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This Austrian brass and woodwind project was founded in 1990 by Christoph Wundrak (composer/arranger, brass). The original idea was to replace the rhythm section of a jazz quintet with a brass/reeds bass – certainly a challenge, but it worked. The large instrumentation (each wind musician plays four instruments) allows for a wonderful variety of sound, with C. Wundrak’s original compositions and arrangements fusing different genres and creating a unique, colourful body of sound in which humour also has its place. But best just to listen for yourself. From 1990 to 2001, the group played exclusively as a trio until 2001, when renowned Leipzig drummer/percussionist Wolfram Dix occasionally expanded the trio to a quartet. Unfortunately, Dix unexpectedly passed away in October 2022, but found a worthy successor in the Austrian Klaus Fürstner. Also new to the group since 2022 is Ukrainian saxophonist and clarinettist Oleksandr Ryndenko. The SMH have so far performed in Europe and China. Hornotter-Rag is the group’s sixth album.
