Why start a debut album with a jazz standard when there are a number of your own pieces for people to discover? Anyone who listens to Thomas Quendler's version of Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing" will quickly understand what inspired the pianist, composer and arranger from Graz to come up with this idea. In his unconventional, yet deeply respectful version, much of what constitutes the Austrian comes together: joy in jazz traditions, an original, completely unique approach, technical class, a gripping energy level and the perfect intertwining of an excellent, rhythmically resourceful group. The Ellington piece opens "Awaking" with an initial exclamation mark. This is followed by other, mostly own pieces, from rock-energetic to emotional-romantic and all the way to a sparkling straight-ahead composition. As a second classic, the trio later reproduces a version of "Yatra-Ta", the furious Brazilian jazz piece by Tania Maria; it also has an unusually contorted sound, sometimes even staggered with an R&B groove.

Quendler's group is not one of the usual piano trios of the classical school. As much as the native of Carinthia has dealt with tradition, the influences that come together in his playing and his attitude extend far into other areas of style.

Thomas Quendler was 23 at the time of the recordings. This is the first album of his acoustic trio. However, the three are not newcomers. To the contrary: for example, they have long been the core of two established fusion bands. With Origina1Nerd, you come across ingeniously complex fusion forms; the band Kernfusion is more rock oriented. Thomas Quendler mostly plays keyboards in both bands, and Jacob Gönitzer usually plays e-bass. Drummer Jonas Kočnik consistently shows enormous flexibility and power, a strong groove and precision.