07
Aug. 2025
Nana Pastorello Quintet
Freigericht
Ulli Jünemann's' international Organ Quartet
Soulful Organ Jazz
featuring Bruno Castellucci, Jeanfrançois Prins & Jean Yves Jung
Ulli Jünemann is considered an aesthete among German alto saxophonists.
„His playing is marked by fantastic, flexible timing, combined with a colorful tone somewhere between Paul Desmond and Art Pepper — always full of melodic surprises and great for interaction.“ (Jasper van’t Hof)
NEW PRODUCTION!
At the „Frankfurter Musikbüro,“ a studio located in Bornheim, we recorded some beautiful tracks in June 2024.
My dream of recording with that classic Hammond organ sound finally came true.
In less than two days, we recorded a wonderful album with an absolutely mega rhythm section, centered around 80-year-old drumming legend Bruno Castellucci.
To wrap up the studio session, we even played a live studio concert.
Here’s a short video excerpt.
Ulli Jünemann – Saxophone, effects
let's celebrate!
City Nights – Ulli Jünemann Organ Quartet feiert Bruno Castellucci 🥁 und neues Album
City Nights – Jazz, Soul & Groove auf höchstem Niveau!
Das Ulli Jünemann International Organ Quartet feiert das neue Album City Nights sowie den 80. Geburtstag von Jazzlegende Bruno Castellucci!
Für dieses besondere Projekt vereint Saxophonist Ulli Jünemann 🎷 langjährige Freunde und herausragende Musiker Europas: Jean Yves Jung, renommierter Hammondorgel-Virtuose aus Frankreich, und Jeanfrançois Prins, einer der führenden Jazz-Gitarristen Belgiens. 🎸💫
City Nights umfasst 9 Eigenkompositionen und drei Jazz Standards und präsentiert erstmals Jeanfrançois Prins auf zwei Songs auch als Sänger 🎤. Der Album-Release ist für Anfang 2025 auf GAM Records geplant.
Bruno Castellucci – international gefeierter Drummer und Tour-Partner von Größen wie Chaka Khan, Chet Baker, Toots Thielemans, Al Jarreau oder Jaco Pastorius – prägt das Ensemble mit seinem einzigartigen Jazz-Groove. 🎶 Und Ulli Jünemann, einer der bedeutendsten deutschen Jazz-Saxophonisten (laut KJ), verleiht dem Quartett mit seinem Klang zwischen Paul Desmond und Art Pepper besonderen Charme.
Als Neuling oder eingefleischter Jazzfan: Dieses Konzert verspricht ein mitreißendes und unvergessliche Erlebnis. Schnippen sie mit zum mitreißenden Groove des zeitlosen "funky" Soul Organ Jazz. Musik die ins Herz und auch ein bisschen in die Beine geht!
City Nights | New Album! Jazz, Soul & Groove at Its Finest!
The Ulli Jünemann International Organ Quartet celebrates the new album City Nights and the 80th birthday of jazz legend Bruno Castellucci!
For this special project, saxophonist Ulli Jünemann 🎷 brings together long-time friends and outstanding musicians from across Europe: Jean Yves Jung, the renowned Hammond organ virtuoso from France, and Jeanfrançois Prins, one of Belgium's leading jazz guitarists. 🎸💫
City Nights features nine original compositions and three jazz standards, and, for the first time, showcases Jeanfrançois Prins as a vocalist on two tracks 🎤. The album release is planned for early 2025 on GAM Records.
Bruno Castellucci – an internationally acclaimed drummer and tour partner of legends like Chaka Khan, Chet Baker, Toots Thielemans, Al Jarreau, and Jaco Pastorius – brings his unique jazz groove to the ensemble. 🎶 And Ulli Jünemann, hailed as one of Germany's foremost jazz saxophonists (according to KJ), adds a special charm to the quartet with his sound that resonates between Paul Desmond and Art Pepper.
