In the past year bassist Gina Schwarz has been nominated for major awards in both her native Austria (Amadeus) and in Germany (Record Critics). Her “Way to Blue” project with the group Multiphonics 8, and the resulting album (on Cracked Anegg Records), presents a complete self-standing cycle of works, in which she digs into the enigmatic world of UK music legend Nick Drake (1948-74), and also pays tribute to her own father who died in 2020. “Schwarz transforms Drake’s British folk aesthetics into subtle and exotic, timeless and border-crossing folk traditions, and sketches deeply emotional and playful textures, but without sounding nostalgic.” (Salt Peanuts)

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Gina Schwarz (comp, b), Daniel Manrique-Smith (fl), Annette Maye (Bb-cl), Stephan Dickbauer (Bb-cl), Steffen Schorn (contra-alto cl, c-melody sax), Peter Joyce (b-cl), Lucas Leidinger (p), Mahan Mirarab (g), Jens Düppe (dr)