New Zealand is a long way from Germany but the country has been on our minds recently. Our skies are all but empty due to the COVID-19 border lockdown. An exception has been the daily flights of Lufthansa aircraft.
For the last four days, massive A380-800 planes have been flying low over our cities and circling twice before returning to Germany, all filled with repatriating tourists who were caught by the lockdown. The journey home is done without refueling, a distance of 18,353kms (11,400 miles). The laps are performed as a thank-you gesture in return for keeping their nationals safe.
Germany is one of our prime tourist sources but it also brings jazz musicians our way. Many of these improvisers return to us, garnering a fan base here. Among these are Florian Ross. Pianist Ross has even recorded with the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra, established in 2003 and a nominee for Australian Jazz Ensemble of the Year in 2007, when their collaboration Dream Wheel was released.
Wondering how things were going for musicians in Germany, I questioned Ross during an email exchange. Along with his family he is in isolation, but luckily he is still able to access his work studio which is in a separate location.
Ross is a prolific artist accustomed to working around the globe, but like the rest of us his work pattern is severely disrupted. He is a prolific artist with more than 25 recordings to his name and a musical interconnectedness with countries as far flung as Scotland and New Zealand. During the lockdown he has released a new album titled Reason & Temptation. Releasing an album in these conditions is obviously a challenge as here was no possibility of a release tour.
The album is particularly relevant to these strange times as it evokes a sense of intimacy and space. The accompanying video of manicured forests, vivid snowscapes and distant cityscapes reinforces that vibe. With the clamour of traffic and aircraft reduced there has never been a better time to enjoy reflective uncluttered music. The album is available at www.florianross.de or from the usual online outlets.
The best way to support musicians is to buy their albums and to recommend them to others. The musicians on Reason and Temptation are Florian Ross (piano, compositions), Sebastian Gille (saxophone), David Helm (bass), Fabien Arends (drums), Recorded in Köln.
