First of all, the musicians of VEIN all have a classical music education. Therefore it is not surprising that they have a close relationship to the musical genre of the opera. Secondly, George Gershwin, proving his closeness to jazz again and again in his whole oeuvre , has influenced this music once and for all with his tune "I Got Rhythm", i.e. the rhythm changes. Finally, jazz history is also a long history of the jazz interpretations of Porgy & Bess, with certainly the most famous and most illustrious example of Gil Evans and Miles Davis - a benchmark too high for anyone else who might want to add a new interpretation to mentioned history? Everyone who knows the musicians of VEIN will answer "no!", as for them, the challenge of finding new and personal ways of interpretion of existing music (which can be music of all different kinds) will always be one of their genuine musical impulses. And so, with Porgy & Bess, VEIN comes up once again with a thrilling new album, full of wonderful musical ideas, breathtaking contrasts in tempo, rhythm and dynamics, beautiful lyrical passages as well as some witty impromptus. It is truly due to the love and respect they feel for this music that they allow themselves to not just play it, but also to play with it and keep it alive by finding new ways of expression: From the dazzling ouverture and the heavily grooving "Summertime" to playfully interpreted solo parts of all three musicians (incl. some experimenting with the sound) and the touching interpretations of "I loves you Porgy" and "Strawberry Woman" right to the unusually fast versions of "It ain't necesseraly so" and "There is a Boat ...". Indeed, this is a VEIN production that also comes across in a fantastically swinging way, revealing once more its protagonists as real jazz virtuosos. Virtuosos in the best sense of the word, since each of the three musicians knows how to give way in the right moment, and with that always maintaining the dramaturgic flow and the subtly balanced musical structure. Niklaus Voellmy / 2011