Huebner Brothers – A Family Affair

Description

Gregor Huebner – violin & electronics               Veit Hübner – bass & electronics

Two brothers. Two instruments. One universe of sound.
When Gregor and Veit Huebner step onto the stage as the Huebner Brothers, violin, bass, and electronics merge into something far greater than a duo: a pulsating, breathing fusion of rhythm, melody and space. Using loop stations and live-generated effects, they build dense, almost orchestral soundscapes —transparent yet powerful, highly energetic and rich in poetic depth.
Their music thrives on the spontaneity of the moment. Lines are looped, shifted, transformed — and reimagined in virtuosic improvisa-tions. Jazz intertwines with classical music, groove with free sonic exploration, delicate chamber-music gestures with eruptive out-bursts. Original compositions, jazz standards and newly reinterpreted classical works are minimalistically reduced and simultaneously opened up in the duo setting: intimate, powerful, surprising.
For the first time, the brothers Gregor and Veit Huebner now present themselves as a duo— an artistic essence formed over more than four decades of shared and individual stage experience. The electronics both musicians have developed in their solo projects are not used as simple effects, but as an integral instrument: an extension of the acoustic sound, a resonant space, a third player.
With the album A Family Affair, the Huebner Brothers unite their diverse musical roots into an independent, highly focused state-ment—personal, boundary-crossing and uncompromisingly artistic. Violin and double bass enter into a dialogue charged with tension, moving between jazz, world music, groove and free improvisation. The album is driven by contrasts, emotional depth and great stylistic openness.
Bass Guajira is shaped by exciting Cuban grooves that open up space for violin and double bass to explore sound and improvisation. With Angry Times, the album becomes political and emotional. Powerful rhythms, a soulful drive and intense energy reflect memories of the first COVID lockdown in New York and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations. The piece condenses uncertainty, anger and hope into a musical snapshot. Named after the neighborhood, Red Hook – New York pays homage to its Roma community. Asymmetrical rhythms of Balkan Roma music merge with the pulsating energy of New York jazz—a piece full of motion, playfulness and improvisati-onal freedom. With Sunday Song by Richie Beirach, the album reveals a completely different, contemplative side. The famous ECM composition is reinterpreted through layered bass loops, unfolding the sonority of an entire string ensemble. A sonic meditation in which the melody rests above a finely structured, floating soundscape.
Gregor Huebner and Veit Hübner have been among the defining figures of the European jazz scene since the 1980s. They gained international recognition with the Bel Art Trio, later with Tango Five, and since 2011 with the acclaimed Trio Berta Epple. In addition, they have worked with jazz greats such as Charlie Mariano, Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach. Veit was also a mem-ber of El Violin Latino, a project initiated by Gregor in New York.
Gregor Huebner is a Grammy-nominated composer and violinist, internationally celebrated for his genre-crossing, innovative style. He performs and composes for ensembles such as the Sirius Quartet and the Beirach/Huebner Duo, and was awarded the Grand Prize of the New World Composers Competition by the New York Philharmonic. He is also Professor of Composition at the University of Music and Theatre Munich.
Veit Hübner has established himself both as a jazz musician and as a distinguished cultural initiator. With the Tales in Tones Trio, he won the Hennessy Jazz Search, received numerous grants, and in 2003 was awarded the Baden-Württemberg Jazz Prize. He works across genres with renowned artists such as Walter Sittler, Joo Kraus, Foaie Verde and Kolsimcha. He is also co-founder and artistic director of the Einhalden Festival and chairman of Jazzkultur Korntal-Münchingen e.V., where he curates his own jazz concert series.
Together and as solo artists, the Huebner Brothers embody musical curiosity, stylistic openness and extraordinary continuity at the highest artistic level. A duo that creates space, explores depth and reinvents music in the moment.
With A Family Affair, they have created an album full of contrasts and connections—intimate yet powerful, deeply rooted and open to new horizons. A unique fusion of traditions and genres into a distinctive, multifaceted whole.