Halo Anette von Eichel

• 1 In the still of the night 04:44
• 2 Halo 05:39
• 3 Underwater Conversation 05:30
• 4 Circular I 01:37
• 5 Where you eat 03:13
• 6 While we’re good 05:39
• 7 Your name 03:12
• 8 Circular II 01:21
• 9 Tamtam 03:33
• 10 Circular III 00:50
• 11 Close the door 05:41
• 12 Sunrise 03:17
• Total Runtime 44:16

Info for Halo

A halo is something like an aura. Cologne-based singer Anette von Eichel certainly doesn't want to put a halo on her new album, but a halo is also a luminous phenomenon, such as a moonlit ring or a wreath of light, as often seen in nature and everyday life, and which can be interpreted as a revelation of whatever nature. This title couldn't be more fitting for Anette von Eichel's collection of songs on her new album, and in more ways than one. All of these songs share a nocturnal quality, in which light emerges from the darkness. In the sequence of her songs, we experience a dreamlike journey of a resurrection of the morning twilight from the night.

In a metaphorical sense, it makes a huge difference whether you listen to the album for the first, second, or third time, because an impressive process of transcendence takes place. What at first simply sounds like a series of clearly defined songs in their respective forms gradually transforms into a kind of vocal and musical mass of light, which acts as a parallel phenomenon to reality. This spectral shift culminates in a halo of light that dissolves all forms and contours, a concept perfectly captured by the album title. "When I write a song, it's a conscious process, but the subconscious naturally plays a major role," Anette von Eichel explains, describing this transformation from her perspective. "With this album in particular, I hope to give people the opportunity to take a step back from their everyday lives and experience a similar transformation while listening."

Listening to the album, regardless of the lyrics, inevitably evokes the feeling that someone is telling a story. From the osmosis of voice and music emerges a flow that inescapably draws the ear into its vortex. Pianist Sebastian Sternal, bassist Henning Sieverts, and drummer Jonas Burgwinkel become the material and metaphysical vehicles of these stories, which Anette von Eichel brings to the stage of her song theater with breathtaking versatility. She starts with the lyrics when writing and tries to discover the sound hidden behind the words. "The word enters into a symbiosis with the interaction of our band," the composer explains, describing this phenomenon of the text dissolving into sound. The songs possess a great flexibility, expressed through nuanced improvisation, which allows the songs to grow not only with each performance but, as already mentioned, with each listen.

"Halo" is the third album Anette von Eichel has recorded with Sternal, Sieverts, and Burgwinkel in six years. The ease of their interplay, the constant negotiation between collective density and individual detachment, and the spontaneous use of open sections reach a new peak here. Eichel's signature style, unmistakable in its trinity of classic jazz vocals à la Carmen McRae and Betty Carter, singer-songwriter influences in the tradition of Joni Mitchell, and the timbre of French chansons, sounds like standards that have been in the air for decades. They may feature strong melodies and complex rhythms, but the song as a whole always takes center stage, with which the individual elements must harmonize.

There aren't many singers whose voices, both spoken and sung, exhibit such a striking difference as Anette von Eichel's. When she sings, she doesn't simply slip into a different persona; she confronts hidden inner worlds that couldn't manifest in her everyday use of her voice. This creates an immediate magic, where the sound of her voice is inextricably linked to the specific emotions of the song. "I'm interested in drawing out all the emotions hidden within my voice," says Anette von Eichel. "When I sing, I delve much deeper into myself and can uncover far more nuances." Which brings us back to the interplay of light and shadow. She slips into roles, often shifting perspectives even within a single song, employing unconventional vocal techniques like sighs or creaks, and using breath as a creative element.

"Halo" is built from light, and yet this album, like few others, creates a pressure equalization that is transmitted from the four musicians to the listener in an almost hypnotic way. The more one embarks on this journey into the twilight and the nuances of human experience, the more liberating the effect. "Halo" is a passionate declaration of the poetic clarity of ambiguity. Let us refrain at this point from pathos-laden phrases like healing, spirituality, or the pulse of life, and instead take the album objectively and soberly for what it is: precisely the right statement for our time. (Wolf Kampmann)

Anette von Eichel, vocals
Sebastian Sternal, piano
Henning Sieverts, double bass
Jonas Burgwinkel, drums

Prof. Anette von Eichel
completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Jazz Vocals at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague (Netherlands), studying under Rachel Gould and Jeanne Lee. Concurrently, she pursued a Master’s degree in the History of European Expansion at Leiden University (Netherlands). She graduated with distinction in both fields of study.

Her artistic collaborations over the years with international jazz musicians and composers—including Sebastian Sternal, Henning Sieverts, Jonas Burgwinkel, John Hollenbeck, Jesse van Ruller, Jasper Blom, Florian Ross, Marko Lackner, Matthias Schriefl, Robert Landfermann, and film composer Annette Focks—reveal Anette to be a highly versatile and consistently surprising singer, composer, and lyricist. Her work spans a spectrum ranging from contemporary jazz deeply rooted in the jazz tradition to free improvisation and New Music. Her 2021 album, *Inner Tide*, showcases Anette in all these roles and has garnered excellent international acclaim. Following the release of her album *Belonging* in 2023—which also received outstanding national and international reviews—Anette was nominated for the 2024 German Jazz Prize in the "Vocal" category.

Anette von Eichel is deeply committed to the societal relevance of the artistic work produced by musicians and cultural practitioners. Consequently, she has served since 2016 on the board of the German Jazz Union (*Deutsche Jazzunion*), the representative body for jazz musicians in Germany.

Since 2010, this accomplished educator has held a professorship in Jazz Vocals at the University of Music and Dance Cologne (Germany). Prior to this, she taught at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague (Netherlands) from 2001 to 2009 and held a brief teaching position at the University of Music in Osnabrück. Since 2021, Anette has also served as Dean of the Jazz/Pop Department at the University of Music and Dance Cologne.

This album contains no booklet.