Featuring:
Florian Bramböck - reeds
Klaus Dickbauer - reeds
Christian Maurer - reeds
Wolfgang Puschnig - reeds

The quartet is common in jazz, but a quartet consisting only of saxophones—four layers of common sound—is difficult to pull off well. Founded by the Vienna Art Orchestra’s Wolfgang Puschnig, Austria’s Saxofour has been active and acclaimed since their 1991 appearance at the Austria Vöcklabruck Jazz Festival, performing more than 200 sets throughout Europe and frequently accompanying Portuguese singer Maria João. Switching between different saxophones and clarinets, the group’s members play experimental jazz and free improvisation. In particular, though, they have an affinity for pieces considered classical to the jazz canon. They avoid relying on conventional duets between alto and baritone; their goal is to keep the music sounding new. This leads to a certain madcap sound that recalls the soundtracks of early film comedies, but changes quickly and nimbly due to the freedom of Saxofour’s basic form.

www.toene.at/saxo4