New album: Edward Maclean - Me&You (r3w Records) // spherical. grooving. powerful.

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With his debut as a solo artist four years ago, Edward Maclean's Adoqué, he gave German-made jazz a whole new ethereal yet groove-driven timbre. Now the Hamburg-based bassist and composer Maclean presents his second album – once again in quintet formation. Me&You underlines his standout signature, interweaving the strong individual sounds of our times with profound inspiration from the seventies.

He seems to have achieved just what he was trying for, from the listener's perspective. Me&You is not a game of musical hide-and-seek; it resonates with strong emotions, with no need for masks or disguises. And yet Maclean draws strength from calm, making the climb from meditative moods to muscular sounds.

And at some point it becomes clear what makes this record so strong. It's an incredibly relaxed feeling we're party to. Never wanting to control the process; always supporting it. In his new role as a father, Maclean says, he's learned a great deal. Each song came to him like a child, with its own character, needing only gentle guidance.

And it's that devotion, displayed by the five musicians on every track, which makes Me&You a heartfelt and courageous album, in its contemplative and its expressive moments. The dangers of the difficult second album – Edward Maclean and his four fellow musicians have circumnavigated them with ease, by trusting in what comes to pass.

EDWARD MACLEAN
Me&You
Release Date: January 13th, 2017
Label: r3w Records
Cat.No.: r3w009
UPCEAN: 4250644832154
Distribution: Cargo / Finetunes

Line-Up:
Edward Maclean (Bass)
Tobias Backhaus (Drums)
Christian Kögel (Guitar)
Matti Klein (Keyboards & Piano)
Sebastian Borkowski (Tenor Saxophone)

photo by Jan Windszus

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