Michael Arbenz meets Andy Sheppard | From Bach to Ellington – Live | June 13, 2025
Swiss pianist Michael Arbenz and British saxophonist Andy Sheppard come together for ‘From Bach to Ellington’—a melodic, energetic, interactive live recording set for June 13th, 2025.
Weaving together the timeless elegance of J.S. Bach and the lyrical beauty of Duke Ellington, the album offers a deeply personal musical dialogue, shaped by decades of shared history and mutual respect.
Following the success of his acclaimed solo albums Reflections of D (a tribute to Duke Ellington) and Classicism – A Point of View, Arbenz turns his focus to the intimacy and freedom of the duo format. In Sheppard, he finds an ideal partner: a singular voice in British jazz whose sound is as imaginative as it is grounded in jazz tradition.
The pair first connected through their long-standing Trio VEIN, performing widely across Europe in an ensemble context before discovering a new level of interplay and nuance in the duo format.
Recorded Live at Bird’s Eye Jazz Club in Basel, the record explores the musical meeting point between Baroque counterpoint and jazz improvisation across original compositions inspired by specific Bach pieces and reimagined Ellington classics. Treading a line between historical reverence and contemporary reinvention, Arbenz and Sheppard find a cerebral and heartfelt shared language through subtle grooves, chamber-like textures and striking melodic clarity.
Sheppard, a long-standing ECM recording artist and one of the UK’s most internationally celebrated jazz figures, is one of the few soloists to perform in the big bands of all three of the greatest post-war composers, Carla Bley, Gil Evans, and George Russell.
Arbenz’s career has seen him tour extensively throughout Europe, North America, Asia and South America, performing and recording with trio VEIN and alongside a host of highly respected musicians in international contemporary Jazz including Greg Osby, Ron Carter, Glenn Ferris, Dave Liebman, Marc Johnson, and Wolfgang Puschnig.
Line up
Michael Arbenz | Piano
Andy Sheppard | Saxophone
Track Listing
Melancholia (D. Ellington)
Psalm (M. Arbenz, inspired by Bach’s Cantata BWV 146)
African Flower (D. Ellington)
Where It Springs Into Being (M. Arbenz, inspired by Bach’s Prelude in C)
Reflections in D (D. Ellington)
Warm Valley (D. Ellington)
PR Quotes
Jazzwise (UK)
“Arbenz, it must be said, is quite some pianist and is perfectly counterbalanced by Sheppard’s suave, unhurried lyricism“
Paris-move (FR)
“a welcome meditation, a live album so impeccably recorded that only the gentle swell of applause reminds you there’s an audience”
Jazz Journal (UK)
“As thoughtful, considered and restrained as this set might be, it is also a conversation of pure pleasure.”
Bluebird Reviews (UK)
“The interplay between Sheppard and Arbenz is breathtakingly beautiful”
Jazz Views (UK)
“Turns out, Bach and Ellington don’t sound so far apart after all.”
Mainly Piano (UK)
“an excellent showcase for two of Europe’s outstanding jazz artists”
Making a Scene (USA)
“You will hear the unusual, but lovely meeting between Baroque counterpoint and jazz improvisation”
Music an sich (DE)
“Ultimately, this music sparkles with the power of calm, maturity, and beauty, and the emotional expression is very strong”
FREQ (UK)
“From Bach To Ellington is a lovely collection that does find you hankering after the originals, just to compare, but is also a standalone delight.”
The Guardian (UK)
“Sheppard and Arbenz entwine baroque counterpoint and classic jazz with gracefully inventive audacity on From Bach to Ellington – Live”
Jazzism (NL)
“a small miracle of musical inventiveness”
All About Jazz (US)
“There is a richness and sensitivity to their interaction that feels natural as they shift seamlessly through differing moods, enriching with subtle shifts of tone, making this an evocative and enjoyable live session.”
Bebop Spoken Here (UK)
“Sheppard’s big sound and his agile technique deliver the improvised passages with much aplomb whilst Arbenz extemporises frenetically with the fervour of the great man himself”
Salt Peanuts (DK)
“a melodic, energetic and interactive live recording”
Written in Music (NL)
“a truly magnificent live album that deserves to be heard”
Jazz in Family (IT)
“an album to listen to with your eyes closed, letting your senses guide you”
La Habitacion del Jazz (ES)
“one of the best albums of 2025”
Cuttings
