Luft/Lukassen/Seemann

Winner of the 2016 "Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize", awarded to one Royal Academy of Music graduate of exceptional ability each year, guitarist Rob Luft has already worked with some of the highest profile artists on the UK jazz scene. He's toured Europe with his own "Deco Ensemble" and is a member of several bands including Byron Wallen's "Four Corners", has performed with Gregory Porter, Hamish Stuart & Liane Carroll, and came in second in the 2016 Montreux Jazz Guitar competition. His debut album, “Riser”, was released in July 2017, to widespread critical acclaim from the European jazz media. John Fordham wrote in The Guardian that it’s a “very sophisticated debut, but given Luft’s old-soul achievements since his early teens, we should have heard it coming”.

Niklas Lukassen showcases an equally lyrical sensibility and skillful command on both the upright bass and the bass guitar. After his return from New York, he is today living between London and Berlin, from where he establishes himself as a resilient presence within the young European jazz scene. He magnetizes as a distinct rising voice that's sought after in manifold musical situations. Moreover, his sound and artistic vision radiate enormous band leader potential.