Berlin-based trumpeters Axel Dörner and Lina Allemano split their musical careers between modern jazz projects and more experimental and adventurous projects. The Canadian Allemano leads her Toronto-based jazz Allemano four and the Berlin-based power trio OHRENSCHMAUS but experiments with live processing and effects in her solo Bloop project. Dörner is a co-founder of the jazz quartet Die Enttäuschung but also plays in and with many free improvising ensembles and new music, and is known for his innovative and experimental extended breathing techniques for the trumpet. Allemano moved to Berlin to study with Dörner circular breathing and extended breathing techniques that introduce new aesthetics into her work and eventually changed the way she plays the trumpet.

Aphelia was recorded in two sessions at StudioBoerne45 in Berlin in September and November 2019 and features eight pieces, with titles referencing the small lesser-known objects circling around the sun in our solar system. Aphelia is the object with the furthest distance away in orbit around the sun and is the first duo album of Dörner and Allemano.

Dörner and Allemano do orbit around each other and, obviously, employ their personal and inventive extended breathing techniques, but Aphelia is not oriented on experimental sounds or techniques. These gifted improvisers weave nuanced but eccentric palettes of sounds into textures that are spiced with brief and playful melodies, atmospheric and highly resonating drones and seductive breathing sounds. All pieces stress their always-rich sonic imagination and never surrender to familiar structures or narratives. They also explore a suggestive storm of breaths on «Makemake» and «Orcus» or weave a short and layered, trumpet-ensemble suite on «Quaoar».

Eyal Hareuveni

Lina Allemano (trumpets); Axel Dörner (trumpets)