The White Belt Ronny Graupe

• 1Kappler Drehe03:09
• 2Szene auf dem Lande03:25
• 3Sunset Setting09:34
• 4Elfenau05:26
• 5The White Belt05:22
• 6Conduct06:54
• 7Iberia03:59
• 8Aniol04:48
• Total Runtime42:37

Info for The White Belt

Jazz’n More magazine’s Reiner Kobe calls the Berlin guitarist German guitarist Ronny Graupe “one of the most promising talents in German jazz” who is “on the right path with his ideal lineup”. That lineup call themselves also Spoom, a group name Graupe conjured from the combined sounds and ideas of a creative “big bang” and ocean spray. Musical partners since 2004, Graupe, bassist Jonas Westergaard and drummer Christian Lillinger have already made their mark on the jazz scene. On The White Belt, Spoom’s second album for PIROUET, Graupe and co masterfully approach their music as a new beginning.

In martial arts the white belt is the one worn by the novice. eventually moved to Berlin where he has become a linchpin For Ronny Graupe, “it is the most important belt of all, since it stands for openness and questioning; when you are a beginner you can’t fall back on what you already know.

This also goes for music. The White Belt represents the road you have in front of you, the one you are about to travel.” He’s taking that road alongside two long-time musical companions with like minds and impressive credentials. Danish bassist Jonas Westergaard and Graupe began their musical relationship when they attended Rytmisk Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. Graupe says, “The first time I heard him, I knew we would play together.” Since then Jonas has spent time in New York, worked with such major players as Tim Berne, Herb Robertson, Oliver Lake, and in the contemporary music scene. Graupe marvels that drummer Christian Lillinger “has an energy that brings everything to a different level.” Called a “drum revolutionary” by the prestigious DER SPIEGEL magazine, Lillinger has worked with such greats as Rolf and Joachim Kühn, Alexander von Schlippenbach and John Tchicai, and his 2015 PIROUET album Grund received critical acclaim. As for Ronny Graupe, London Jazz News described Graupe’s playing as veering “from percussive riffs to white noise. Sometimes he played long lines behind the others, or the blues, or distorted, rock-edged phrases... precision, virtuosity and playfulness.” His work credentials include Richie Beirach, Joachim Kühn, Chris Speed and Pablo Held. …

Ronny Graupe, guitar
Jonas Westergaard, bass
Christian Lillinger, drums

Ronny Graupe
was born in 1979 in Karl-Marx-Stadt, Germany. He was the winner of the state of Saxony’s “Jugend musiziert—Jugend jazzt” competition in 1997. In 1998 he began his studies at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University of Music and Theater in Leipzig, and then continued on to study in 2002/2003 at the Rytmisk Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. From 1998 until 2001 Graupe played with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Peter Herbolzheimer. In 2001 he received the Marion Ermer Foundation’s Jazz Newcomer Stipendium. Graupe, along with Christian Lillinger and Philipp Gropper, formed the trio Hyperactive Kid in 2002. Now living in Berlin, Ronny Graupe has worked with Carsten Daerr, Daniel Erdmann, Kalle Kalima, Rolf Kühn, Frank Möbus, Matthias Schriefl, and John Schröder. He has also played in groups with Johannes Lauer, Henning Sieverts, and Wanja Slavin. Ronny Graupe is a member of the Berlin Jazz Collective.

Jonas Westergaard - Doublebass
He studied at the "Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium" in Copenhagen, Denmark and was living in New York from 2001 til 2003. 2005 he won the Léonie Sonnings Musikfond. 2006 he got the danish radio jazzprice. He worked together with George Garzone, Tim Berne, Herb Robertson, Oliver Lake, Jens Winther, Michael Blake, Jakob Bro, Kresten Osgood, John Tchicai and many others. He can be heard on various CDs released on ILKMUSIC and as leader on the STUNT RECORD "Helgoland".

Christian Lillinger - Drums
He studied drums at the Musikhochschule "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden. he is pricewinner of the international improvisation competition leipzig in 2000. He worked together with Joachim Kühn, Christopher Dell, Ernst Ludwig Petrowski, Mathias Schubert, Manfred Schoof, Simon Nabatov, Tobias Delius, Gebhard Ullmann, Joe Williamson, Theo Jörgensmann, Frank Gratkowski, Achim Kaufamann, Wadada Leo Smith, Axel Dörner, Barre Phillips, John Tchicai, David Liebmann and many others.

Booklet for The White Belt