Social Music / Soul Jazz

Today it is often forgotten that jazz is not only a unique art form, but also a social music. This social aspect comes to the fore especially where it is not about epoch-making innovations or daring experiments, but about providing a "neighbourhood audience" with musical soul food. That's why people like to talk about soul jazz in this context. 

The Hammond organ is a very special instrument: with its wonder bag sounds and cheerfully bubbling bass runs, it is impossible to imagine soul jazz without it. With ROOT AREA, saxophonist Christoph Grab presents his equally contemporary and timeless version of soul jazz including Hammond power. 

The core of ROOT AREA is formed by Grab, Hammond specialist Marcel Thomi and drummer Elmar Frey - they have been successfully touring as a trio for several years. Now the next stage is being ignited: With a repertoire consisting of original compositions (8 x Grab, 1 x Frey) and with exquisite saxophone support by Nicole Johänntgen and Victoria Mozalevskaya. Thanks to the trio's long-term experience and Johänntgen's and Mozalevskaya's quick grasp and impressive improvisational spontaneity, it only took one day to record ROOT AREA's debut album.

The repertoire is extremely varied, focusing mainly on feel-good moods and concise grooves. With these new compositions Grab traces his musical roots back to the Swiss folk music ("Meiteli wänn du witt go tanze") and thus to his childhood, "Abyss" has a jamesbondy melody, "Harlequin" evokes great emotions with its combination of emphasis and melancholy. The piece "In Communion" is dedicated to Krishnamurti and has a spiritual touch, which is reinforced by the "churchy" sound of the organ. The title track has a second-line groove that immediately makes you wanna dance and that hardly is done better in New Orleans. And in his track "We're Coming to Town", drummer Frey develops a wonderful swing drive, which is followed up in the closing big-band-like composition "Love in the Mist".

In the future, ROOT AREA's energy and joy of playing will certainly ensure a good atmosphere and glowing ears in many different neighbourhoods.

Line-up:

Christoph Grab			tenor-/sopranosaxophone
Nicole Johaentgen		altosaxophone
Victoria Mozalevskaya		tenorsaxophone
Marcel Thomi			        hammond organ
Elmar Frey				drums

More infos, sounds, pictures: 
https://www.christophgrab.com/de/bands/root-area

Contact/Booking: 
info@christophgrab.com

06 - Christoph Grab - Musical Diary

Mark Hennen on Keyboard
Recorded August 2, 2021
Live at Piano Magic 
New York City
Cover art by MRH

Mark solo

Mark Solo

CHRISTOPH GRAB TS
NICOLE JOHÄNNTGEN AS
MARCEL THOMI HAMMOND C3
ELMAR FREY DR

play the music of RAY CHARLES

Setlist:
baby won't you please come home
baby it's cold outside
I got a woman
halleluja I love her so
hit the road jack
one for ray
unchain my heart
you don't know me
georgia on my mind

Aufgenommen im Studio The Zoo, Bern von Felix Wolf und Wolfgang Zwiauer
Mix von Felix Wolf
Produktion: Tom Gsteiger und Wolfgang Zwiauer

Grab-Frey-Johänntgen-Thomi 6-7-21

Vision

Christoph Grab (Zurich) - Saxes, Bassclarinet, Composition

Studied at Swiss Jazz School Bern (Saxophone, Composition, Arrangement). His teachers and mentors were Andy Scherrer, Sal Nistico, Jerry Bergonzi, Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman a.o. He made a lot of recordings for radios and television, many tours and concerts in the whole world. Among the many musicians he recorded and performed with, there are names like Ray Anderson, Benny Golson, Louis Sclavis, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Irene Schweizer, Axel Dörner, Joe Beck, Mark Egan, Danny Gottlieb, Frank Moebus and many more.
His main projects at the moment are his quintet RAW VISION, his trio REFLECTIONS  and his pulp troop SCIENCE FICTION THEATER.
Alongside to his work as a freelancer in switzerlands jazzscene his is/was part of some permanent collaborations as: Tough Tenor, Reto Anneler's STILLE POST, Baumann/Grab/ Haemmerli/Renold, Christoph Steiner ESCAPE ARGOT, Zurich Jazz Orchestra, SCIENCE FICTION THEATER, ELLINGTONALITY, Raphael Jost & Lots Of Horns, Elmar Frey Sextett, Spittin' Horns, Axel Fischbacher Group, a.o. Earlier groups were KOJ, NEUROMODULATOR, Kurt Weil Vibes Revisited, ContempArabic Jazz Ensemble, Marion Denzler Group, The Blindside, Lukas Bitterlin Quartett, Blastic, Grab/Scarton Quartet etc.
With his intense research on live-electronics and his "hacked toys" he gained attention in the electronic- and DJ-scene.
In addition to his work as a performer, since 1998 he is a professor of saxophone and improvisation at the university of arts in zurich.

“The saxophonist Christoph Grab is seen as one of Switzerland’s top performers. His playing combines the dynamic expressiveness of the blues with the playfulness and complexity of jazz...“ BaslerZeitung, 1/06
“Christoph Grab is one of the most innovative and prominent Jazz musicians in the Swiss jazzscene.” BRIGITTE, 2/ 06
“His saxophone groans and rasps in one moment and is silkily seductive in the next..."(Rolf Thomas, Jazzthing 112, 2/2016) 
 “Christoph Grab is the most intriguing and most heavily-booked saxophone player in Switzerland; he is also an extraordinary visionary composer with a deep sense of sound design. (Hans-Jürgen Schaal, Fidelity 3/2014)
"The Zurich Saxophonist Christoph Grab is an impressive instrumentalist with an unmistakable sound." (Kulturtipp, 4/2014)
“Christoph Grab performs state-of-the art Jazz, sophisticated and playful, expert and lyrical, intelligent and always accessible.” (Beat Blaser, Schweiz am Sonntag, 3/2014)

Email: info@christophgrab, Website: www.christophgrab.com

06 - Christoph Grab - Musical Diary

Christoph Grab

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