★ Margit Gruba
Austrian musician Margit Gruber is primarily a violinist but has already covered a long musical path. From classical to jazz studies on the violin to experimental hip-hop and compositions with elements of new music.
In her new solo project “margit gruba” the violin merges with her voice, Arturia’s microfreak and Roland’s SP-404. All previous musical influences are combined into a personal artistic signature that promotes extremes in emotionality.

★Devin Gray
Brooklyn-Berlin based drummer-composer Devin Gray made his widely lauded leader debut in 2012 with the release Dirigo Rataplan, which included a crew of heavyweight veterans Ellery Eskelin, Michael Formanek and Dave Ballou. JazzTimes said that Gray’s debut represented “the work of a young artist who knows who he is.” Free Jazz blog encapsulated the album this way: “…one of the best debut albums in years.” In 2015 Gray released Relative Resonance, a band of close New York associates: Chris Speed, Kris Davis and Chris Tordini. All About Jazz noted “…the questing, inquisitive, risky nature of the compositions is no less bracing than Anthony Braxton’s finest work.” In 2018 Gray reconvened his all-star group for Dirigo Rataplan II, with the
establishment of the record label Rataplan Records. The album shines with rich harmony, and earworm melodies. Fans from Alice Coltrane and Henry Threadgill to Dave Holland and Craig Taborn will dig this organic, engrossing mix of composition and improvisation.