In April 2019, Virtual Leak made their stage debut at the Domicil in Dortmund; by October, the quartet was in the studio. For the recording sessions, Heidi Bayer and her fellow musicians placed great value on playing together live in one room. Most of the tracks made it onto the album without any edits — a choice that gives the CD an intimate immediacy, with solos that feel spontaneous and leap powerfully from the speakers.
Line Up:
Heidi Bayer - trp
Johannes Ludwig - sax
Calvin Lennig - b
Leif Berger - dr
Recorded by Johannes Felscher at Salon de Jazz, Cologne, October 2019
Mixed and mastered by Johannes Felscher, New York City
Produced by Heidi Bayer
Photo (Cover) by Patrick Essex
Artwork by Holger Risse
The band’s development can be traced through the subtle differences in the compositions. Early pieces like Brač and Sweet'n'Sour are somewhat more straightforward in structure, while more recent tracks such as Eifel Blues and Hedwig’s Flight impress with refined complexity, rich detail, clever density, and a spirited sense of play.
While Heidi Bayer — aside from some virtuosic abstractions — generally favors rounded, warm-toned phrasing on trumpet and flugelhorn, Johannes Ludwig’s versatile expression on alto saxophone can at times become urgent, adding pointed sharpness.
A defining part of the quartet’s sound — sometimes balanced, sometimes edgy — is drummer Leif Berger, whose sensitivity, unique style, and strong sense of form help bring Virtual Leak to life. Alongside him, bassist Calvin Lennig holds the group together with melodic lines that ground the music throughout.
