Julian Woods Trio

The Julian Woods Trio focuses on the exploration of microtonal moods, complex rhythmic interactions and abstract improvisations. The group first met in 2022 and recorded the single ‘Every swing has a silver roundabout’, composed by Julian. In 2024, the group played concerts in Berlin, where they performed alongside free improvisations and microtonal interpretations of jazz standards such as ‘Angel Eyes’.

The band consists of Philipp Gerschlauer (Jack DeJohnette, David Fiuczynski) – alto saxophone Diego Piñera (John Patitucci, Donny McCaslin, Ben Monder) – drums, percussion Julian Woods (Maggie Nicols, Steve Beresford, Ant Law) – Fretless bass, double bass Fundamental to the sound of the band is the groundbreaking research of Philipp Gerschlauer, who has written the leading book on microtonal saxophone finger grips with which he plays more than 100 notes per octave. He is considered one of the world’s leading innovators in the field of microtonal saxophone.

His former student Julian Woods has been inspired by these studies and, along with his own diverse influences such as John Zorn, Ornette Coleman and Anton Webern, has composed new music that explores the wide range of colorful new sounds that Philipp discovered on the saxophone. The result is music that is complex and perhaps confusing, but also playful, entertaining and energetic.

Philipp Gerschlauer is a German saxophonist who is best known for his advanced microtonal saxophone playing. His release “Microjazz – new eXpressionist music” with David Fiuczynski, Jack DeJohnette, Matt Garrison and Giorgi Mikadze was internationally acclaimed and the second best jazz album 2017 by “The New York City Jazz Record”. He recently performed and taught at the Berklee College of Music and is a faculty member at the Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna and the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.

Diego Pinera is a German-Uruguay drummer who combines the traditional Latin American style with complex polyrhythms. He is probably best known for his collaboration with the great American saxophonist Donny McCaslin and for his band Odd Wisdom, which combines his mastery in jazz and Latin American music with Eastern European traditions. He recently recorded a new album in New York featuring two legends of the jazz world: bassist John Patitucci and pianist Dave Kikoski. He is a faculty member at the University of Applied Science Osnabrück.

Julian Woods is a guitarist, bassist and composer. He recently graduated with honors from Guildhall School of Music in London and was selected for the whirlpool scholarship program at the Vortex Jazz Club, where he hosts an evening of his own music once a month. His recent performances include the Vortex, Cafe OTO, Wigmore Hall and the INNtöne Jazz Festival. He is involved in a variety of projects, including with Maggie Nicols, Steve Beresford, Phil Minton, Alex Paxton and other renowned improvisers.