Dörner-Schwerdt-Sartorius: Jul Fuel

Jul Fuel unfolds more like a tale of three cities than a singular statement—especially when the tracks are experienced in album order. The release transitions from a solo piano performance to a piano-drum duet, a trio performance, and, finally, a slide trumpet solo. At its core, however, Jul Fuel revolves around German improviser Axel Dorner, even in moments when his horn is silent.

Pianist and label chief Oliver Schwerdt takes on dual roles here: as an innovative artist and a dedicated promoter of avant-garde music. Over the years, he has collaborated with and organized performances featuring an impressive roster of legends such as Peter Brötzmann, Akira Sakata, Barry Guy, Gunter Sommer, Wadada Leo Smith and Barre Phillips. Schwerdt also champions a younger generation of talent, including Christian Lillinger, Antonio Borghini and, as showcased on this album, Julian Sartorius.

The album opens with "Jet Fuel," a solo piano piece in which Schwerdt channels a Cecil Taylor-inspired ferocity. As a performer, he demonstrates an acute ear for the dramatic, stretching both hands across the keyboard to create intricate, multi-layered textures. His playing engages both hemispheres of the brain: the left side, categorizing percussive rhythms into modular patterns, and the right, weaving disparate sounds into cohesive musical threads. The piece grows from moments of quiet introspection to a dense, tangled flurry of notes.

Following the solo, the album transitions to the duo track "Drain Delicacy," where Schwerdt partners with drummer Sartorius, renowned for his work with pianists Colin Vallon and Sylvie Courvoisier. Together, they emphasize the percussive qualities of their instruments. Sartorius' deft brushwork pushes Schwerdt to explore unconventional techniques, transforming the piano into a percussive machine while interjecting bursts of thunderous left-hand chords.

These earlier tracks serve as a prelude to the album's centerpiece, "(Slip Fit) Fizz Blitz (Slit Kit)," where Dörner joins Schwerdt and Sartorius. In this trio setting, Schwerdt and Sartorius play in service to Dörner's slide, a cornerstone of his unique improvisational language on trumpet. Dörner, known for his versatility—whether interpreting Thelonious Monk's music with Alexander von Schlippenbach, exploring off-kilter bebop with Die Enttäuschung, or crafting minimalist free improvisation—delivers an extraordinary palette of sounds. His trumpet produces everything from gargled tones and breathy whispers to explosive, animalistic roars. The 23-minute performance is a seamless interplay, with piano mirroring trumpet, trumpet echoing drums and each instrument contributing to a continuous, evolving musical dialogue.

The album concludes with Dörner's solo performance, "Briglift, Neprotukah und die braunfaune Schruhkatze von Kortopau." Here, he leaves no technique unexplored, employing circular breathing to move from faint whispers to a thunderous cacophony reminiscent of a jet engine.