Markus Stockhausen is as much at home in jazz as in contemporary and classical music. For about 25 years he collaborated closely with his father, the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, who composed many beautiful works for him. With his brother Simon he realised several internationally acclaimed musical projects.
As soloist, improviser and composer Markus Stockhausen is in international demand. He leads or collaborates in various ensembles with musicians like Arild Andersen, Patrice Héral, Mark Nauseef, Jörg Brinkmann, Angelo Comisso, Christian Thomé, Ferenc Snétberger, and plays intuitive music in the duo Moving Sounds with his wife the clarinettist Tara Bouman.
Since 2001, Florian Weber has won the Steinway & Sons prize at the Montreaux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition, the Gotrian Steinweg prize of Weimar, the 1. Prize at the Jazzcompetition Monaco and the award of the german critics. He performed or recorded with Eddy Henderson, Lee Konitz (Florian was the first german piano player to record live at the renowned Village Vanguard. The album was rewarded with the Choc de l´Anne, Jazzman magazine), Pat Metheny, Ralph Alessi, Lionel Loueke, Dan Weiss, Thomas Morgan, Markus Stockhausen, Thomasz Stanko, Albert Mangelsdorff, and Benny Bailey. With his group Minsarah and other projects he toured in America, all over Europe, Asia, Southamerica and Japan at some of he most important festivals and venues like Paris JVC festival, Berlin Jazzfestival, Jazz festival Montreal, Kennedy Center NY etc. and played with numerous philharmonic orchestras performing piano concertos e.g. by Mozart, Ravel, Gershwin and Piazolla as well as contemporary composers. In 2013 Florian received the Echo Jazz as best national instrumentalist piano/keyboard and in January 2014 Florian was awared the WDR Jazz Prize for "Jazz Improvisation".
The two musicians are at home in the classical and jazz worlds and place high demands on their tonal culture. In concert the two allow the audience to share in their musical dialogue which is always a search for the “magical moment” on stage. The colour mix of their music is wonderfully wide, ranging from buoyancy and joyous abandon, to limpidity and floating beauty. At times their lines blur imperceptibly between composition and improvisation, finely distilling the two. Fiery bursts alternate with playful melodies and luminous sound-fields, to make their concerts an unforgettable experience.
A spellbinding musical treat. The magic of 'Inside Out' can unfold best of all in chamber music halls or good jazz concert halls. In churches Florian Weber can be heard on the organ also.
