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ANDREAS WAHL

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“Exile 4”: Thundering and neighing - but always with jazzy cunning

Guitarist Andreas Wahl lets his guitar soemtimes sound like a synthesizer when playing chords, for his dexterous solos he selected he a rocklike-distorted timbre. This gave the groupsound an overall hard character. But thus not enough: Besides jazzy tunes from own and strange feather “Exile 4” presented also compositions of relevant Heavy Metal bands, with these typical earthy riffs and power chords. Without losing flow, sometimes the rhythm carpet swelled on powerfully - and guitarist Wahl seemed to mutate completely to a Hard-and-Heavy man. But even if he lets the strings thunder and neigh, he did not lose the jazzy cunning. Earned giant applause in the TiV for this Heavy Jazzrock of post modern coinage.
Saarbrücker Zeitung (22.12.2007)

An Exiting Departure
John-Dennis Renken and the Zodiak Trio

Fortunately, the Zodiak trio is not content with recapitulating northern sounds, it reasearches in the Funk/No Wave area of Shannon Jacksons Decoding Society, wanders, seeming reasonable, Miles Davis, gets to the fulminating finale with "Funday" even into the Heavy-Metal-Jazz-Liga of the steel trumpet sound of Toshinori Kondo.
Besides, the happy carefreeness with which the Zodiak trio on the search for his own way comes along is impressive.
Weserkurier (24.3.2007)

Soundtracks
Andreas Wahl Experimentle Band

What lasts long becomes finally good. The Experimentle Band exists since already very looong, but, finally, only now appears the first CD. And it is first-class.
There thus something gathers: Joke, chutzpah, tootling, folk, country reminiscences, intellectual improvisations (which must give away quite fast for something completely different), groovy patterns, breaks, small experiments, hypnotic grooves - briefly one can put Andreas Wahl even in a row with Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot. His quintet is at least of equal quality: Hartmut Kracht; Peter Bolte who plays, otherwise, with Manfred Schoof or Daniel Humair and also leads his own quartet is a great altosaxophonist; Veit Lange is convincing on tenor saxophone, bass clarinet and duduk equally; and Christoph Hillmann is one of the few drummers who not only rock but also swing.
Result: Buying, the thing (downloading is only for loosers, because the cover is nice)!
Jazzthetik (February 2006)

New CD’s
Andreas Wahl Experimentle Band

Seven long years it has lasted, until the Andreas Wahl Experimentle Band could record its debut album.
The Experimentle Band can be classified to no drawer, quiet tuneful pieces stand in direct contrast to atonal sound-buildings. One hears in every piece that the ensemble exists of five individualists who approach a common center from different perspectives . By now this first work gives a desire for more resourceful recordings of the  Experimentle Band - hopefully not only in seven years!
Jazzpodium (February 2006)

CD-Hint: Andreas Wahl Experimentle Band

Is it jazz, is it rock, what the guitarist Andreas Wahl played in the Katakomben-theatre with his band? Definitely both in impressionable synthesis. In high spirits drummer Christoph Hillmann and bassist Hartmut Kracht trashed and stroked their instruments, the wind players Peter Bolte and Veit Lange belt and spooned to Wahls rectilinear guitarsounds, that snatched up the modern jazz- but also rockhistory.
Upshot: No Experimentle (which means “little experiment” in Swabian), but fully developed, selfreliant and pretentious with great amusement-factor, owing to the fine silverling now also live to see at home.
Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (22.10.2005)

Listening-Sign: Andreas Wahl Experimentle Band

Whether in Peter Herborns Large Ensemble, on the CD’s of pianist Lutz Potthoff or in the 15-piece ruhr-project “Supernova” - everywhere the modest and engaging Andreas Wahl left his remaining traces. Beneath his outstanding playing technique also his stylistic versatility and flexibility always attracted attention immediately, his soundesthetics, his ability to improvise thrilling and with dynamic force.
Andreas Wahl with his quintet submits his first own CD now, which he calls ironically-swabian “Experimentle Band” (“little experiment”) - and strongly confirms all these previous impressions.
In concert of this “Experimentle Band” you could already live to see the explosive mixture of this quintet. And fortunately it succeeded to capture the huge joy of playing, the enjoyment of creating spontaneous soundscapes and the tension of making music together also in the studio recordings for this new CD.
WDR 3: Hörzeichen (12.7.2005)

Jazz Original at “Essen Original”

The “Andreas Wahl Experimentle Band” inspired the jazz-friends in the Old Synagogue
Feedbacks, distortions, wah-wah-sounds - rather unusual strains in the Old Synagogue. The Experimentle Band, who’s name reminds at the Swabian origin of the leader, was a credit to be in high repute as one of the most original groups of the region....
Neue Ruhr Zeitung (2.9.2002)

Andreas Wahl Experimentle Band

Andreas Wahl, a Swabian (therefore the band-name) is one of these young german jazzartists, who deserve a big audience without restriction. The guitarist/composer who lives in Essen creates a highly exciting dynamic mixture out of modern jazz, avantgarde and hardrock-sounds, which is always good for surprises. Additional to his stylistic variability there is a remarkable tonal variety. The technical mastery of all participants - especially the saxophone player Peter Bolte amazes here with wealth of invention and virtuosity - contribute to an astonishing and amusing concert event.
Deutschlandfunk Jazz Live (19.2.2001)