Materna Peter Trio

Born in 1965, Peter Materna studied classical saxophone as well as jazz saxophone in Cologne and Essen graduating with a diploma in 1992. In the same year he released his debut CD “Jazz Contract”, six more albums under his name followed over the years. Materna founded his own quartet in 1989 and for many years was a member of the BundesJazzOrchester, directed by Peter Herbolzheimer who counted Materna among “a handful of young musicians who are at the top”. Materna played festivals and clubs in many countries, had several radio and TV performances and was a long-time collaborator of the Kelly Family. In 1998 he was commissioned by the International Beethoven Foundation to write a composition that builds a bridge from classical to jazz. Since then he has often been called “father of chamber jazz”.

Materna is known for his mature technique, his wonderful dynamics, his classical balance and his warm tone on all saxophones. “I play the different sizes differently, for each instrument and each register has a different world of sound,” says Materna. His melodic, often melancholic approach to improvisation and composition has been compared to Paul Desmond’s and even to Scandinavian jazz. However, Materna can also be a thrillingly virtuosic player and an uncomprimisingly modernistic improviser. German magazine Audio calls him “a bright spot in the jazz sky”. For German weekly Die Welt Peter Materna is “Germany’s greatest insider tip”.

For several years now Materna has been working in trio settings with just bass and drums which can open up wide harmonic spaces and be a real challenge for a saxophone player. With Henning Sieverts, one of Germany’s leading bassists, and Yayo Morales, the original Bolivian-Spanish drummer, Materna presents an album vibrating of different moods and numerous surprises. Offering a wide range of forms and rhythms such as blues, waltz, tango, ballad, Latin, and classical, “The Dancer” is a must for all saxophone lovers and a concentrated statement in the art of advanced jazz -- timeless and deep. “His sound makes the music,” says jazz magazine Jazzthetik. “The cool emotion of his sound is unmistakable.”