Valentine's Day Concert

A Swinging Affair! The American Songbook And Beyond

Striking an unusually intimate tone - backed only by a trio of piano, bass and drums - Tom Gaebel sings and swings his way through this vast and glorious repertoire with the air of someone finally fulfilling a lifelong wish. "For me, these songs are the starting point of everything I have to say as a singer. Whether it's 'Night And Day', 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' or 'My Funny Valentine' - these are the songs my idols sang, the songs that made me a singer. And I'm finally giving myself the great pleasure of devoting an entire evening to this music!"

No small challenge: where the best of the best have been drawing for decades, the bar is set very high. And the deliberately stripped-down lineup - nowhere to hide - can be daunting.

But Tom Gaebel knows exactly what matters here: "The smaller the band, the better each musician has to be. And I'm lucky to have three young men behind me who - like very few musicians, even internationally - can play this music authentically. They don't just understand it; they breathe it and bring it to life!". Jerry Lu on piano, Stefan Rey on double bass and Niklas Walter on drums are each exceptional talents in their own right, yet together they can rally behind a single musical idea and step back whenever the moment calls for it.

"Accompanying a singer perfectly, supporting him without overshadowing him, putting the music first and not your own ego - with this much talent, that's not as easy as it sounds. And these guys do it with a naturalness that is simply remarkable," Tom Gaebel enthuses.

And indeed: the trio swings and grooves with such sheer joy that you can only cheer - yes, this is exactly how this music should sound!

The sonic carpet is perfectly laid.