November 19, 2017Canada Tour 2018We are happy to announce that we will embark on a cross-Canada tour in May 2018 with concerts all across the country. The tour will be supported by the Goethe-Institut. See our Calendar for details.

June 1, 2014Welcome to the New Subtone WebsiteCheck out the new multimedia section with audio, video and photos. In the store section you will be able to buy CDs, scores and posters.

March 15, 2014New German Jazz Competition MannheimToday, Subtone will compete as one of 3 finalists at the New German Jazz Competition in Mannheim, Germany.

February 7, 2014New CD "Roswitha's Revenge" Out NowRoswitha's Revenge, Subtone's 4th album with 9 brand new compositions has been released today on Laika Records. It is available for purchase in the store section.click here for more info

Subtone stands in the forefront of today’s young innovative Jazz ensembles. Founded in 2005 in Berlin, its members now live on both sides of the Atlantic, in St. John’s, NL, Berlin and Cologne. Through innumerable concerts at home and abroad, as well as appearances at festivals like the Bohemia Jazz Fest in the Czech Republic and Jazz Baltica in Salzau, Germany, Subtone quickly established themselves as one of the most sought-after jazz ensembles in Europe. After three acclaimed albums, in early 2014 Subtone released their 4th album “Roswitha’s Revenge” on Laika Records. Subtone is the winner of the Jury and Audience Award of the International Jazz Competition “Tremplin Jazz d’Avignon” in France.

The individual members are all accomplished performers. Collectively, they have won prestigious awards like the US National Trumpet Competition (Magnus Schriefl), the Bass Competition of the International Bass Convention (Matthias Pichler) and the Sting Ray Rising Star Award (Florian Hoefner) and have collaborated with artists and groups like the Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio, Seamus Blake, Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker and the European Jazz Orchestra.

With their own imaginative compositions, the five artists offer an inexhaustible selection, from the voluminous big-band sound to a bare-essential chamber music approach. In addition to the apparent mastery over their instruments, it is above all the implicitness with which they communicate that is so striking.

What makes Subtone stand out from other ensembles is the impressive artistic connection among the five musicians. The listener perceives this intense communication and fundamental understanding among all members of the band in the very first notes.

Malte Dürrschnabel

Malte Dürrschnabel studied saxophone at the University of the Arts Berlin and at the Royal Conservatories in The Hague and Brussels. He's now a freelance musician and music teacher.

His achievements include a six-month appointment as guest professor at the Pontifica Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia and the award as best instrumentalist at the international jazz competition "Tremplin Jazz d’Avignon" in France. Malte is a sought-after lead alto player and woodwind specialist and regularly works with ensembles like the WDR Big Band Cologne, the HR Big Band Frankfurt and the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

In concerts around the world on 5 different continents he shared the stage with artist like Al Porcino, Lalo Schifrin, Benny Golson, Ack van Rooyen and Theo Bleckmann. He also appears on various commercial recordings and broadcast productions.

Magnus Schriefl

Magnus Schriefl belongs to the outstanding trumpet players of the young generation. His merits as a performer include an invitation as featured soloist to the Jazz Baltica Jazz Festival in Salzau, Germany, appearances with the European Jazz Orchestra, the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra and concerts with artists like Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman and Seamus Blake. He is the winner of the 2011 National Trumpet Competition in the USA.

Magnus started playing the trumpet when he was five years old. With age 15 he joined the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, at the Conservatoire National Supérieure de Musique et de Danse de Paris, at the Jazz-Institut Berlin and at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he completed his Master’s degree in 2012.

Florian Hoefner

Florian Hoefner has been able to establish himself as a unique voice in modern jazz, both as a pianist and composer. Hailed as a “cerebral and harmonically daring pianist […] reaching toward new sonic territory” by Downbeat and a “composer-bandleader of insightful resolve” by the New York Times, Mr. Hoefner has made his mark as an inventive creator of exciting small group jazz.

With his working quartet, the Florian Hoefner group he has released 3 albums on Origin Records that have received rave reviews around the globe. Described as a “starkly picturesque album [...] that makes profound statements from quiet moments” by Downbeat and as a “total experience” by the New York Jazz Record his latest release, “Luminosity” featuring tenor saxophonist, Seamus Blake has been his most ambitious project so far. With the group, he maintains a busy touring schedule that has included over 100 dates in Europe and North America to date. After their performance at the Montréal Jazz Festival 2015, Florian was awarded the Stingray Rising Star Award.

