Josef Leimberg in Zurich

The producer, lyricist, and trumpeter Joseph Leimberg, originally from Los Angeles, astounds the audience of Moods in Zurich in 2018, with his group featuring Tracy Wannomae, Anand Bennett and Matthew Little. Leimberg doesn’t just limit himself to jazz, he also throughout his career has produced rap and R&B albums for stars such as Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar, with whom he has collaborated for a number years. Here, accompanied by renowned musicians, Leimberg performs a series of floaty and richly harmonic compositions, including a reprise of the standard Naima written by John Coltrane in 1959. 

This concert is the vector of a sizeable energy that’s created by the mutual understanding of the musicians, and the vibrant choruses of saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Tracy Wannomae. Her musical identity has developed with her work as part of the groups Weapon of Choice and Fly Rasta. Here, the improvisatory dialogue of Wannomae and Leimberg is fluid and colorful. The cohesion of this group is so delightful and imposing that we sometimes have the impression of one solo musician on stage.