Craig Handy (born in 1962), who is one of the best saxophonists of his generation meets Munich based band BAM
. Craig Handy (born 1962), who is one of the best saxophonists of his generation (recordings with Betty Carter, Mingus Big Band, Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock) has been a rare visitor to Europe in the last decade. That is gladly about to change. BAM invited him to perform several well-attended and acclaimed concerts and the now finally available production First Encounter. BAM stands for keyboard wizard Matthias Bublath, sousaphone master Freddy Andrej and, of course, Guido May. The young guitarist Maxi Nachtmann, who plays incredibly well for his age and gives rise to high hopes, was added at short notice. Matthias Bublath has recorded some very fine trio albums and shines as a modern jazz pianist in a league with musicians such as Sullivan Fortner, Lawrence Fields, Christian Sands and Aaron Diehl. We experience him here as a Hammond organ expert, but if you listen to his own funk-oriented CDs, which also feature trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, you are amazed at how confidently he can switch between genres. First Encounter is the first successful project of a new German-American friendship which, with its universal musical vision, should be a model for creative transatlantic teamwork.
