He has the most beautiful, pure flute sound one could ever wish for. Not surprising maybe, since Christian Artmann, born in Koblenz, Germany, is classically trained and performed Debussy and Hindemith already as a child. Now at home in the United States, he has found his own voice with finely balanced and harmonically sophisticated contemporary jazz. He likes to play his clever, evocative themes in unison – sometimes with pianist Laszlo Gardony, sometimes with Elena McEntire’s wordless vocals – which, together with the subtle samba touch of several tracks, conjures up the magic of Chick Corea’s first Return to Forever band. Artmann’s pieces sound mature, with a refined melancholy and sophisticated taste. His use of the alto flute and the West African fula flute adds engaging variety, as does his whistling on one of the album’s tracks. The recording also features John Lockwood on bass and Yoron Israel on drums, members of Gardony’s regular working band. (English translation by Christian Artmann)

German original: Er hat den schönsten, reinsten Flötenton, den man sich nur wünschen kann. Kein Wunder: Der geborene Koblenzer Christian Artmann ist klassisch geschult und schon in jungen Jahren mit Werken von Debussy und Hindemith aufgetreten. Doch inzwischen ist er in den USA zu Hause und hat sich auf fein ausbalancierten, harmonisch raffinierten Mainstream Jazz verlegt. Seine cleveren, stimmungsvollen Themen spielt er gerne im Unisono von Flöte und Klavier (Laszlo Gardony) – das weckt die Erinnerung an den Zauber von Chick Coreas erster Return to Forever Besetzung. Auch der sanfte Samba-Touch in den meisten Stücken und die gelegentlichen wortlosen Vokalisen von Elena McEntire unterstreichen diese Assoziation. Artmanns Stücke klingen ausgereift, fein melancholisch und immer geschmackvoll. Für interessante Abwechslung sorgen seine Abstecher zur Alt- und Fula-Flöte sowie eine Einlage als Lippen-Whistler. Mit dabei sind auch John Lockwood (b) und Yoron Israel (dr) aus Gardonys Workingband.

Translation from Japanese: This album is a new work by flutist Christian Artmann, also featuring Laszlo Gardony, who co-starred on a previous album from 2019. Christian’s colorful and expressive flute is beautiful from start to finish. The compatibility with Gardony’s piano is wonderful, and Elena McEntire’s vocals add flair to the album. Artmann found inspiration for this album in a haiku by Issa Kobayashi.

Christian Artmann plays a variety of domestic and exotic flutes with his team of Laszlo Gardony /p, John Lockwood/b, Yoron Israel/dr and guest vocalist Elena McEntire for a collection of mostly originals. His alto flute is elegant on “Sow River” and the graceful “Nine Years of Love” while the West African tambin gives a meditative mood to “Lament For Ukraine”. The upbeat “If I Must Go” Includes the leader on whistle, and Ms. McEntire’s vocals are open on this tune, and she’s fragrant on the cadence of “The Middle Of Life”. Soft passions.

As he continues to do his part in maintaining the relevance of the flute in contemporary jazz, Christian Artmann also provides plenty of food for thought in his wide-ranging, thoughtfully constructed compositions. There is a contemplative dimension to his vision, evident on Our Story (Sunnyside, 2018), which explored the interdependency of human relationships through the lens of his Buddhist faith; and it is also present on his latest release, which involves taking stock of this moment in the planet’s fragile existence and considering its challenges and possibilities.

Joining Artmann in this venture are his frequent collaborators, pianist Laszlo Gardony, bassist John Lockwood, and drummer Yoron Israel. Given the tranquility and space that is characteristic of Artmann’s compositions, these colleagues exhibit the careful restraint that is needed to let the pieces breathe. Artmann’s technique on his instrument is soft-hued, winsome rather than ostentatious. And his compositions have the same quality, as the ten tracks here take a while to develop, revealing their subtle charms incrementally and aggregatively, as impressions form and evolve.

“Turnaround,” the album’s enticing opener, gives a good indication of Artmann’s modus operandi. The loping, graceful melody almost lulls the listener at first, until one picks up on its subtle odd-meter structure, only to find another twist when the piece goes into a faster-paced segment, sparked by Gardony’s and Lockwood’s crisp unison ostinato. The stimulating title track is another crafty composition, with its gentle lyricism winding its way through its rhythmic intricacy.

Elsewhere Artmann gives voice to his political concerns, with the brief “Lament for Ukraine” featuring a poignant solo reflection on the tambin, a richly resonant African flute. Sometimes his subject matter turns more personal, as on “July,” one of the album’s most affecting tunes, dedicated to Artmann’s son. Artmann also clearly has a fondness for Latin-inflected themes, including the album’s lone cover, “Paisagem da Janela,” a samba composed by Lô Borges and Fernando Brant, one of the three pieces featuring vocalist Elena McEntire, whose presence adds another lyrical dimension to Artmann’s music.

Composer and flutist Christian Artmann grew up in Germany and Austria, where he was immersed in classical music but discovered an affinity for jazz when he moved to the United States as a teenager. His conception of this album comes from principles of the interrelatedness of humans, which is part of his Buddhist faith.

