Better Times Ahead by Anke Helfrich Trio & Roy Hargrove

Anke Helfrich Trio & Roy Hargrove

Better Times Ahead

Format: CD
Label: Double Moon Records
UPC: 0608917105322
Catnr: DMCHR 71053
Release date: 01 May 2006
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Label
Double Moon Records

UPC
0608917105322

Catalogue number
DMCHR 71053

Release date
01 May 2006

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

About the album

Artist: Anke Helfrich, Roy Hargrove, Martin Gjakonovski, Dejan Terzic "Worthy of a Nobel Prize Ð Star of the Month!" (Fono Forum), "the blond Monk" (Jazz thing), "Seldom heard something so light and inspired from German hands" (Michael Naura), "brilliant, grooving lady" (SŸddeutsche Zeitung), etc. Numerous euphoric comments were written about Anke Helfrich's debut album "You'll See" and her subsequent concerts.
After a longer break, in part made necessary by a severe illness, but in part used for developing her music skills and new compositions, Anke Helfrich is presenting a brilliant follow-up album.
Trained in Holland and New York, she studied under Larry Goldings and Kenny Barron, among others, and had numerous performances with Johnny Griffin, Jimmy Woode und John Marshall and others. Today Anke Helfrich has developed into a mature personality as composer and pianist. Her compositions are imaginative, melodic and always exciting. Her hands-on, grooving method of playing in the funky pieces and her sensitive touch in the ballads (not just there) are quite an experience.
She has been working with a solid base formed by Dejan Terzic and Martin Gjakonovski for years. The two are among the best, which Germany currently has to offer; it is not without reason that they also form another known trio with Antonio Farao.
Roy Hargrove often had the chance to experience Anke Helfrich's performances over the past years. He was so impressed that he offered to participate in her next CD. The chance finally arrived last November, and the result is really extraordinary and inspiring. Quote Roy Hargrove: "It was a pleasure to record with Anke É we established a very positive rapport and this was a reflection of her infectious and natural aptitude for jazz. She, Dejan and Martin make a highly compatible trio. Anke is a really gifted and sensitive pianist and composer!"

Artist(s)

Anke Helfrich

Anke Helfrich studied in Hilversum/Netherland and in New York, where she had lessons with Kenny Barron and Larry Goldings. Her trio with bassist Johannes Weidenmueller and drummer Jochen Rueckert, won the 'European Jazz Competition' in 1996 and the 'Hennessy Jazz Search' in 1998. Since 1999 she is a faculty member at the University of music and performing arts in Mannheim and since that time she is also teaching at workshops in and outside of Germany. Her debutalbum 'You'll see' feat. Mark Turner on tenorsax was proposed for the award of German record critics. She recieved the 'Jazzaward of the city of Worms” in 2003, opened with her trio at the Jazzfestival in Sofia/Bulgaria and got listed in a new edition of Kunzlers Jazzlexikon. In 2006 her CD “Better times ahead” with Martin Gjakonovski (b), Dejan...

Anke Helfrich studied in Hilversum/Netherland and in New York, where she had lessons with Kenny Barron and Larry Goldings.
Her trio with bassist Johannes Weidenmueller and drummer Jochen Rueckert, won the "European Jazz Competition" in 1996 and the "Hennessy Jazz Search" in 1998.
Since 1999 she is a faculty member at the University of music and performing arts in Mannheim and since that time she is also teaching at workshops in and outside of Germany.
Her debutalbum "You'll see" feat. Mark Turner on tenorsax was proposed for the award of German record critics.
She recieved the "Jazzaward of the city of Worms” in 2003, opened with her trio at the Jazzfestival in Sofia/Bulgaria and got listed in a new edition of Kunzlers Jazzlexikon.
In 2006 her CD “Better times ahead” with Martin Gjakonovski (b), Dejan Terzic (dr) and specialguest Roy Hargrove (trp) was released and got best reviews in all important magazines, radiointerviews and airplay all over Europe and the US. Her second album is also proposed for the award of “german recordcritics“.
In May 2007 she was one of the 5 finalists of the M.L.Williams Competition, playing at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Her composition "Der Turm" was selected in the finals of the jazz category of the International Songwriting Competition.
She played soloconcerts in Luxembourg, Hamburg and Lucerne, played festivals in China, Malaysia and Italy.
The Anke Helfrich Trio was selected to represent the German Jazz scene at the "Jazz Ahead" in Bremen in 2008.
In 2009 her trio was playing in the finals of the BMW World Award in Munich and her 3. CD "Stormproof" came out on the famous ENJA Records label (with Henning Sieverts (b), Dejan Terzic (dr) and specialguest Nils Wogram (trb).
Together with the band of Manu Katché, Anke Helfrich's Trio played a tour of 14 doublebill concerts in Germany's greatest venues like at Gewandhaus/Leipzig, Philharmonie/Berlin, Konzerthaus/Dortmund, Theaterhaus/Stuttgart.
Supported by the Goetheinstitut and the Federal Foreign Office, the trio played several concerts in Southafrica and Namibia in September 2009
In 2010 Anke Helfrich played a tour with the Diva Jazz Orchestra, an all female Big Band from NYC, and had concerts with her trio on festivals like JazzBaltica, Bonner Klaviersommer, Off-Stage-Piano-Festival Lucerne.
In December she was invited to do a CD recording with the Kyle Gregory Sextet in Udine/Italy.
The year 2011 started with concerts in Istanbul and Stockholm, where her trio was invited by trombonist Nils Landgren and the Goetheinstitut, followed by concerts in Germany, Verona and Merano/Italy and Mauritius.
Since April 2011 she is teaching jazz piano, ensemble, theory and ear training at Dr. Hoch's Conservatory in Frankfurt/Main.
In February 2012 Anke Helfrich was part of the Michel Legrand Tribute at Stockholms Concerthall, playing with the B.H.J.All Star Orchestra and Dalasinfoniettan feat. Rigmor Gustafsson. She was a member of the JazzBaltica Ensemble 2012, played in Italy, Croatia, Switzerland and played on a recording of Swedish saxophonist/fluteplayer Magnus Lindgren.
In 2013 she played at the Palmengarten/Frankfurt with her trio and Johannes Enders and 1300 people came to hear them. As part of Hermann Art Collective, Anke Helfrich helped to organize and was part of many concert including ballet, poetry slam, playing with movies etc. She played a concert with Rene Marie and Grace Kelly and with her quartet at the well known Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen/Denmark together with Adrian Mears, Mads Vinding and Niclas Campagnol.
At the beginning of 2014 Helfrich was part of two special piano concert with Rita Marcotulli and Julia Hülsmann. She recorded with the HR-Jazzensemble in Frankfurt. With her trio she played a double-bill-concert at Palatia Jazz Festival together with the Bill Evans & Mike Stern Band. She was teaching at the international workshop together with Dominique Dipiazza, Achille Succi and Kristof Przybylowicz and was also invited to give a workshop at the University of Poznan/Polen.