Oscar Pettiford. The Clash Art Blakey. A Tribe Called Quest. Charles Mingus (with Eric Dolphy). Only People Do The Killing. Cannonball Adderley. Primus. The Ornette Coleman Quartet. When Moritz Koser, bassist and composer from Frankfurt/Main, talks about points of reference and important influences, it goes all the way through music history. Gnar Gnar Rad, the quartet from Frankfurt, is his band. "Gnar Gnar Rad" is the album debut: a strong statement with which he effortlessly bridges the gap between jazz history and current trends.
The band follows a decisive credo: "Jazz is groove music. If it grooves, a lot is allowed.“ Groove is a keyword. By groove, Moritz Koser equally means the great jazz drummer Art Blakey and the more interesting acts of hip-hop. For the Heidelberg native, the awakening experience came years ago when he heard a recording of A Tribe Called Quest in which jazz double bass legend Ron Carter played. At that time in his early 20s, he decided to switch to the bass – and got to his first cheap instrument via Ebay. After numerous experiences in groups of others – occasionally he also played e-bass – Gnar Gnar Rad is his first completely own band. The decision was inevitable. Moritz Koser quickly realized that he could only implement his own very clear ideas on his own. He composed pieces for a quartet with two wind instruments and without a harmony instrument. In 2019, the first version of Gnar Gnar Rad was created with a trumpeter as the second brass part. He disappeared to France, making room for the trombone. Development took off at the end of the coronavirus restrictions.