Whether you’re new to jazz or a dedicated fan, this concert promises an exhilarating and unforgettable experience. Snap along to the irresistible groove of timeless "funky" soul organ jazz—a sound that touches the heart and even gets you moving!
About Bruno Castellucci
Drummer-legend Bruno Castellucci is one of the most sought-after sidemen in Europe, having toured extensively with artists such as Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Peter Herbolzheimer, Toots Thielemans, Jaco Pastorius, and many more.
In total, over 150 pages of recordings featuring Bruno Castellucci have been documented!
Captivating grooves, familiar melodies, exciting compositions, and plenty of interaction paired with tasteful solos invite listeners to lean in, tap along, and move to the music..
“With ‘Ornette-Lee’, the band paid tribute to two jazz giants: Ornette Coleman and Lee Konitz. Hints of R&B and jazz-rock merged into a powerful blend. Jünemann’s alto sax swirled expressively, while Prins’ guitar touched on rock’n’roll.”
“Great storytelling, groove, and space – deeply rooted modern jazz with powerful blowing.”
"Ulli Jünemann’s saxophone sings, Jeanfrançois Prins’s guitar tells stories, Jean-Yves Jung ignites warm Hammond tones, and Bruno Castellucci drives the band with subtle mastery – a quartet that inspires and captivates."
More Vids
Pictures
Listen to one of my other albums, featuring Adam Nussbaum & Jay Anderson :
more quotes
.. Ullis Music grooves to the max. I want to get in there and play!
Ulli Jünemann’s saxophone sings, Jeanfrançois Prins’s guitar tells stories, Jean-Yves Jung ignites warm Hammond tones, and Bruno Castellucci drives the band with subtle mastery – a quartet that inspires and captivates.
@samasich
“If this band fell directly out of bed, onto the bandstand, they’d still be a knock out.Soulful, articulate and at moments profound, they acquit the Ulli Jünemann-driven project with verve, warmth and depth. Whatever ‘jazz’ means, this is a real jazz album. Jünemann makes the classic attempt to set indestructible forms in the laps of his renowned cohorts to see what will be on the day. And it seems it was a good day..."
@jazzthetik
Deeply rooted in the early 1960s — in bop and blues, in Grant Green, Bird, or Burrell — Ulli Jünemann grounds the repertoire of his spectacular and joyfully expressive international quartet, featuring some of the finest jazz musicians in the world.
At times, the music echoes classic riffs and familiar blues structures, yet the band’s outlook is anything but nostalgic. Instead, they speak a modern musical language, playing with edges and ruptures. Prins lets loose in full rock mode, tearing into his distorted guitar, while Jünemann’s alto saxophone ignites a raw funk storm.
Hints of Jamaican offbeat wink at quirky homages to Monk.
Original compositions by co-leaders Jünemann and guitarist Jeanfrançois Prins — who splits his time between New York and Berlin — are propelled forward by one of the world’s top rhythm sections: Jay Anderson and Adam Nussbaum.
(Jazzthetik, Issue 96)
“...Cool to the core were the lines of Mainz-based saxophonist Ulli Jünemann. At 56, he presented himself as a musician of great clarity. His phrasing was soft and flowing, effortlessly navigating the upper register, and his concise solos revealed both intellectual depth and structural finesse.
Yet, for all his coolness, you could sense the fire beneath the ice of his controlled choruses. He revealed himself as a lyrical counterpoint to the guitar lion by his side. His musical connection with Jeanfrançois Prins was remarkable — often, saxophone and guitar blended into a single unified sound.
This was especially evident in Jünemann’s composition “boo hoo,” a clear homage to the roots of early 1960s jazz — to bop, blues, Monk, and Burrell. At times, it was hard to distinguish who was playing what.
But once the rhythm section — featuring 79-year-old drummer Bruno Castellucci — kicked in, cool quickly turned to hot jazz. The Belgian-based Italian native played the drums with shameless ease, delivering distinctive accompaniment.
