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About Christian Lillinger

Album Review

Stemeseder Lillinger + Craig Taborn: Umbra III

Read "Umbra III" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
March 2, 2025

Sometimes, the subversion of established paradigms unfolds through incremental variations and subtle shifts in the status quo--so gradual they can be almost imperceptible. Other times, transformation arrives in the form of unexpected revolutions, seismic and undeniable. Somewhere between these two extremes lie the musical experiments of Elias Stemeseder and Christian Lillinger. The Austrian-German duo--pianist, composer, and electronic musician Elias Stemeseder and drummer, composer, and producer Christian Lillinger--conceived Umbra, a modular ensemble framework that interweaves musical notation with fluid ...

Album Review

Elias Stemeseder / Christian Lillinger: Umbra II

by John Sharpe
February 23, 2025

Austrian pianist Elias Stemeseder and German drummer Christian Lillinger capture the Zeitgeist in a nervy, occasionally anxiety inducing, pairing under the moniker Umbra. Although extant as a duet, they often supplement the numbers with like-minded collaborators, and on Umbra II trumpeter Peter Evans and bassist Russell Hall take to the full on interaction like ducks to water. Unlike their debut recording, this time out they swear off the electronics for an all acoustic outing, although, truth be told, such is ...

Album Review

Stemeseder Lillinger Quartet feat. Peter Evans & Russell Hall: Umbra II

Read "Umbra II" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
July 9, 2024

Imagine a musical universe where jazz's avant-garde explorers join forces with the precision of Swiss watchmakers. In this paradoxical realm, the Stemeseder Lillinger Quartet thrives, crafting intricate sonic tapestries that defy conventional melodic structures. At the helm of this audacious ensemble are Elias Stemeseder (piano) and Christian Lillinger (drums), two maverick minds whose collaborative chemistry could power a small city. The Quartet features Russell Hall (bass) and Peter Evans (trumpet), crafting a complex and intriguing follow-up album with Umbra II. ...

Album Review

Gordon Grdina & Christian Lillinger: Duo Work

Read "Duo Work" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
March 10, 2024

This album features a collaboration between Gordon Grdina on guitar and MIDI-guitar, and Christian Lillinger on drums. The project highlights their combined efforts in composition and improvisation, with most pieces jointly composed by Grdina and Lillinger, except for tracks 1, 5, 8, and 12, credited to Grdina alone. This is an enthralling exploration of sound and collaboration. It opens with the cacophonous track “Song One" setting the tone for the entire recording. Grdina's use of MIDI guitar adds ...

Album Review

Grdina/Lillinger: Duo Work

Read "Duo Work" reviewed by Troy Dostert

by Troy Dostert
February 25, 2024

One would be hard-pressed to find a more versatile guitarist than Gordon Grdina, who somehow manages to try something different with each release. And he is no slouch in terms of productivity either; with at least a dozen releases since 2020, this is an artist who requires multiple palettes. His sensitivity on the oud is one of his most remarkable traits; witness his superb playing on the Persian-inspired The Marrow (Attaboygirl Records, 2024) with vocalist Fathieh Honari as proof. As ...

Album Review

New Old Luten Trio: Trident Juncture

Read "Trident Juncture" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
February 19, 2024

In 2023, the New Old Luten Trio album on Euphorium Records featured, albeit posthumously, the legendary Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky who was Germany's answer to the avant-garde saxophone. Known affectionately as Luten Petrowsky, his reeds here join forces with Elan Pauer on piano and Christian Lillinger's drumming wizardry. This near hour-long extravaganza, recorded back in 2016, at Leipzig's naTo, is not just music; it is a spirited rendezvous of improvisation--a testament to a decade of the trio's synergy. Hence, a musical homage ...

Album Review

Grdina Maneri Lillinger: Live at the Armoury

Read "Live at the Armoury" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
July 12, 2023

In recent years, Gordon Grdina has proved himself to be as passionate as he is prolific, not to mention versatile. Further affirmation aplenty of all those virtues, the forty-five minutes of Live At The Armoury stand as a showcase not only for the Canadian's adept management of shared moments of spontaneity, but also for that of his collaborators. During these kinetic interactions between Grdina and his two kindred spirits, viola player Mat Maneri and drummer Christian Lillinger, the ...