FIRST REVIEWS

Jazzalbum of the week! Radio NDR 10-11/23

An album not only for friends of vocal experiments. Here there is only a piano and a voice, and the sounds, structures and ideas are enough for more than one record. Great music, we are thrilled! Jacek Brun, Jazz-Fun 10/23

To call Ley a singer who interprets melodies, in no way does justice to the sound experience. One would be inclined to call her a vocal acrobat, if the term didn't have something gimmicky about it; vocalist might be a better description. It is probably best not to worry about such categories at all and just follow her voice and the music of the album. Despite all the thoughts and sounds, the music sounds pleasingly unheady. It takes the listener along and surprises. At times because of its energy, at times through daring twists or rhythmic finesses. The only thing one should not expect from the album is to hear familiar pieces in a familiar form. Knef connoisseurs can get to know the pieces from new perspectives, non-Knef connoisseurs can simply listen to good and interesting music. [...] Ruby creates a soundscape for this, for which he uses the piano with the described sound possibilities to acoustically potentiate the emotional depth of the lyricism. [..] Based on individual musical experiences and a common passion, a sound artwork is created with a lot of knowledge, which unfolds its effect quite unscientifically and intuitively.
Thomas Bugert JAZZTHETIK 11-12/23
 
Georg Ruby & Sascha Ley follow in Hildegard Knef’s footsteps. The two experimental free spirits Georg Ruby (piano) and singer and actress Sascha Ley (guest: Stephan Goldbach, bass) dedicate their joint album "The Laughter of the Red Moon" (JazzHausMusik) to the unforgotten Hildegard Knef: with bold new interpretations of Knef's chansons and lyrics, this homage is highly recommended to lovers of contemporary, barrier-free jazz. In addition to unorthodox, almost feverish whirling over the piano keys, Ruby also scores as a reciter (Knef's "Die Herren dieser Welt") and as a surprisingly fresh and groovy (spoken) singer. Ley and Ruby's squeaky-footed scat duet "Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin" is one of the cheerful highlights of this multi-faceted, dramaturgically harmonious tête-à-tête. Beyond the relaxed togetherness, its strongest asset is Ley's extraordinary virtuoso vocal artistry: she has more to offer than just spectacular indigenous singing techniques and gets to the heart of the expression, whether singing parody or speaking forcefully - and in explosive improvisation anyway. Even wistful schlager dreams don't slip into sticky pathos. Magnificent.

Stefan Urmacher - Saarbrücker Zeitung - 18.11. 2023SAARBRÜCKEN (uhr)