Maik Krahl - The Magic of Consistency

In the organizer's words:

Maik Krahl - The Magic of Consistency

There are quite a few musicians of his profile, especially those who can play the trumpet at the highest technical level. But Maik Krahl's uniqueness lies in the fact that he never rests on his laurels, but sees every album, every new line-up as a challenge, as a welcome opportunity to climb the next rung on his already impressive career ladder. Anyone who compares The Magic of Consistency with its predecessor In-Between Flow, released in 2022, will quickly realize that the 33-year-old's magic of consistency lies in his desire to deliver first-class compositions, top line-ups and outstanding musical performances, always and everywhere. Because in his interpretation, the English word "consistency" also means "sticking with it". According to Krahl, this is generally important - in music as in life.

But sometimes it also helps to simply leave something lying around for a while - a maturing process. "That's also part of consistency," says Krahl. So is the balancing act between consistency and flexibility the great secret of a fulfilled life, and not just as a musician? The Magic of Consistency provides the answer in an impressive way. Of course, all the compositions were once again written by the bandleader himself. They are pieces that breathe the spirit of the great days of jazz without looking back for a single millisecond, without coming across as old-fashioned, nostalgic or possibly copycat. The quartet as a reduced line-up format and the pieces offer the instrumentalists every opportunity to unfold their abilities in all their glory.

Krahl says that it is by no means a contradiction to his leitmotif of "consistency" to always operate flexibly with ideas. This means not regarding a sound aesthetic that once caused a sensation, such as the openly swinging sound of Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker's quartet, as dogma, but rather adapting it to one's own needs, as happens in Le Pin Sec. The music of the trumpeter, who was born in Bautzen and now lives in Cologne, models a variable sculpture of dark and light emotions: Thoughtfulness(Roofless / A Topless Structure in the Middle of Nowhere), determination(The Magic of Consistency), quiet happiness(Dance for Lovely Sleepy Humans), palpable impatience (as in the nervous, bebop-like Colorado Adventure), curiosity(Wolf and Dog / Friendly Encounter), pluck(Waiting for the Third Minute) or simply waiting(Tragedy of Being in Time).

What really catches the ear live is the audible desire and agility of the instrumentalists involved to follow Maik Krahl as primus inter pares on his exciting musical path. And if the trumpeter, who was taught by such top-class teachers as Till Brönner, Malte Burba and Ryan Carniaux during his studies in Dresden and Essen, was already considered a minor attraction in Germany years ago, this time he has stepped it up a notch. It is no longer just the ballads that underline Krahl's mastery, but now also breathtaking up-tempo numbers in which he elevates the ride on the razor's edge to a virtuoso supreme discipline and charmingly but unmistakably forces his colleagues to catch up with him.

You don't necessarily have to listen analytically, just feel his concerts as a whole. Then, at the end, you will once again be amazed to realize that Maik Krahl and his companions have not played a single boring piece or any trivial note. The magical thing is that this unbelievable level has become an essential part of his consistency.

Line-up:
Maik Krahl - Trumpet
Constantin Krahmer - Piano
Jakob Kühnemann - Bass
Fabian Rösch - Drums