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Lucia Cadotsch
Lucia Cadotsch is a Zurich-born, Berlin-based vocalist, songwriter, creative producer and mentor.
With her distinctive vocal style and her innovative band projects such as Speak Low, AKI and LIUN + The Science Fiction Band, Lucia Cadotsch has become one of the defining voices of her generation. For over twenty years, her musical universe has continued to grow - a world of emotional depth and subtle interplay that moves comfortably in the connected space between worlds of song and improvisation.
Cadotsch’s voice has been described as “mesmerizing,” making “a song resonate like crazy,” while her writing is praised for “capturing unique feelings.” Critics highlight that “the ease she conveys with every note is hypnotizing,” and place her among the rare singers who take risks in the spirit of Betty Carter. She has been called “one of the most interesting female vocalists on the European scene,” admired not only “for the quality of her voice but for the musical settings she creates and the choices she makes“, and “a musical attitude whose clarity and uncompromising nature make you want to bow down.”
With her acclaimed chamber trio Speak Low (with Petter Eldh and Otis Sandsjö), Cadotsch reimagines jazz standards and folk songs through a minimalist, remix-inspired lens, delving beneath the surface of familiar material and unpeeling layers to reveal new meaning. The trio’s debut received top ratings from The Guardian and DownBeat and led to more than 150 international concerts, including major festivals and concert halls such as NYC Winter Jazzfest, London Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazzfestspiele, and the Berlin Philharmonie.
With AKI (with Jozef Dumoulin, Phil Donkin and James Maddren), Cadotsch invites listeners into a dreamscape of lyrical explorations that, in a remarkably subtle way, tackle complex social themes that define our age. AKI is a dialogue between four autonomous voices who listen attentively to one another and allow each other space, creating an intimate environment. The compositions emerge from a collective process in which each member reshapes the others’ ideas through their own musical perspective, eamlessly merging composition and improvisation. Their debut album AKI, featuring Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar on two songs, was released in May 2023 on Heartcore Records.
With LIUN + The Science Fiction Band (with Wanja Slavin), Cadotsch shapes expansive electronic and orchestral sound worlds with variable-sized ensembles, including their own large ensemble, LIUN + The Science Fiction Orchestra, as well as collaborations with the HR Big Band and the EOS Chamber Orchestra. Their latest album, Does It Make You Love Your Life?, features a 13-piece string ensemble and a series of visual works created in close collaboration with choreographer and dancer Meg Stuart. Through this process, Cadotsch discovered new artistic territory - including integrating movement and dance into her own performance practice.
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Lucia Cadotsch, Michala Østergaard-Nielsen, Andreas Schaerer, Patrick Zimmerli & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
Modern-day sonic storytelling in a playlist characterized by tunes with a strong narrative trait.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Jim Funnell's Word Out “Asteroid B612" New Dream (Funnelljazz) 0:16 Host talks 6:23 Patrick Zimmerli “60 Morningside" Songs of Innocence (Emergence) 7:50 Host talks 14:09 Lucia Cadotsch “In the Zone" Does It Make You Love Your Life? (Heartcore) 16:01 Andreas Schaerer “Mr. More" Anthem For No Man's Land (ACT) ...
Continue ReadingLucia Cadotsch: Speak Low II
by Friedrich Kunzmann
On their sophomore effort, the multinational European trio around Swiss vocalist Lucia Cadotsch follows the band's initial instinct of organically dissecting and rearranging old favorites of the respective band members. This time around the trio is expanded by English keyboartdist Kit Downes' occasional organ embellishments and Lucy Railton's additions of odd melodic cello lines to conceptually intricate arrangements. The group's nearly-chordless and drum-free approach is able to conjure intimate spaces and fragile constructs while at the same time capturing not ...
Continue ReadingLucia Cadotsch, Dark Horse, Oaagaada, Sabu Toyozumi and More
by Maurice Hogue
As often happens on this show, the recordings we featured emanate from many countries, and this episode is no different. New releases include those by Japanese drumming legend Sabu Toyozumi (recorded in The Philippines), Sweden's Dark Horse, French drummer Raphael Pannier, Finland's Oaagaada, Italy's Ground 71, and Swiss vocalist Lucia Cadotsch. American baritone saxophonist Josh Sinton gets back to the wars with his trio What Happens in a Year, trumpeter Alex Massa focuses on water issues in his new release, ...
Continue ReadingLucia Cadotsch: Whispers Speak Louder than Screams
by Ludovico Granvassu
Speak Low (Enja Records, 2017), the debut release of her current Trio of the same name, catapulted Lucia Cadotsch among the new artists that promise to write original chapters of vocal jazz while showing deference to the artists that preceded them. Playing a compelling brand of music that has been aptly described as “acoustic retrofuturism" --think of it as the musical version of Blade Runner's stunning blend of futuristic ambience and vintage elegance --Lucia Cadotsch, bassist Petter Eldh and saxophonist ...
Continue ReadingLucia Cadotsch: Speak Low
by Niccolò Lucarelli
Accade che un artista, sia esso musicista, scrittore, pittore o scultore, avverta l'urgenza di rifugiarsi nella semplicità espressiva, di guardare a forme essenziali dal sapore primitivo e ancestrale, per poi dialogare con la contemporaneità. “Retrofuturismo acustico." Così Lucia Cadotsch definisce nelle note di copertina Speak Low, la sua ultima fatica musicale. Il sostantivo spiega questo suo “guardare da dietro" la modernità, il volerlo fare in maniera sommessa, con eleganza e umiltà, rispettando quanto venuto prima e interagendovi per andare oltre; ...
Continue ReadingNEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD BEST VOCAL JAZZ RELEASES OF 2020
DOWNBEAT 2017 5/5 stars
THE GUARDIAN 2016 5/5 stars
ALL ABOUT JAZZ BEST RELEASES 2020
THE GUARDIAN JAZZ ALBUM OF THE MONTH 2020
TIP BERLIN BEST BERLIN ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2020
3SAT KULTURZEIT ALBUM OF THE WEEK 2016
DEUTSCHLANDFUNK KULTUR JAZZ HIGHLIGHTS 2020
BEST JAZZ ON BANDCAMP 2023
“Cadotsch makes a song resonate like crazy.”
Best Jazz on Bandcamp June 2023
“Lucia’s writing is capturing unique feelings and her voice is mesmerizing.“
Kurt Rosenwinkel, 2023
Primary Instrument
Vocals
Location
Berlin
Willing to teach
Advanced only
