Phraim
- Nina Reiter, voc. / comp. / lyrics
- Viola Hammer, p. / comp.
- Marc Mezgolits, b. /comp.
- Peter Primus Frosch, dr. / comp.
Phraim’s new album “Hysteria” is as complex as the circumstances from which hysteria is so often diagnosed. Musically nuanced and lyrically pointed, the original compositions allow deep insights into emotional abysses and flights of fancy, leaving enough room for subjective interpretations. The strikingly poetic lyrics, with the exception of one poem setting, are all penned by singer Nina Reiter and are strongly influenced by Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, both representatives of confessional poetry.
The Swiss-Austrian quartet was founded in 2016 out of a desire to break new musical ground and has already released two albums (“/fɹeɪm/” in 2018 and “Tides” in 2020), which were highly praised by the international press. Even after a line-up change in 2020, Nina Reiter, Viola Hammer, Marc Mezgolits and Peter Primus Frosch remained true to their principle of a working band and work on their music as a collective. The result of this cooperation, shaped by years of collaboration and mutual trust, is a contrasting, changeable contemporary jazz that cannot be pigeonholed.
Gripping grooves and atmospheric improvisations, confident interplay or fragile interludes are not contradictory when four sovereign musical personalities pull together to create a sophisticated sound spectrum that is as rich in variety as it is profound.
„Phraim offers a distinctive sound that forges new directions in modern jazz. Its strength is enhanced by each player’s idiosyncratic talent.“ (Geannine Reid, All About Jazz)
“Together, the four musicians work as a cohesive unit, with an ebb and flow to their interactions that develop the distinctive compositions organically and hold the listener’s attention.” (Mel Minter)
