K. on the Shore Frederik Köster & NDR Bigband

• 1 Opening / Lonely Young Man / Yougottadance 14:12
• 2 Arch Duke 03:46
• 3 About Birds 08:02
• 4 K. on the Shore 06:51
• 5 About Frogs and Worms 04:23
• 6 Aomame and Tengo 08:50
• 7 HB Wonderland _ Closing 06:35
• 8 Naoko 09:40
• Total Runtime 01:02:19

Info for K. on the Shore

Frederik Köster has been one of the leading figures in the German jazz scene for over 15 years. The award-winning trumpeter and composer captivates audiences with his stylistic versatility and innovative sound concepts – in small ensembles as well as in orchestral or electroacoustic projects.

With K. on the Shore, his new suite with the NDR Big Band, he devotes himself entirely to the literary cosmos of Haruki Murakami for the first time. Inspired by his motifs, Köster develops a musical narrative full of contrasts: structured orchestrations juxtapose free improvisation, classical patterns are disrupted, and rhythmic diversity characterizes the soundscape. Recurring leitmotifs lend the suite a narrative cohesion – for example, the figure of a man searching for meaning, typical of Murakami.

Pieces such as "Yougottadance," "Arch Duke," and "About Birds" translate literary scenes into colorful music. Köster's signature is also evident in the deliberate dissolution of hierarchical structures: smaller wind groups emerge as soloists, while free passages create chamber music intimacy. In close collaboration with arranger Geir Lysne and top-class musicians from the NDR Big Band, a work of remarkable depth emerged – musically independent, literary-inspired, and full of finely crafted details. Thus, Köster combines his roles as trumpeter, composer, and arranger into a personal, artistically powerful statement between jazz and narrative.

"Again and again, Köster amazes with the ingenious details he has woven into his pieces, most recently in "Naoko." Behind the flugelhorn solos by him and Percy Pursglove, he lets all the themes of the suite shine through, like a credits roll. With K. on the Shore, Frederik Köster once again demonstrates his outstanding creative will not only as a trumpeter, but also as a composer and arranger. And the flexible NDR Big Band, with its top-class musicians and soloists, lends Köster's individual worlds of ideas brilliance and vitality." (Uta Bretsch)

Frederik Köster, trumpet, flute
NDR Big Band:
Fiete Felsch, saxophone, flute
Björn Berger, saxophone, flute
Julius Gawlik, saxophone, flute
Frank Delle, saxophone, flute
Daniel Buch, saxophone, flute
Martijn de Laat, trumpet, flute
Ingolf Burkhardt, trumpet, flute
Christian Höhn, trumpet, flute
Percy Persglove, trumpet, flugelhorn
Christian Mehler, trumpet, flugelhorn
Dan Gottschalk, trombone, bass trombone
Klaus Heidenreich, trombone, bass trombone
Will Pethick, trombone, bass trombone
Ingo Lahme, trombone, bass trombone
Florian Weber, piano
Sandra Hempel, guitar
Ingmar Heller, bass
Jonas Burgwinkel, drums
Marcio Doctor, percussion
Geir Lsyne, conductor