Jazzkantine

by Jason BirchmeierJazzkantine is a popular German jazz-rap collective founded in 1993 by Christian Eitner, Matthias Lanzer, and Ole Sander in the northern city of Braunschweig. Loosely knit and including a long list of talent that often varies from album to album à la Gang Starr rapper Guru's Jazzmatazz series, the collective debuted with Jazzkantine (1994), an album that sold very well and remains a fan favorite. Moreover, the album led to a few awards for Jazzkantine in 1995, most notably an ECHO award for Best Jazz Production. Subsequent album releases include Heiß & Fettig (1995), Frisch Gepresst & Live (1996), Geheimrezept (1998), In Formation (2000), Futter für die Seele (2002), and Unbegrenzt Haltbar! (2003). Jazzkantine then commemorated their ten-year anniversary with Best of Jazzkantine (2004). In addition to these full-length releases, the group released a steady stream of maxi-singles, each stocked with various mixes of the particular single, and proved itself a popular concert draw, notably performing 116 shows throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in 1996 alone and at the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival in 1998. Related side projects include Tanzzkantine (Die Jazzkantine Tanzzt!, 2001; Space, 2002), the film Braunschweich, Braunschweich! (also represented on CD, Braunschweich, Braunschweich!, 2004), and Ölper Zwölf Pöints.