Brand new record from Schmid’s Huhn

For more than a decade, Cologne-based ensemble Schmid’s Huhn have been forging a musical language in the overlap between structure and spontaneity. Operating at the apex of contemporary jazz, the quartet has developed a highly original sound that draws from post bop, cool jazz and free improvisation, built on more than 13 years of collaboration which reflects a rare level of trust and collective understanding, allowing complex ideas to freely take shape.

The group brings together four established voices from Germany’s jazz and improvisation scene; Stefan Karl Schmid contributes tenor saxophone and clarinet, while Leonhard Huhn performs on alto saxophone and clarinet. Completing the line-up are Stefan Schönegg on double bass and Fabian Arends on drums. Together, they’ve created a style that balances composed material with in-the-moment interaction, resulting in music that can move from fluid moments to intensity in an instant.

Throughout their musical adventure, Schmid’s Huhn have embraced the creative possibilities found at the meeting point of composition and improvisation. Now, that ongoing exploration reaches a new stage with their brand new fourth album titled Hindemith Abstractions. For the project, the band turns its attention to the music of Paul Hindemith, specifically his work Des kleinen Elektromusikers Lieblinge for three Trautoniums. Schmid’s Huhn use the source material as the framework for transformation, taking Hindemith’s ideas apart before reconstructing them through their own artistic perspective.

The first suite, titled The Little Jazz Musicians’ Favorites, demonstrates the quartet’s fascination with reinvention. Melodic fragments, intervallic relationships and formal concepts drawn from Hindemith’s work are dismantled, condensed and reshaped into something entirely new. Ultimately, it’s neither tribute nor reinterpretation in a conventional sense, instead using the original material as a starting point for a broader investigation into form, abstraction and possibility.

“Part 1: Form” starts with a solo sax moment where soft notes gently flicker and tumble before the rustle of drums, pulse of bass and flutter of clarinet set up a smooth jazz voyage that flows with layered melodic leads and steady rhythmic groove that swells with intensity before simmering down to a stripped back close. The second part, “Free,” forms with lilting woodwind lines and brushed percussive elements, crafting a sparse and downtempo scene before jittery runs and stuttering drums take the song on a fascinating creative detour.

“Vamp” glides with the plod of bass plucks before the shuffle of rolling drums is met by sweeping sax textures before taking on an uptempo pace of walking basslines and surging instrumental energy. The finale piece of The Little Jazz Musicians’ Favorites comes with “Pedal” which drifts into focus with percussive shots and woodwind pips before gradually falling into a hypnotic flow that bends between intense moments and grooving passages.

Central to the album is the idea that structure and spontaneity are not opposing forces but complementary ones and Hindemith Abstractions places both elements in constant dialogue, allowing carefully considered compositional ideas to interact with the energy of improvisation. Alongside the suite, the album presents another significant work: Reflections on Hindemith. Comprising five parts, the piece is entirely improvised and serves as a parallel exploration of many of the ideas associated with Hindemith’s aesthetic approach. Without relying on predetermined material, the quartet allows structure, understanding and momentum to arise through real-time interaction.

From the pattering percussion and moody dissonance of the instrumentation on the first piece “Thirds,” the laid back tone of “Affinity” pairs restrained performance to present a calm passage before the rattle of percussion on “Spinning” ushers in a kaleidoscopic foray into an improvised sphere. “Chase” lands with lively bass plucks and tapped percussive elements before rushing sax lines add flashes of colour to the arrangement while closing piece “Syntony” casts an eerie sonic spell through haunting clarinet lines and ominous sonic atmosphere.

Following numerous releases, concerts and international performances, Hindemith Abstractions arrives as an important milestone in the group’s journey. With their fourth full-length record, Schmid’s Huhn show how modern jazz can engage with history while remaining firmly tethered to the present. By transforming established ideas through improvisation, collaboration and experimentation, the quartet continues to expand the possibilities of ensemble music, creating work that’s at once intellectually exciting and musically compelling.

Listen to Hindemith Abstractions below