ‚Saul Goodman’.
While listening to the drummer’s compositions, Rueckert’s experience from working in the bands of other musicians comes into play as well: „I get frustrated as a sideman when I have to read overly complicated forms, or when the solo sections are then simplified or some separate thing. I purposefully wrote most of the music so that the solos are on the actual forms of the songs, making them more of a complete and cohesive piece. I also tried to not shy away from having a fair amount of swingers which I really miss on many recent albums.“
For his current tour Jochen Rueckert selected his bandmates with a special care. On the engagement of the legendary Mark Turner he explains: „I’ve known Mark for about 18 years, I’ve played in his band occasionally and also got to know him while playing in Kurt Rosenwinkel’s band. He’s my favorite tenor player and I used to be at Smalls Jazz Club every Tuesday when he would play in Kurt’s famed group when I first got to NYC in the 90s.” Mike Moreno ranks among the cream of the crop of NYC guitarists and Orlando LeFleming enjoys a similar status among the bassists. As first call sidemen they get to perform with a wide range of artists, Esperanza Spalding, Lizz Wright, Me’ShellN’Degeocello, Jason Moran, Terence Blanchard, Robert Glasper, Ambrose Akinmusire, Gretchen Parlato, Jane Monheit, Marsalis brothers, Billy Cobham, David Sanchez, Kurt Rosenwinkel among others.
JochenRueckert has resided in New York City for two decades and is mostly known for his work in the last 12 years of the Marc Copland trio, the mid-2000 Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet, all of Nils Wogram’s Root 70, his electronic music programmed under the alias „Wolff Parkinson White“ as well as his series of e-books aptly titled Read the Rueckert – travel observations and pictures of hotel rooms.
