Record Reviews

LOTZ OF MUSIC ~ BLUES FOR YEMAYA VIA 992.059 (Barcode: 8711799205928) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1997 - 1998 Released: 1998 This is an album by the Lotz Of MusicFind albums by this artist quintet, led by German (resident in Netherlands) flautist / composer Mark Alban LotzFind albums by this artist, which also includes Dutch saxophonist / clarinetist Maarten OrnsteinFind albums by this artist, pianist Stefan SchmidFind albums by this artist, bassist Jos MachtelFind albums by this artist and drummer Stefan KrugerFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded in Cuba and features also a large group of Cuban vocalists and instrumentalists. The album presents eight tracks, all traditional Cuban Folklore themes with some additional contributions by Lotz and Kruger. The music is mostly dedicated to the original Folklore music, with delicate Jazzy arrangements, which are well fitted within the traditional music, presenting a beautiful amalgam of Cultures. In contrast to the many Cuban Jazz recordings, which are mostly a mixture of American Jazz and Cuban melodic and rhythmic influences, this album stays as faithful to the traditional Cuban music as possible, with a delicate European melodic layer and Jazz tinge, which of course is quite different. Overall, this is a quite unusual mixture of Cuban Folklore and Jazz, which presents a unique attempt to create cross-genre music, which works beautifully and remains untouched by the tides of time. Side Note: My thanks to Mark Alban Lotz for reaching into his vaults and sending me this album, of which I was not aware, and which is certainly worth being re-discovered.

Updated: 23/04/2026Posted: 23/04/2026

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MARK LOTZ / SHANGO`S DANCE ~ CUBAN FISHES MAKE GOOD DISHES LOPLOP 014 (Barcode: 9789077672013) ~ NETHERLANDS ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1997 - 2002 Released: 2004 This is an album by German (resident in Netherlands) flautist / composer Mark Alban LotzFind albums by this artist, which also includes Dutch saxophonist / clarinetist Maarten OrnsteinFind albums by this artist, pianists Marc van RoonFind albums by this artist and Stefan SchmidFind albums by this artist, bassists Eric SurmenianFind albums by this artist and Jos MachtelFind albums by this artist and drummers Liber Torrientes MirabalFind albums by this artist and Stefan KrugerFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded in Holland and features also a large group of Cuban vocalists and instrumentalists. The album presents fourteen tracks, all traditional Cuban Folklore themes with some additional contributions by Lotz and Kruger. Three of the tracks were recorded in Cuba during the session for the previous album “Blues For YemayaFind albums with this title”. This is the 3rd album by Lotz dedicated to the Afro-Cuban Yoruba musical traditions. The music is mostly dedicated to the original Folklore music, with additional Jazzy arrangements, which are well fitted within the traditional music, presenting a beautiful amalgam of Cultures. In contrast to the many Cuban Jazz recordings, which are mostly a mixture of American Jazz and Cuban melodic and rhythmic influences, this album stays as faithful to the traditional Cuban music as possible, with a delicate European melodic layer and Jazz tinge, which of course is quite different. Overall, this is a quite unusual mixture of Cuban Folklore and Jazz, which presents a unique attempt to create cross-genre music, which works beautifully and remains untouched by the tides of time. Side Note: My thanks to Mark Alban Lotz for reaching into his vaults and sending me this album, of which I was not aware, and which is certainly worth being re-discovered.

Updated: 29/04/2026Posted: 29/04/2026

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MARK LOTZ TRIO ~ THE WROCLAW SESSIONS AUDIO CAVE 2019/006 (Barcode: 5905669566759) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by a trio led by veteran German (resident in Netherlands) flautist / composer Mark Alban LotzFind albums by this artist with Polish bassist Grzegorz PiaseckiFind albums by this artist and drummer Wojciech BulinskiFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded during an impromptu recording session, organized while Lotz gave master classes in Wroclaw. The album presents nine tracks, six of which were recorded by the trio and three by a duo of Lotz and Piasecki due to Bulinski´s illness. Two of the tracks are composed / co-composed by Lotz, two others are co-composed by Lotz and Piasecki and five are Jazz / Pop standards. Although by and large based on composed themes, the music is mostly improvised and offers an informal, free spirited atmosphere, which is quite enjoyable in view of the tendency to take Jazz way too seriously and in a cerebral fashion, forgetting about the intrinsic spontaneity it is supposed to be based on. Despite the obvious age and experience differences between Lotz and the two Polish Jazz youngsters, the trio manages to achieve a coherent and quite inventive cooperation and the result is surprisingly pleasing. The flute is a sadly neglected instrument in Jazz and therefore hearing great flute performances is always a joyful experience for yours truly, especially since it happens to be one of my favorite instruments. The album´s liner notes mention the legendary Dutch flautist Chris HinzeFind albums by this artist, one of the great European Jazz pioneers since the late 1960s and a superb player / composer, which of course bring on fond memories. Lotz has an impressive recorded legacy, which sadly I am not all too well familiar with, but his biography and interest in World Music is certainly reflected in the music present on this album. Overall this is a document of a moment captured in the studio, which is definitely worth investigating, even if it does not offer any grandiose revelations. It is honest, well played and interesting Jazz music, spirited and enjoyable, which obviously deserves to be captured for posterity. An absolute must for Jazz flute connoisseurs, obviously!

Updated: 27/04/2019Posted: 27/04/2019

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MARK LOTZ TRIO ~ TURN ON, TUNE IN, DROP OUT! ZENNEZ 2013/019 (Barcode: 9789083321400) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is an album by German (resident in Netherlands) flautist / composer Mark Alban LotzFind albums by this artist with Canadian (also resident in Netherlands) bassist Zack LoberFind albums by this artist and Dutch drummer Jamie PeetFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, all composed by Lotz. The album’s title more than hints towards Dr. Timothy LearyFind albums by this artist, the American psychologist famous for his advocacy of LSD and author of the book “The Eight-Circuit Model Of Consciousness”, which influenced everybody (well not really but we liked to think so at the time), who lived in the 1960s, like yours truly, and influenced Lotz to name eight of the tunes on this album by the names of those eight circuits. Is the music psychedelic Jazz? Not really but it is definitely great Jazz music. The intimate setting of a trio, with the flute in the center, is already a winner before I even heard the music, but upon hearing it I was completely and easily won over instantly. The trio’s sound, the wonderful compositions and the virtuosic performances by all three musicians are simply magical and irresistible. Peet is the great surprise, as his drumming on this album is nothing short of sensational and I’d advise every drummer I know to listen to what he is able to do herein, being both perfectly melodic and polyrhythmic at the same time. Lober provides the harmonic basis upon which the melody and the improvisations played by the flute can flow freely. Together the trio sounds like a perfect, self-sufficient ensemble, which is able to achieve exactly what it aims for. Overall, this album is a breath of fresh air, a great fun to listen to and a mind expanding (without chemical aid) musical experience, which I can wholeheartedly recommend to all Jazz listeners, regardless of their sub-genre preference. It is so sad to see the flute almost completely absent from the Jazz scene these days and a big thank you to Mark for refreshing our memories and make us realize what we’ve been missing!

Updated: 12/08/2023Posted: 12/08/2023

CD 1 Digisleeve Recommend To A Friend