www.jazzanova.net
Biography:
Berlin's Jazzanova collective formed in 1995, after DJing
with one another at a club called Delicious Doughnuts. Alexander
Barck, Class Brieler, Roskow Kretschmann, Stefan Leisering,
Axel Reinemer, and Jürgen von Knoblauch shared a common
goal of blending their collected inspirations together to
create a new, sophisticated sound, with debts owed to nearly
every form of dance-oriented music from the past several
decades.
Like a lot of upstart producers and underexposed
jazz-funk ghosts of the past, Jazzanova got their first
major break from BBC disc jockey Gilles Peterson, who played
the group's first production, "Fedime's Flight,"
on his program in 1997. This helped set off a series of
remix projects, most of which -- for the likes of 4hero,
Koop, Men From the Nile, and Ian Pooley -- would be compiled
for the two-disc The Remixes 1997-2000. As the remixes and
acclaim piled up, Barck, Brieler, and von Knoblauch were
teaming together to make the Jazzanova name known for inspired
DJ sets as well; Leisering and Reinemer teamed on the decks
as Extended Spirit, and Kretschmann played out as Kosma.
The same year "Fedime's Flight"
broke out in the dance underground, Jazzanova teamed up
with the Munich-based Compost label to form JCR (Jazzanova
Compost Records). "Fedime's Flight" and "Caravelle"
were the first two 12" releases, and both went down
extremely well with DJs. In addition to functioning as the
primary outlet for Jazzanova's own work, JCR released material
from Koop, Victor Davies, the Underwolves, and Rima; looking
to the past, the Polish Jazz and Vocal Jazz from Poland
1965-1975 compilations brought jazz from '60s and '70s Poland
back into circulation.
In Between, Jazzanova's ambitious (to a
fault) debut full-length, finally arrived in 2002. Allegedly
the culmination of five years worth of work, the album sustained
the group's reputation with tracks full of meticulous beatcraft.
Remixed, released just a year later, featured remixes of
In Between and 12" tracks from peers Kyoto Jazz Massive,
Ayro, King Britt, and Bugz in the Attic. In 2005, the jazz
label Blue Note gave the group access to their classic back
catalog for the double mix CD Blue Note Trip. Andy Kellman,
All Music Guide
Group Members:
Claas Brieler
Stefan Leisering
Axel Reinemer
Jurgen Knoblauch
Alexander Barck
