Description
The line-up of the band already catches your attention. Tino Derado (p), Andreas Lang (b), and Sebastian Merk (dr) are three renowned, highly experienced jazz musicians in Berlin and far beyond. George Kontomichalis could hardly have chosen better musicians for his album debut and his soulful music. In addition, the alto saxophonist from Leipzig emphasized: "This is not just a studio line-up, but a permanent group. We are going to continue playing together." The name of the tenor saxophone guest, who participates several times, provides additional sparkle: Johannes Enders. "It was a great honor for me that he offered to participate," Kontomichalis said. Enders is one of the saxophonist greats of German jazz, also known from the wider environment of the indie/electro/rock/jazz avant-garde band Notwist. He moves confidently on pure, classical jazz terrain here. The leader takes over the formal classification himself: "This is a straight ahead album with elements of post-bop." Kontomichalis knows exactly what he is doing, and he knows the historical jazz relationships. The decisive thing is that the alto sax specialist has found his own voice in it. The compositions, the awareness of form, the passionate expression: all this bears a clear, personal signature. George Kontomichalis, born in 1994 in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, has lived in Germany since 2016. He came to Dresden to study music at that time. He also applied in Berlin and Leipzig. He was invited to audition at all three of the selected universities. In Dresden, he was ranked 1st among the current applicants. There the Greek also immediately established a good connection with the responsible professor, who became an important mentor. Within a short time Kontomichalis won a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) award for outstanding achievements. After graduating, he switched to the Leipzig University for Music and Theater. He met the young Ukrainian singer and actress Sonya Sytnyk there. She sings the captivating ballad "Means Something To Me" on First Flight with music by George Kontomichalis and lyrics by Leipzig singer/songwriter Marta Mai.
