Jütz freely navigates through alpine music cultures beyond the conventional yodeling industry, connecting with folk groups that touch with beauty and sincerity. For instance, Peter Moser generously entrusts the trio, captivated by Moser's dances and tunes, with two of his compositions ("Postfeldwalzer" & "Bergaufpolka") in confidence. Märku Hafner's "Häxesabbat im Pfaffeloch," inspired by a spine-chilling tale below the sheet music, is another example. The trio frequently encounters the work of a kindred spirit: Werner Pirchner, the musician and critical thinker, tackled the theme in the 1970s without regard for sensitivities. Jütz honors Pirchner's art with the composition "Judenburger Siebenschritt" and with his audio excerpt from the cult film "Der Untergang des Alpenlandes," heard in the aforementioned "Bergaufpolka." Going back in time, Jütz encounters the freedom fighter Andreas Hofer and crafts a postmodern spectacle from a motif in his heroic song in the eerie original composition "Mantua."
How Jütz handles the material isn't meticulously planned; the creative approach demonstrates a certain quality of musicianship: playful, headfirst, virtuosic, with reverence. The balanced collective of the three personalities melds into a unique music. Jütz constantly walks a tightrope between tradition and modernity, teetering on the edge at times. The alpine cultural sphere conceals many subtle differences. Jütz specifically examines dialects and freely translates the well-known Swiss song "Luegid vo Bärg und Tal" into Tyrolean. In "Schleuniger Tempo Dampfl," terms of transportation are juxtaposed in spoken word form. An old text of unknown origin serves as the basis for an original composition ("A Blüamal und a Herz"), while others are inspired by Jütz's travels in Norway ("Tunnelen") or the Bernese Oberland ("Wengernalp").
In "HIN & ÜBER," there is flexibility, madness, and finesse. Starting from alpine dances and tunes, taking tonal detours, Jütz turns the entire alpine folklore upside down in an unabashed, multisensory sound conference.
The ensemble, half from Switzerland and half from Tyrol, respectfully preserves a long-standing tradition of alpine folk music while simultaneously opening it up to "boundless improvisation and freedom beyond the current glorification of nationhood in opposition to the non-Occidental other. In doing so, the musicians reveal an understanding of home that should be used as a benchmark" (Folkmagazin, DE). Here, "an Emmental poem recitation to fall in love with" (Jazzthetik, DE) meets "modern minimalist interactions" (Ludwigsburger Kreiszeitung, DE). The group, abstaining from traditional alpine attire, sees itself as a "highly modern particulate filter against the acoustic pollution of the alpine cultural degeneration process" (Lois Hechenblaikner, AT).
For more information, visit: www.juetz.com