Frederik Köster / Die Verwandlung

Frederik Kösters Band Die Verwandlung has been playing together for 10 years, with each album the multiple award-winning musicians (various Jazz Echos, New German Jazz Award, WDR Jazz Award) surprise with new sound variations. In 2018 the quartet amazed with the spectacular orchestral production Homeward Bound Suite, in 2020 they presented individual fusions of acoustic virtuosity and clever electro aesthetics on Golden Age. The album was longlisted for the German Record Critics' Award and received much media response. Concerto magazine heard "modern jazz of the very finest quality," Stereoplay praised "brilliant storytelling," and Jazz Facts on DLF found:. "...one of the outstanding jazz musicians in
in Germany. His radiant trumpet playing commandingly commands the entire palette of the modern tradition - from Freddie Hubbard to Kenny Wheeler."

On the new album Stufen, Köster and his creative partners again take a turn, focusing entirely on the acoustic possibilities of their instruments. "I wanted a contrast to the previous album, moreover, all signs were already on nature when composing," Frederik Köster explains the current focus. "I wrote almost all the pieces during the first lockdown, when I was often in the forest. So it could be foreseen early on that a kind of 'Naturalbum' would emerge, shaped by the impressions and thoughts during extended walks."