And yet, the relaxed tone he set never slipped into complacency. At times, he boiled over, showing off brilliant solos — but more often, he wove an unobtrusive, pulsing rhythmic fabric, honed over a career performing with nearly all the greats of the New York jazz scene...”
…at times, like in the title track reminiscent of the groove of “Chitlins Con Carne,” the music leans into classic riffs, with a clear blues structure and the guitarist sticking to traditional vamps in the accompaniment. But the perspective is anything but nostalgic — the band plays with a modern sonic vocabulary, embracing edges and fractures. In the finale, Prins dives into a full-on rock mode, shredding on a distorted guitar, while Jünemann’s alto sax unleashes a fierce funk storm. As an encore, the second take of Jünemann’s “Paid Nice” reveals some real gems of playful interplay within this sound collective — with even a distant echo of Jamaican offbeat waving hello.
“You should never be comfortable, man. Being comfortable fouled up a lot of musicians” – Miles Davis
Tauchen Sie ein in die Welt des Organ Jazz und lassen Sie sich auf eine mitreißende Reise von den Klängen legendärer Künstler wie Jimmy Smith, Grant Green und Lou Donaldson bis zu zeitgenössischen Größen wie John Scofield, Larry Goldings und Joe Lovano entführen.
Immerse yourself in the world of organ jazz and let yourself be swept away on a thrilling journey — from the iconic sounds of legends like Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, and Lou Donaldson to contemporary greats such as John Scofield, Larry Goldings, and Joe Lovano.
Egal, ob Sie ein eingefleischter Jazzfan oder ein Neuling in der Jazzwelt sind, dieses Konzert verspricht eine mitreißende und unvergessliche Erfahrung, die Ihren musikalischen Horizont erweitern wird. Schnippen sie mit zum pulsierenden Rhythmus des zeitlosen Soulful Organ Jazz. Musik die in die Beine geht!
Older Vids
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MANAGEMENT
Ulli Jünemann’s intern. Organ Jazz Quartet
BOOKING
Brigitte Fessmann
Artist Management, Austria (Booking D, Ös, CH, GB)
☎️ +43 676 7707200 (auch WhatsApp)
📧 management@brigitte-fessmann.at
🔗 jazzbfango.com
____
John J.A. Kreuger (Booking NL, Benelux, F, S, N, DK)Agency and Tourmanagement
The Netherlands
☎️ +31 (0)6 24787991
📧 johnjakreuger@gmail.com
🔗 www.johnjakreuger.nlWir freuen uns ganzjährig über Anfragen!
We are open for bookings all year!
Office – Address:
Bastion Philipp 3
55131 Mainz, D
☎️ +4915120110271
📧 booking@jazzulli.de
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Jazz and originals
Life is a lot like jazz - it's best when you improvise (Gershwin)
@samasich
“If this band fell directly out of bed, onto the bandstand, they’d still be a knock out”
@jazzthetik
Mit starkem Bezug auf die Wurzeln der frühen 1960er, auf Bop und Blues, auf Grant Green, Bird oder Burrell, grundiert Jünemann das Repertoire seines spektakulär - spielfreudigen internationalen Quartetts, besetzt mit ein paar der besten Jazzmusiker weltweit. Dabei kann es ganz nach klassischen Riffs klingen, die Bluesstruktur taucht auf, der Blick ist aber alles andere als rückwärtsgewandt, denn die Band spielt mit einer modernen Klangsprache, arbeitet mit Kanten und Brüchen. Prins rockt drauf los und sägt am verzerrten Brett, während Jünemanns Altsaxofon ein brachiales Funk-Gewitter lostritt. Jamaikanischer Offbeat grüßt schräge Hommages an Monk.
Originalkompositionen der beiden Leader Jünemann und des in NY und Berlin lebenden Gitarristen Prins werden vorangetrieben von einem der besten Rhythmsection Teams weltweit. Jay Anderson und Adam Nussbaum.
(Jazzthetik, Ausgabe 96)
