With his previous albums Austrian pianist Michael Kneihs has presented himself as a "straight ahead" Jazz musician. But at the beginning of his career he played Fusion, on synthesizer and Fender Rhodes, as a member of the band NOX (CD "Yellow Clouds"). Later he had a project with Brazilian music, with Denise Fontura and Yta Moreno as frontmen. At the same time Michael Kneihs started to work with his quintet "Quintessence", recording a CD by the same name for Mons Records. Then he had a trio (CD "Voyage", ATS Records), that like the quintet was rather a Mainstream Jazz group, though both groups played very different kinds of compositions and arrangements.
The album "Sonhos" shows a different side of Michael Kneihs: The pieces, all his compositions, are more pleasant to listen to, more melodic and emotional. Actually it is not a typical Jazz album, although you hear a lot improvisation, hot or cool.
The pieces are individual pieces, not written for one particular band or event. The instrumentations vary from solo piano to a 7 piece ensemble. As different as the line-ups are the compositions themselves, though they have a happy yet melancholic mood in common. Michael Kneihs has recorded, mixed and mastered everything in the course of a few years in his own studio ("Village Studio").
Most of the time you hear the Brazilian influence, which is reflected also by the choice of the participating musicians: Some of them come from Brazil themselves, some have experience with Brazilian music.
Lineup:
Michael Kneihs, Piano
Milena und Simon Dörfler, Gesang
Joris Dudli, drums
Maria Frodl, Cello
Thomas Kugi, Saxophon, Klarinette
Markus Leinholz, Saxophon, Flöte
Alejandro Loguercio, Geige
Luis Ribeiro, Perkussion
Ronaldo „Gringo“ Saggiorato, Bass
Dana Tupinambá, Gesang