The title track, “Our Story,” is especially inspired by that concept. With the exception of “Amazing Grace,” this CD features original works by Artmann, whose engaging jazz style features unexpected and mixed meters, extended techniques that serve to give greater depth to the flute’s voice, and great grooves. While each of the 10 tracks is quite different, they are united in their fresh approach realized through Artmann’s command of the flute and his ability to push boundaries through singing and playing, multiphonics, and technology.

All the musicians on this recording—pianist Laszlo Gardony; Johannes Weidenmueller, acoustic and electric bass; Jeff Hirschfield, drums; and Elena McEntire, voice—perform with versatility and a solid command of jazz style. This is an unparalleled jazz flute CD that could easily serve as background music for a party, music for personal relaxation, and a model of what is possible with jazz flute. After Artmann’s well-received performances at the 2019 National Flute Association convention in Salt Lake City, this recording should become a favorite among flutists.

There are a number of different stories woven into Our Story, flautist Christian Artmann’s first offering since 2015. Quotations in the liner notes from Zen sages Thich Nhat Hanh and Yasutani Roshi point to Artmann’s Buddhist faith, but the fifth cut of the record, “Amazing Grace,” makes a bit of room for the Christian narrative as well. And the album’s cross-pollination of musical styles, from Brazilian inflections to funk to straight-ahead jazz, suggests that Artmann’s ultimate purpose here is to draw as widely from the myriad cultural and musical resources at his disposal, in the process arriving at a perspective beyond boundaries—a singular “story” capable of including us all. 

With a fine band on hand, including bassist Johannes Weidenmueller and drummer Jeff Hirshfield, both of whom have worked with Artmann before, there’s plenty of talent to weave the various threads of the music together. Pianist Laszlo Gardony shares Artmann’s stylistic adventurousness, and his rhythmic flexibility is crucial to “The Noctambulist,” which pivots sharply from relaxed swing into a more assertive odd-meter groove that allows Gardony the chance to stretch out. And the addition of vocalist Elena McEntire breathes extra life into three of the cuts, including the aforementioned “Amazing Grace,” where her steady, unadorned delivery is perfect in conveying the emotional power of the piece, and “Earthling,” where her wordless vocals float airlessly atop the track’s funk-based foundation. 

The music is solidly jazz-based, but Artmann’s classical training remains apparent, particularly through the disciplined rigor he brings to his instrument. He unfurls an especially well-crafted solo within the disarmingly tricky structure of “Quixote,” and even when he climbs to his most intense emotional peaks, as on “Pan’s Blues,” he never loses control or succumbs to self-indulgence. In keeping with his overarching vision to find unity amidst diversity, Artmann’s warm, ingratiating sound and broadminded concept should expand his audience.

A densely layered yet totally accessible album by flutist Christian Artmann. His compositions are as epic as a Midwestern landscape, yet each of the album’s solos are engaging and warm. “Resilience” is perhaps my favorite among many wonderful ones, with its enhanced and muscular flute. Artmann’s interaction with the piano (Laszlo Gardony), drums (Jeff Hirshfield) and bassist (Johannes Weidenmuller) belies the complexity of the songs. “Pan’s Blues” and “Earthling” make you wish for more. Christian Artmann’s album exposes a need for flute-driven jazz that I didn’t know I had.

Usually music that comes with a line or so in explanation tends to distract from the purest experience of the music but this is not so in the case of Christian Artmann and his music on Our Story. One reason – an important one – is that Mr Artmann is a virtuoso flutist of the highest order and not only does the instrument itself – when played as well as he does – mesmerise the listener; the music itself is quite hypnotic. Moreover we find that Mr Artmann is a practicing Buddhist and the kind of relative stasis that the music produces on its players and its intended audience (ourselves) makes the descriptors under each title function as a kind of guided meditation for the listener.

Add to that the cascades of tumbling notes such as we hear (especially) on “Earthling” which are played with the use of a phaser, and which when combined by the leaping, wordless vocals of Elena McEntire produce an almost beguiling and magical effect on the mind. Of course “Earthling” is no fluke. Even on “Quixote” – obviously inspired by the mystical character from Miguel de Cervantes’ 17th century epic El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha – we hear much of that beautiful lilting, yet firm swing in the music, the momentum of which has already been created by bassist Johannes Weidenmüller and drummer Jeff Hirshfield as well as by the inimitable pianism of Laszlo Gardony. Meanwhile Mr Artmann takes it all up several notches once he enters the musical narrative.

Mr Artmann also plays alto flute on several titles and his facility with the lower reed is just as magical as it is with the concert version. One hears the same kind of masterful expression that the great Jean-Pierre Ramphal brought to the orchestral performance and in Mr Artmann’s contrapuntal exchanges with Mr Gardony we are reminded of the immortal classic Suite for Flute and Jazz PianoTrio (Columbia Masterworks, 1975) which M Ramphal recorded with Claude Bolling. Mr Artmann does, however, take the instruments several leagues ahead in his arrangements for flute and piano with Miss McEntire’s extraordinary vocalastics and the rhythm team of Mr Weidenmüller and Mr Hirshfield as well.

