Christian Ludwig Mayer: The Call of the Woods

“[…] The aesthetic of the surprise created by deviating from the expected unites early Baroque, Jazz and Mayer’s music, which, with extraordinary stylistic twists, moves in every imaginable direction […]. Mayer, for whom ‘bring in that which is missing in the present through music’ is the motivation for composing, writes works that do not fit in any category; they are by no means only jazz pieces, but also orchestral and chamber music pieces.” [read the full article in German]

 -- Marcus A. Woelfle, RONDO Das Klassik und Jazz Magazin

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Album review: “Token Gestures” – debut album of the Auwald Trio

“Earlier, like in the last millennia, neither European nor (especially) German jazz musicians dared to form Jazz Trios […] Now it’s time to introduce the not-yet-well-known Auwald Trio! The pianist Christian Ludwig Mayer, the double bass player Ludwig Leininger and the drummer Lorenz Huziker-Rutiliano recorded a striking CD in Murnau with the title ‘Token Gestures’. Those who listen to the CD think to themselves when they hear the first piece ‘Nocturnal Constitution’: Aha, these three musicians studied the ‘[Bill] Evan’s Trio communication dictionary’ and learned something! Yet, immediately thereafter you’re dumbfounded by the lively, tempo-rich ‘The Battle of St. George’ with its cut-sheer-across-the-keys, room-grabbing stride piano, its rich double bass and its crisp drums. […] And then, all of a sudden, the 19th -- even the 18th century becomes audible with the piece ‘Reconnaissance: Im Gehäuse’ before the music from ‘Into it’ rips loose: What is that? Jack Bruce meets Mal Waldron? […] This CD continues with this type of diversity: sometimes deeply ballad-like, sometimes fiercely driven, sometimes with the breath of an easy, swinging French musette, sometimes casting a glance into the realm of Latin music […]. And for those who leaf through the booklet and read its contents, those people are also – so to say – verbally impressed, without really being able to make head or tail of  the ingenious-ironic Text nor learning anything about the three musicians. Are these ‘Gestures’ also in this way symbolic, only pro forma = token? – All the same, the summary of the Auwald Trio and the CD is as follows: The music speaks for itself.”

 -- Guenter Buhles, Jazz Podium

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An insider tip that really is one

“Mayer’s works tell a story, are unbelievably, cleverly thought out and are exceptionally well composed. […] Hidden in most of the pieces is more ingenuity than is found in many of the albums of prized and celebrated musician colleagues.”

 -- Jochen Eichner, Süddeutsche Zeitung

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Spellbound audience

“Mayer has found a freedom in his expression that goes way beyond the typical ‘jazz sound’. His original works are multifaceted and full of lively tonal ideas and ingenuity. […] The results of [C.L. Mayer’s] inspiration between rhythmical and playful and between melodic and symphonic amaze completely.”

 -- Harald Holstein, Allgäuer Zeitung

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