SHUTEEN ERDENEBAATAR & NILS KUGELMANN

UNDER THE SAME STARS

Motéma Music

Shuteen Erdenebaatar, piano/composer; Nils Kugelmann, contra-alto clarinet/double bass/ composer; SPECIAL GUESTS: Jakob Manz, alto recorder; Dalaijargal Daansuren, Morin Khuur fiddle.

Let me introduce you to Shuteen Erdenebaatar, a Motéma Recording artist and a Downbeat 2025 Critics Poll Rising Star Artist of the Year.  She is a German Jazz pianist and Prize winner.  On this project, Shuteen is joined by contra-alto clarinet player, Nils Kugelmann. The talented duo blends jazz with the heavy influence of European classical music, chamber music, and they add a splash of cinematic musical reference.

The two musicians met in 2020 and quickly became musical partners.  Their sound and comfort level has been honed by over 300 performances since they first met. Last year, (2024) they performed 100 concerts across Europe and Asia. Their debut album was called “Rising Sun,” and received rave reviews.

This new album features six original compositions by Shuteen and four compositions by Nils.  They open with Shuteen’s song, “Mirror Under Water” that is representative of “Presence, fleeting beauty and life.  Accepting imperfections, we cherish moments that might have passed unnoticed,” explains Shuteen Erdenebaatar.

Nils Kugelmann’s composition, a ballad, has a title that asks us, “What Will Remain?”  It’s quite beautiful. I enjoy the merger of piano and contra-alto clarinet.  The two create a soothing soundscape.

“When we searched for existing repertoire that gave voice to the contra-alto clarinet in a chamber music setting, we found almost nothing.  That absence became our inspiration.  Guided by the emotions that this unique marriage of timbres evoked in us, we began composing these works,” the couple shared in their liner notes.

Their album title reflects unity of spirit, (“Under the Same Stars”) and their closing composition is titled “Road Ahead.” It’s quite jazzy, with Kugelmann plucking the double bass, instead of blowing his clarinet.

This is peaceful music that reflects their partnership in life and in sound. What began as a spark of curiosity has grown into a joyful journey of playing, composing and falling in love. That love is reflected deeply in this comforting and assuasive album.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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