Florian’s work as a sideman led to numerous additional CD releases including a collaboration with guitarist, Kurt Rosenwinkel on Fresh Sounds Records. He has shared the stage with the likes of Joe Lovano, Seamus Blake, Rich Perry, John Riley and Mark Nuccio.

A two-time winner of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award, Florian has also contributed compositions and arrangements to many commercial albums by artists like Till Brönner, Jasmin Tabatabai and Peter Fessler. His big band compositions been performed by the New York Jazz Orchestra, the Lucerne Jazz Orchestra, the German Youth Jazz Orchestra and the DanJam Orchestra.

Florian initially began his musical studies in Bavaria, where he played the trumpet and accordion, in addition to piano. After obtaining his first degree in jazz piano from the University of Arts in Berlin, he was granted a Fulbright Scholarship to complete a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he studied with Jason Moran, Dave Liebman, and Garry Dial.

As a teacher, Florian has been active both as a private instructor and clinician, working for institutions like the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, the University of Toronto, Memorial University St. John’s, the University of Arts in Berlin, Germany, the Anton Bruckner University in Linz, Austria, and the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia.

Since July 2014 Florian is a resident of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, from where he continues to embark on new musical adventures.

Matthias Pichler

Matthias Pichler is one of the finest young jazz bassists in Europe. In 2010, he won the Jazz Competition of the International Bass Convention in Berlin . Since 2005 he is a regular member of the Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio. Other collaborations include Harry Sokal, Ingrid Jensen, Dick Oatts, Jochen Rückert, Marc Copland, Kirk Lightsey and Johannes Enders. Concerts with these artists brought him to over 20 countries all over the world.

Hailing from Innsbruck, Austria he studied jazz bass at the Anton Bruckner University in Linz and was awarded Austria’s prestigious Hans-Koller Award in 2004 and 2006. In 2010 he relocated to Berlin where he is now working on a new duo project with his twin-brother Andreas on drums.

Peter Gall

Peter Gall studied drums with John Riley, John Hollenbeck and composition with Phil Markowitz, Dave Liebman and Jim McNeely. He holds a diploma from the University of the Arts / Jazz Institute Berlin and spent two years in New York City based on a DAAD-Scholarship, where he graduated with a Master Of Music from Manhattan School of Music. His performance experience includes artists like the Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Nils Landgren, Seamus Blake and Randy Brecker.

Having a passion also for styles other than jazz, Peter was a former member of NY-pop-singer Gabriel Rios' group and is currently touring with German singer and TV star Jasmin Tabatabai's (ECHO-Winner) group as well as collaborations with indie/electro-artist Enik and the German rising Indie-Rock band Balloon Pilot.

Peter appears on various recordings on labels including ACT, Freshsound Records, Enja and Skip Records and performed on prestigious festivals and stages like Montreux Jazz Festival, Jazz Baltica, Bohemian Jazzfest, Munich Jazzfest and Carnegie Hall.

As a touring artist he visited many countries in the world including Austria, Czech Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, USA

...it becomes obvious quickly that it’s only about the music, about the greater picture, spirit, emotions, colors, influences that have to be processed. Not a single piece follows the head-solo-head pattern which jazz musicians use as the easy way out much too often. Too much ambition is wisely being anticipated when it threatens to impede the course of events. A solo takes places when it makes sense, when the dense textures of the compositions dramaturgically call for a release.Ssirus W. PakzadNeue Musikzeitung

This band is really one of the most innovative new bands to emerge on the jazz scene over the past couple of years, with a fresh sound, great playing by all and a very positive attitude. They have a sound of their own. These guys know how to kick it and I like it! Respect!Nils Landgren

The complexity of their solely original music by far exceeds what we are used to as improvising over a theme in jazz. In fact, it does not seems like single soloists want to distinguish themselves but that all five commission their enormous technical and musical skills to a multi-layered sound painting.Münchner Merkur, Munich, Germany

It is the sound that from the first second on puts Subtone in the forefront of today’s band concepts and keeps me at it. Five marvellous soloists leave their egos outside the studio door to contribute to something higher.Till Brönner