After the acclaimed album ‘Gowanus Canal’ in 2012, ‘Octopus’ is Christoph Irniger’s second release with his trio of Raffaele Bossard (double bass) and Ziv Ravitz (drums). The album is a studio recording from last autumn and shows the ensemble in fantastic shape. Irniger is a master of orchestration and rejects the hierarchy of soloist-plus-rhythm. Instead of using the compositions as springboards for solos, he finds interesting ways for the improvisations to underline the compositional characteristics. ‘Melody, arrangement, improvisation: the trio fuse them all into one tightly integrated and alluring package,’ writes American jazz critic Kevin Whitehead, and emphasizing the strength of Irninger’s melodies he asks: ‘Why should pop bands (and their listeners) have all the fun?’

Cover art and Graphic design: Jonas Schoder
Liner Notes: Kevin Whitehead
Photo: Peter Purgar

All compositions by Christoph Irniger, except 3 & 9 by Raffaele Bossard (SUISA). Recorded in December, 2014, at Studio La Fonderie, Fribourg by Florian Pittet. Mixed by Ziv Ravitz. Mastered by Martin Ruch. Executive Producer: Anja Illmaier