When is a band a band?
When something common emerges from

unmistakable individual voices - not the lowest common

denominator, but the greatest possible space for everyone to

develop. BREU is such a band. Its namesake Maximilian Breu

shapes it with his idiosyncratic, highly energetic drumming and his

compositions. With both, he moves refreshingly far away from any

jazz clichés. Odd rhythms, angular ostinati, sudden upheavals,

crumbling, fraying... With BREU, you can never be sure what's

coming next.

But what comes next has a persuasive power that, in retrospect,

lends the songs an astonishing coherence. Here, music develops

organically, sometimes forging ahead indie-rock-style, pausing,

bubbling underneath, taking a detour, reaching transit points

instead of predictable destinations. Other unmistakable individual voices in this astonishing collective are a virtuoso Andreas Dombert with explosive, often sound- alienated guitar playing, an amazingly versatile Olga Reznichenko on piano and keyboard and an eminent Robert Lucaciu, whose double bass tones create a wonderfully flexible wing.

If jazz in the 21st century means making improvised music for

open ears with a broad stylistic vision, then BREU is living proof of

this.

BREU was invited to play a tour in Central America. The time had

come in March 2023. Funded by the Goethe-Institut, the band

played 9 concerts and various workshops in Nicaragua, El

Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.