Review Text
'Ozean' is German for ocean, where life on Earth started and the pathways for forging cultural exchange and enrichment of civilization were navigated. The beauty, importance and fragility of the waterways were front-of-mind as guitarist Hugo Fernandez composed this music for his Berlin-based quartet. Born in Mexico, with stops at Berklee & the University of New Orleans before a decade in Madrid and now Berlin, Fernandez's experiences through life in these vivid cultural capitals comes through the music with wide-ranging elements of folkloric forms, Western classical music, and even pop, informing his deep jazz sensibilities. With trumpeter Christoph Titz, bassist Martin Lillich, and fellow expat, drummer Jesus Vega, they embrace a musical world that could be a 'forward-looking vision of jazz' (House of World Cultures, Berlin). '... personality, competence and a sound all of it's own... ' El Pais (Spain). '... catchy and inventive... The performances develop in unexpected directions, and the often-episodic frameworks make most of the selections sound like mini-suites.' Downbeat.
