ALEXANDER WITTGES TRIO

With THE CONNECTOR, the Freising pianist Alexander Wittges presents his first trio album. He performs the music live together with Brazilian bassist Rafael De Sousa and Austrian drummer Emil Pesendorfer: modern jazz improvisation, deeply rooted in the tradition of the genre.

About the album THE CONNECTOR: The title is programmatic. The nine original compositions by Alexander Wittges are not only understood as musical works but as an invitation to encounter. They ask how jazz connects people – musicians with each other, music and audience, and ultimately all present in a shared musical experience. Rhythmic changes, surprising turns, and contrasting improvisations create spaces where the three challenge, inspire, and support each other. There are no accompanists and soloists here, but a conversation among equals, in which each voice remains audible and at the same time becomes part of a larger whole.

THE CONNECTOR aims to dissolve boundaries: those between accompaniment and solo, between composition and spontaneous interaction – but above all, those between stage and audience. The pieces invite you not only to listen but to become part of the musical movement. If this succeeds, the groove begins not only on stage but captures the entire space.

The release concert is not a reproduction of the studio recording, but an independent performance:

Alexander Wittges (Piano)

Alexander Wittges is one of the dynamic young pianists in the Bavarian jazz scene. He has been leading his own trio since March 2025 and has anchored jazz firmly in Freising with the A’Jazz JAM at Freising's Furtner Bräu and his "mobile piano". In 2025, he was awarded two scholarships from IG Jazz Burghausen and achieved 2nd place as a soloist (piano) at "Jugend jazzt Bayern". He deepened his training with Tizian Jost, Lukas Voith, and Michael Gelius, among others.

https://www.instagram.com/alexanderwittges/

Rafael De Sousa (Bass)

The Brazilian bassist Rafael De Sousa studied electric bass at the music school in Brasília and has been active as a professional musician since 2013 – stylistically at home in jazz, MPB, pop/rock, gospel, and instrumental music. He has collaborated with Branford Marsalis, Seu Jorge, Margareth Menezes, and Janis Steprans, among others. His debut album EMBRYO was released in 2019, followed by the release GROOVAHOLIV. In the Alexander Wittges Trio, he combines his deep roots in Brazilian music culture with jazz expertise and an unmistakable groove.

https://www.rafaeldesousamusic.com/

Emil Pesendorfer (Drums)

The Austrian Emil Pesendorfer, born in 2007, has been playing drums and piano since he was ten years old and has been studying jazz drums at MUK in Vienna since 2026. His playing combines the roots of jazz and swing tradition with modern influences. He has performed with Kurt Prohaska, Bertl Mayer, the Jazzkapelle Wien, and his own quintet, and received a scholarship for the jazz course in Burghausen in 2026. He enriches the trio with swing, musicality, and a huge joy for music.

Photo: © Wolfgang Hirschpoltner 2026