But make no mistake Mr Artmann is no classicist who appears at a masquerade ball cast in the role of a jazz flutist. His virtuosity and innate sense of when to swing enable him to bestride both worlds with authentic bonafides. Just listen to the oblique tribute to Wayne Shorter on “Tropic of Capricorn” It also pays to reiterate that this magical ensemble is considerably enhanced by the addition of Miss McEntire whose wraith-like vocals raise the music to a rarefied realm.

This is Christian Artmann’s third CD, following his well-received 2011 debut album and 2015’s excellent Fields of Pannonia. He is a flutist gifted with fluidity and a highly imaginative approach to the instrument, and his recorded output has evolved towards a more spiritual approach, partly reflecting his Buddhist faith. The result is an enjoyable and varied album right from the opener “The Noctambulist” through the very end.

The quartet is a tight unit, benefitting in particular from pianist Laszlo Gardony’s many solos, in which each note is distilled and savored within a rhythmic approach. Bassist Johannes Weidenmueller and drummer Jeff Hirshfield, both on Artmann’s earlier recordings, provide tasteful yet essential contributions that go beyond traditional supporting roles. Last but not least, vocalist Elena McEntire is more than an addition to the quartet, the haunting rendition of “Amazing Grace” being a case in point.

There is a peaceful yet joyful mood, even in more lively pieces such as the opening track, modal-flavored “Quixote”, which is also characterized by shifting pace, or the more intimate “Resilience”, with Weidenmueller’s only solo. In “Earthling”, a funky bassline sustains the unison between flute and voice stating the dreamy, bossa nova-flavored melody. The title track showcases Artmann, whose solo builds slowly, leading to an equally engaging piano solo. “Tropic of Capricorn” is the most complex piece, with a dreamy introduction sustained by Weidenmueller’s arco followed by a bouncing theme, Artmann’s solo, which grows in intensity as it progresses, and Gardony’s crisp intervention, leading to a repeat of the theme and a somewhat dramatic reprise of the introduction. “Elena” has a very appealing melody, leaving the listener the impression that the group is not only performing at the top of their game but also having quite a bit of fun in the process; Gardony’s solo is a gem in this respect. “Pan’s Blues”, while not sharing a canonical approach to the blues, captures its very essence largely thanks to Weidenmueller’s deep sound. Of note is also Hirshfield’s coloring around, instead of sticking to, the blues pattern. Finally, “Always Here” closes the proceedings as a ballad delivered in unison by flute and voice, a beautiful ending for an excellent recording.

Review in German, English translation below.

Der typische Jazzmusiker ist er nicht. Als Teenager kam Christian Artmann erstmals in die USA und brillierte dort als klassischer Flötist – erst später entdeckte er den Jazz für sich. Inzwischen lebt er in New York und veröffentlichte 2011 sein Debütalbum als Jazzer. Sein klassisch geschultes Flötenspiel ist natürlich technisch frappierend, der stimmungsvolle Einsatz der dunklen Altflöte bezaubernd. Artmanns visionäre Stücke überspannen ein stilistisch weites Feld zwischen Claude Debussy, Edeljazz und sanftem Funk. Sein wichtigster Partner auf Our Story ist der Pianist Laszlo Gardony, ein Alleskönner, der schon 1983 den Schritt von Europa nach Amerika machte. Johannes Weidenmüller (Bass), seit 1991 in den USA, und Jeff Hirshfield (Drums), ein echter New Yorker, komplettieren das Quartett. Als Gast in drei Stücken ist die Mezzosopranistin Elena McEntire mit dabei. Ob es nun an der europäischen Herkunft liegt, an der Verwurzelung in der Klassik, an buddhistischer Philosophie oder dem Instrument Flöte: Artmanns Musik hat auf jeden Fall etwas sehr Eigenes, Beherrschtes, Virtuos-Kontrolliertes – eine besondere, gewollte Ästhetik. Zuweilen erinnert die Kombination Flöte/Klavier bzw. Flöte/Stimme sogar an alte Aufnahmen von Chick Corea. ****

English translation:

Your typical jazz musician he is not. Christian Artmann came to the U.S. as a teenager and at first excelled as a classical flutist before discovering his passion for jazz. Now at home in New York, he released his debut album as a jazz musician in 2011. Artmann’s classically trained technique is dazzling, and the dark tone of his alto flute casts a spell. His visionary pieces transcend stylistic borders, connecting Claude Debussy, refined jazz and laid back funk. His most important partner on Our Story is can-do-it-all pianist Laszlo Gardony. who made his move from Europe to the U.S. already in 1983. Johannes Weidenmüller (bass), in the U.S. since 1991, and Jeff Hirshfield (drums), a real New Yorker, complete the quartet, with mezzo soprano Elena McEntire appearing as a guest artist on three pieces. Whether as a result of his European origin, roots in classical music, Buddhist philosophy or instrument of choice, Artmann has a highly unique musical voice – a controlled form of virtuosity paired with a very personal aesthetic. The way he combines the flute with the piano and the voice is at times reminiscent of some of Chick Corea’s classic recordings. ****