NINA FELDGRILL
Adventurous and Elemental

Quinton Records presents the third album of JAZZ CATS OF TOMORROW: NINA FELDGRILL. This CD edition is a cooperation between ORF Ö1 and the JAM MUSIC LAB PRIVATE UNIVERSITY with Quinton Records and presents the winners of the Ö1 Jazz Scholarship.

Bassist Nina Feldgrill cuts a commanding figure: diminutive woman, six string electric, big sound. She makes an impression: adventurous and elemental.

On Jazz Cats of Tomorrow Vol 3, the latest entry in Quinton Records’s series of ORF Ö1 scholarship alumni, Nina presents a pastiche of her talents as player, composer, bandleader. She showcases three separate groups, each with a nuanced approach to music making – different configurations, steadied by her foundational presence

Though steeped in the jazz tradition, one hears her special affinity for stylistic strains prominently heard in Weather Report – electric keys, vamps, grooves, meter shifts, assertive blowing. She owes much to Jaco Pastorius, seamlessly transitioning between front and back, artfully improvising, stamping her personality with interpretive flair. Jaco’s compositional know-how is not lost on her. Five band members contribute here as writers.

It’s a take-charge presentation, evincing that Nina is mature beyond her years. This comes as no surprise, really, given the surround-sound of her youth. Her father is noted Austrian bassist Werner Feldgrill, who also appears on the record. Their choreography as bass partners adds layers of richness, yet also reveals the presence of shared DNA. It’s a fabled tale of acorns, trees, mentors, protégés, bloodlines.

as a creative thinker, Nina is unbound by jazz category. She freely explores moods from dulcet to propulsive, playful to dextrous. She handles serpentine lines effortlessly, and loves navigating tricky rhythmic turns. Her sympathetic support behind vocals is a welcomed surprise.

Perhaps most impressive is Nina’s sure-handed authority. She is a clear example of the stellar talent populating the jazz soundscape, one that Ö1 and JAM routinely canvas while searching for talent deserving wider definition. Their goals, simply stated, are search, identify, nurture. To that end, mission accomplished.

She provides proof that talent, plus education, plus collegial support can enrich us all. Nina Feldgrill is a leading new voice. Her scholarship audition showed us. This record seals the deal.

Jeff Levenson
NYC, March 2025
Jeff Levenson is a Grammy-recognized
producer, educator, executive and writer

Nina und Werner Feldgrill im Interview mit David Pross

RIVER
Robert Unterköfler (A) – saxophones, comp.
Erik Asatrian (A/ARM) – keys, comp.
Nina Feldgrill (A) – bass, comp.
Simon Springer (A) – drums

The quartet river was founded by Robert Unterköfler and Nina Feldgrill in 2022. The music of RIVER combines improvisational and demanding rhythmical elements, as well as electronical sounds.

WIND’S WHISPERS
Saba Robatjazy (IRN) – vocals, comp., lyrics
Erik Asatrian (A/ARM) – keys, production
Nina Feldgrill (A) – bass, comp.
Matheus Jardim (BRA) – drums

Founded by Iranian singer and composer Saba Robatjazy, WIND’S WHISPERS brings together musicians, who combine modern jazz, influences from eastern folk music and pop. Unable to pursue her passion in her home country Iran due to various national prohibitions, Saba emigrated to Vienna. Austrian pianist, composer, and producer Erik Asatrian enriches the ensemble with his expressive style and innovative approach, seamlessly blending jazz, classical elements, and global musical traditions.

FELDGRILL.2
Werner Feldgrill (A) – bass, comp.
Nina Feldgrill (A) – bass
Eugen Vizvary (SVK) – keys
Robert Unterköfler (A) – saxophone
Simon Springer (A) – drums
Nelson Williams Herrera (CUB) – percussions

Werner Feldgrill, father of Nina Feldgrill, is regarded as one of Austria‘s most influential electric bass players, having collaborated with notable artists and formations such as Harri Stojka, the Vienna Art Orchestra and many more. This album features two of his original compositions. Slovakian pianist Eugen Vizvary, Robert Unterköfler on saxophone, Simon Springer on drums and Nelson Williams Herrera on percussion extend this “electric double bass” formation to a powerful sextet.

THE JAZZ SCHOLARSHIP
Jazz Cats Of Tomorrow, Volume 3

Radio Ö1, the public culture radio channel of ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation), JAM MUSIC LAB Private University Vienna, and QUINTON RECORDS are supporting the young and promising generation of Austrian jazz musicians in their quest for more visibility and audibility. The Ö1 Jazzstipendium (Ö1 jazz scholarship) is intended to give one of their representatives an important impulse for a perhaps even international career.

Every year, the Ö1 Jazzstipendium supports an outstanding young artist in contemporary jazz and offers a full scholarship at the JAM MUSIC LAB Private University. As an additional prize, Quinton Records is contributing an album production since 2023.

As the first winner, the scholarship certificate was presented to the Carinthian saxophonist Robert Unterköfler on April 30, 2018 – the Ö1 Jazz Day as well as International Jazz Day, declared by UNESCO. In 2019, the scholarship went to Upper Austrian drummer Lukas Aichinger. In 2020 it was the violinist Constanze Friedel, who comes from Ilmenau in the German state of Thuringia. As the second woman, the 2021 winner was saxophone player and singer Madeleine Kaindl. 21-year-old pianist Alan Bartuš was the fifth winner of the scholarship in 2022, followed by guitar virtuoso Andreas Varady in 2023. In 2024, we are delighted to feature Austrian Bass Player Nina Feldgrill.

Andreas Felber, Head of Jazz, Radio Ö1 / ORF
Marcus Ratka, Head of JAM Music Lab Private University
Andreas Rathammer, producer, CEO, Quinton Records

Supported by Radio Ö1, JAM Music Lab Private University, Thomastik Infeld, SKE