The songs are definitely anything but mainstream in the tradition of American popular music, although they play with the timbres and textures of jazz and pop, and very skillfully so. The music is rather a many-faceted, sophisticated and witty approach to the tradition of German popular songs with a nod to the artful Lied. Correspondingly, the entire album is written in German and will thus not only create a beautiful addition to the program of jazz and pop radio stations who favor the non-conformist, but also – and especially – enchant a live audience, be it in jazz clubs or at festivals. For this is where vocalist Sabine Seide displays her charming stage presence. Always tasteful, with subtly nuanced drama and operatic grandezza, her theatrical finesse allows her to present the essence of her music – the great, profound emotions – not only within, but also in between the songs.

Her presentation is congenially supported by pianist and co-writer Tino Derado, while the breathy sound of Sebastian Studnitzky’s trumpet elegantly meanders around her. The finely adapted electronic sounds by Boris Meinhold (Micatone) make for a well-placed complement.

Songs like the potential hit “Flug in den Mai” (“Flight Into May”), the poetic “Traumländer” (“Dreamlands”) or the seemingly (though anything but) naive “Gelegentlich” (“Occasionally”) invite the listeners to immerse themselves in the vast field between ego-dissolution and audacious rebellion, between the death of one emotion and the birth of a new one. “Smuggled” into the exclusively German-speaking songs is the well-known evergreen “Volare”, revered among the (many) German lovers of Italy.

“Der Wilde Mohn” was released on 05/02/2014 on the Contemplate label headed by new SEIDE member and trumpet virtuoso Sebastian Studnitzky (Nils Landgren, Mezzoforte, Wolfgang Haffner, Triband) and Ulla C. Binder. The new songs mark a turning point in bandleader Sabine Seide’s creative output, who now seeks the sunlight of more cheerful days after dwelling in darker moods on her previous album “Passion, Pain & Poetry”. This new direction reflects her defiance against any tendencies to become a plain, numb and timid cog in the machinery of a standardized and cynical world.

So please don’t be shy and let SEIDE put a spell on you with their magic wild poppy potion.