Julia Karosi & Kristjan Randalu
Biography Julia Karosi & Kristjan Randalu
Júlia Karosi
is one of Hungary’s top jazz vocalists. After graduating from the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest, Júlia founded her own quartet in 2010. Hidden Roots (released in March, 2014 by Dot Time Records, New York) was her second CD as a leader and the follow-up to the successful Stroller of the City Streets (released in February, 2012 by Whereabouts Records, Japan). Hidden Roots contains a number of Júlia’s original compositions and as the name eludes to, arrangements of Hungarian folk songs.
Júlia Karosi had a classical training which is evident not only in her impeccable technique and expressive tonalities, but in her choice of repertoire and musical universe as well. Beside her own compositions, the singer is keen to select folk songs and songs by composers such as Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály, George Gershwin, or Stephen Sondheim – but always keeps her personal story in the forefront expressed through the devices of jazz music.
On her latest album Without Dimensions (released in October, 2020 by Double Moon & Challenge Records), Karosi and guitarist Ben Monder reexamine and reimagine the works of Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály in a contemporary jazz setting. Half original music, half arrangements of Bartók/Kodály compositions, is also an extraordinary exploration of Hungarian heritage.
Kristjan Randalu
belongs to the most sought-after piano players of his generation, carrying the torch in both the improvised world of jazz and the traditional realm of classical music – Herbie Hancock, the piano master himself, considering him “a dazzling piano player”. Between creating his own original blend of contemporary jazz as a leader and collaborating with several generations of respected musicians, from the likes of fellow ECM recording artist Trygve Seim to saxophonist David Liebman, Randalu has brought his music to some of the world’s most renowned jazz festivals and concert halls. At the same time, he is viewed as an esteemed interpreter of a broad spectrum of contemporary and classical music, performing alongside internationally acclaimed orchestras and conductors.
Born in Estonia’s capital Tallinn to pianist parents in 1978, Randalu and his family soon moved to Germany where he began studying piano in Karlsruhe and Cologne before graduating from the Stuttgart Music University with a Master’s degree. His studies would later bring him to the Royal Academy of Music in London as well as the Manhattan School of Music, exposing him to respected teachers such as John Taylor, Django Bates and Kenny Barron, among many others.
Over the years, Randalu has performed with countless top tier musicians and collaborated with modern day vanguards in jazz and beyond, from oudist Dhafer Youssef, drum virtuoso Ari Hoenig and trumpeter Nils-Petter Molvær to the likes of Nguyên Lê, Christian McBride and Gilad Hekselman, to name but a few in a long list of household names. His 2018 recording Absence (featuring guitar marvel Ben Monder and drummer Markku Ounaskari) represents Randalu’s leader debut for the famed ECM label and was met with great acclaim – Jazzwise magazine praising the “meteorological moodiness” of the music on the album for being “at once passionate and studied”, while DownBeat magazine goes as far as calling him “a pillar of stability” and “clearly capable of breathtaking displays of technique and showmanship”.
Mussorgsky Pictures Revisited (2020 BMC Records) saw him recasting Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s model example of program music with saxophone legend David Liebman – clearly revealing Randalu’s deep ties to classical music in a virtuoso display that gained him mention in The New York City Jazz Record’s “Best of 2020” list.
His recent outing Sisu (Whirlwind Recordings) marks Randalu's debut as a big band composer and arranger. In 2023 it won Jazz Album of the Year at the Estonian Music Awards.
As a composer, Randalu refers to Erkki-Sven Tüür and Tõnu Kõrvits being among his mentors, which accounts for his discerning approach to form and harmonic structure. Precise delivery and expressive playing are among his many virtues and in-demand qualities in classical settings, too – having brought him to celebrity conductors like Kristjan Järvi and Dennis Russell Davies on the one hand and esteemed ensembles of the stature of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra on the other.
With a discography of over 50 albums under his belt (including a Grammy-nominated recording) and numerous awards to his name (including “Jazz Artist of the Year” and “Jazz Composer of the year” in Estonia), Randalu’s prolific oeuvre continues to grow in breadth and quality as his unique voice is becoming internationally more and more important.
