Jesse Simpson – Drums | Joe Sanders – Bass | Lorenz Kellhuber – Piano
„One of the most interesting young voices in European jazz“ (Concerto)
Lorenz Kellhuber consistently finds significant inspiration in the Great American Songbook, whose pieces, also known as jazz standards, provide a perfect foundation for elaborate improvisations. The ingenuity, virtuosity, and understanding of jazz history with which Lorenz Kellhuber approaches these jazz standards can be heard in his project „Standard Experience.“ In this project, he performs in high-profile and changing line-ups, and has so far released the critically acclaimed album „The Brooklyn Session.“ By inviting Joe Sanders on bass and Jesse Simpson on drums, Kellhuber has now brought two of the most accomplished musicians from the American jazz scene into the fold. Together, they celebrate the fusion of three musical souls at the highest level, bringing a renewed brilliance to the Great American Songbook.
Born in Munich in 1990 as the son of two church musicians, Lorenz Kellhuber began classical piano training with Brigitte Schmid at the HfKM Regensburg at the age of five. At the age of eleven he got accepted as a junior student and as a member of the Bavarian pre college class he also studied violin and chamber music with Prof. Conrad von der Goltz. Later he received piano lessons from Prof. Franz Massinger, a student of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. Shortly thereafter, he was discovered by Rob Bargad (Nat Adderley Quintet) who introduced him extensively to Jazz. At the age of only 16, Kellhuber passed the highly gifted exam and became a student at the Jazz Institute in Berlin, where Hubert Nuss and Kurt Rosenwinkel where among his teachers. During his frequent stays in New York, he also received lessons from Fred Hersch and Sophia Rosoff, and graduated in 2010 as one of the world’s youngest Bachelor graduates. Since then, his concerts have taken him throughout Europe, to the USA and to South America. He has played on international stages such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Isarphilharmonie Munich, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Montreux Jazz Festival, Basel Jazz Festival, Alto Adige Jazz Festival, Getxo Jazz Festival, Bohemia Jazz Festival, Mar del Plata Jazz Festival, Jazzwoche Burghausen. Concerts as sideman and co-leader he played alongside Ack van Rooyen, Charles Lloyd, Orlando Le Fleming, Obed Calvaire, Bob Mintzer, Seamus Blake, Ed Partyka, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Joe Sanders, Jesse Simpson, Wanja Slavin, Felix Henkelhausen, Moritz Baumgärtner, Phil Donkin, Rich Perry, Charles Altura and many more.
Joe Sanders, born in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, developed an interest in various sounds during his youth, whether it was blues from the radio or music in the Baptist church filled with sublime voices. Since leaving the Midwest for California in 2002 to study at the Brubeck Institute, he has had the fortune of playing and learning alongside giants such as Dave Brubeck, Christian McBride, Terence Blanchard, Ron Carter, Roy Hargrove, John Clayton, Jimmy Heath, Joshua Redman, Charlie Haden, Herbie Hancock, Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, and Geri Allen. After successfully completing his studies at the Thelonious Monk Institute in 2007, where he was studying in the meantime, Sanders moved to New York City and quickly became an integral part of the thriving New York jazz scene. His versatility as a bassist is evidenced by over 30 CD recordings as a sideman. As a bandleader, he released the albums “Humanity”, which featured Aaron Parks, Eric Harland and John Ellis, and most recently “Parallels”, on which Greg Hutchinson, Taylor Eigsti, Seamus Blake, Logan Richardson and Jure Pukl can be heard.
Jesse Simpson, born in 1989 in Graton, California, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and learned from the legendary drummer Donald „Duck“ Bailey. In 2007, he moved to New York City, quickly making a name for himself in the local jazz scene, and enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music, completing his studies in 2010. Since then, Simpson has performed alongside Louie Bellson, accompanied comedians Fred Armisen and Janeane Garafalo, and toured with jazz greats such as Marc Copland, Kevin Hays, Joe Lovano, John Abercrombie, Chris Cheek, and many others. In addition to his performance career, Simpson has achieved success in crafting drum cymbals, which he and many other renowned jazz drummers now play. After 15 years in New York City, Simpson shifted his base to Prague in 2022, enriching the European jazz scene from his new home.