Georg Breinschmid: Brein's World

Georg Breinschmid is a madman; a genius madman, but a madman just the same. "Schnucki von Heanois" is a Yiddish Rap and is not even the subject of this piece. Breinschmid's brand of music is a bit hard to describe, but here goes. The bassist takes whatever musical tradition striking him at the time and infuses it with such a potent Eastern European spirit that it's impossible to know if you should dance a polka or a bluegrass jig.

Breinschmid and trumpeter Thomas Gansch take on the Johann Strauss tradition in their duet, "Trompetenpolka/Radetzkymarsch." The two musicians are so cheeky that they willfully interpolate jazz standards like "Cherokee" directly into the medley. A grand sense of humor characterizes the playing, making the pair sound a bit like what street musicians would sound like in a Jewish New Orleans French Quarter.

A small taste, sure, but Brein's World may be the most inventive release of the year.