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World Music made in Western Europe. On January 22. 2010, just 16 months after her debut release, multi-talent Kristina Kanders introduces her second studio-album "Say Something". It includes ten new compositions that combine the acoustic and electronic sounds of jazz and pop with her very own handwriting. Lyrical messages, experimentation and a vast variety of rhythms are the major thread in her work. This release ties in with her solo-album "For All People" in which she already proved her great musicality and stylistic independence. The music will be distributed through iTunes, Amazon and other download portals as well as CD mail order directly from the independent artist’s homepage.

The Cologne drummer, singer and composer spent 18 year in New York City. She studied first at the New School University Jazz & Contemporary Music Program and finished her Master's at Queens College, New York. She performed with many distinguished musicians, among them Cyro Baptista, Pizzicato Five, John Zorn, Cibo Mato and many more. For over 10 years she taught music courses at a university in New York. Since 2005 she has lived in Cologne, Germany, where she focuses on the production of her own music.

On the new album Say Something, Kanders has composed, texted, sung, played and produced, once again, all songs herself. She convinces through ingenuity, textual distinctiveness and subtle sound aesthetics. No track is like the next, the diversity is sustained until the last song. The music appears light and fresh and full of surprises yet it is profound, always driven by a multi-layered rhythmical basis.

The many years in New York have left their mark on this CD. Kanders reveals her musical experience as she moves naturally between genres like jazz, electronica, pop, ambient, house and world music. The jazz emphasis has been increased through her live-drumming and the collaboration of some top-class special guests. Especially noteworthy are the saxophone solo by Dirk Raulff on Kimnara (track 7) and the vibraphone on Mother (track 3) by Tom Lorenz.

Kristina Kanders has further developed her voice. She opens the first track Liberty of Action with a four-part choir, imperceptibly placed in a 7/4 meter. "I reap what I sow, it is up to me, I am free to write my own script, create my own destiny," is the key message of this song. Fun K (track 2) is a bright jazz track with improvised melodic lines and serenity. Mother is a lyrical and emotional homage to all mothers in the world. Ritual (track 4) feels like a spherical trip between Western classical and world music. Gone (track 5) deals with the sudden loss of a loved one. Kanders proves that she can sing with great expression.
Title 6, Say Something was inspired by the New York Subway campaign "If you see something, say something," started after 9/11. It’s a call for more moral courage in public daily life. The track consists of club sounds combined with danceable Brazilian grooves. Exciting and jazzy are the sax and Rhodes sounds in Kimnara and is reminiscent of the jazz rock of the 70's. Followed by the cool and also jazzy Metamorph This (track 8) which is driven by a powerful bass and drum shuffle. Here, a simple theme is obscured bit by bit. Kanders sings flirtatiously in Plucking Daisies (track 9) It’s about the fleetingness of romantic love and advises more self-respect in case of emotional rejection. Surprising, naughty and different is the last song Good Moaning (track 10), in which a Brazilian quica plays the lead.

With this excellent sound production the listener gets a fascinating and rich album. The treasures and nuances reveal themselves bit by bit upon repeated listening. The artist remains true to the high level quality of her first album.

Musicians:
Kristina Kanders - Vocals, Drums, Percussion, Programming
Marius Goldhammer - Bass
Tom Lorenz - Vibraphone
Dirk Raulf - Saxophone
Bernd Gast - Guitar
Mike Jansen - Keyboard
Anton Eldridge - Vocals

11.24.2009 Press Release // SAY SOMETHING // English // PDF

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21.01.2010 CD review: ++Kristina Kanders (D) - “Say Something”
Just 16 months after her debut „For All People“ the versatile drummer and composer releases her second album. And it is as exceptional as her development: The musician grew up with piano and singing in a highly sophisticated musical home. With 20 she sits by chance for the first time behind a drum set and has a revelation. With 24 she is already courageous enough to go to New York to study drums. Intended four years turn into 18, and Kanders manages to establish herself in a predominantly male domain. Since a few years she is back in Cologne and works on her solo career. The new album, recorded with a few guest stars, speaks volumes: about playing with styles, great ingenuity and the spirit of unlimited possibilities, that she virtually imported from New York. Cool beats, wicked sounds, but also traditional instruments like the quica, a drum solo or vibraphone sounds create a danceable, jazzy club sound. Melodiva.de
http://www.melodiva.de (German)

29.12.2009 Concert Review // Kölner Stadtanzeiger // German//PDF
http://www.ksta.de/html/artikel/1260194962278.shtml

16.12.2009 CD Review SAY SOMETHING // musicampus.de // German // PDF
http://www.musicampus.de/2009/12/16/kristina-kanders-say-something/

30.11.2009 Article// Kölner Stadtanzeiger // German// PDF
http://www.ksta.de/html/artikel/1256137091243.shtml

P R E S S R E L E A S E

KRISTINA KANDERS
SAY SOMETHING
CD, digital
01/22/2010
KK10002, EAN 881226520622
Bernd Gast Music, LC03118
iTunes, Amazon and here

Cologne, November 2009

KRISTINA KANDERS
FOR ALL PEOPLE
CD, digital
09/17/2008
KK10001, EAN 881226520622
Bernd Gast Music, LC03118
iTunes, Amazon and here

Kristina Kanders
is a professional drummer and composer from Cologne, Germany. She lived in New York City for 18 years, studied music and taught university level courses. During this time she performed with many different bands, among them Cyro Baptista, Stomp, Pizzicato Five, Marc Ribot, John Zorn, David Brosa, Cibo Mato, Kenwood Dennard, and Dave Liebman. Since moving back to Cologne in 2005 she has been working primarily on her own music.

Kristina’s Debut solo-CD "For All People”
combines her extensive musical experience with her multicultural influences. This melodically and rhythmically sophisticated, this album borrows elements from jazz, electronica, pop, drum’n’bass, house, and world music. The resulting impressions are inspiring and eclectic. Every track takes the listener on a journey of surprises: from the meditative Safe To Be Me, to a funky horn section with world grooves in All Right. In My Womb, rich string arrangements accompany the warm sensuality of Kristina’s voice. In For All People, Kristina sings about her wish for peace and non-violence. The pop song Happy Birthday is the best birthday-party track since Stevie Wonder’s version. The CD is available world wide for download at iTunes and Amazon and the like.

Kristina Kanders Live
synthesizes contrasts: electronic & acoustic, catchy melodies & complex improvisation, electrifying drumming & empathetic songs with intelligent lyrics. Innovative sounds and samples played by Bernd Gast accompany her authentic performance. Expect a captivating, refreshingly uncompromising music program, that leaves the audience impressed and asking for more.

22.10.2009 Article // Koeln-Magazin // German // PDF

09.10.2009 Artlcle // Klangprobe // Kölner Stadtanzeiger // German // PDF