JULIA HÜLSMANN

The Enduring Evolution of Julia Hülsmann’s Trio

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For many, the piano trio may seem like a worn-out formation in the jazz world, where standing out requires something truly special. However, such thoughts never cross Julia Hülsmann’s mind. For the past 18 years, she has uniquely shaped contemporary jazz with her trio, featuring bassist Marc Muellbauer and drummer Heinrich Köbberling. Their music is characterized by a focus on concentration, a gentle reduction, and the sensitization of sound — a blend of density and maximum openness that embraces influences from diverse musical genres.

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Through years of touring and countless performances around the globe, a near-telepathic understanding has developed among the trio members. This deep trust is often accompanied by a subtle, playful humor that emerges from the absurd situations they encounter on concert tours, which can only be approached with a sense of humor.

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Julia Hülsmann has frequently drawn on poetry and songs in her projects, collaborating with various vocalists across a thematic spectrum from William Shakespeare to Kurt Weill. When she focuses solely on her trio, she showcases her strength as a poet of sound and a lyricist of jazz piano —“with the urgent melodic lines of her right hand, she becomes her own singer” (Weltwoche, Peter Rüedi).

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The experiences gathered from these expanded formations have flowed into the core trio's playing with Muellbauer and Köbberling, enhancing their cohesion while also allowing for freedom to explore beyond the ordinary — resulting in a continuous, organic evolution.

With “The End of a Summer” (2008) and “Imprint” (2011), the trio released two highly acclaimed albums under ECM. After interludes that saw Hülsmann releasing projects with her quartet (In Full View, 2013) and quintet with singer Theo Bleckmann (A Clear Midnight – Kurt Weill And America, 2015), she has returned to the trio format with their sixth ECM album, Sooner And Later.