After his much praised debut album "PERSONAL" (UTR 4156), Swiss saxophonist Christoph Grab and his band now present "CRYPTIC BLUES" (UTR 4166). The Christoph Grab Quartet, assisted in this program by the incredible German trombonist Nils Wogram, is a highly flexible ensemble that has evolved over years. From lyrical nuances to explosive grooves, it is acquainted with the whole musical palette of contemporary Jazz which it translates into a personal interpretation. A compact band, uniting strong voices without subordinating them to a collective but none the less appearing as a meaningful unit. In the suite-like compositions of "CRYPTIC BLUES", the musicians combine the vitality and expressivity of Blues with the complexity and playfulness of Jazz and develop thus a grand narrative force. The unity of the band, the strong and charismatic soloists as well as their enthusiastic and intelligent interaction, which is rather a concerted shaping of the musical narration than the usual echoing of ideas, are a perfect proof that Jazz is everything else than dead and that precisely European musicians have a lot to say in terms of its development.