David Helbock - Austrian Syndicate

Jazz, funk and fusion

Austrian Syndicate: that name immediately brings to mind the Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul. With his band Zawinul Syndicate, he celebrated decades of world success until his death in 2007. The brand new Austrian Syndicate brings an equally rich mix of jazz, funk and fusion, with atmospheric acoustic piano next to exuberant synthesizers. The Austrian keyboard wizard David Helbock leads the ensemble, and a leading role is reserved for his mentor, the American master pianist Peter Madsen. David Helbock plays anything that has keys on it. He evokes a whole universe of atmospheres, from energetic to atmospheric and even absurdist.

Well kept secret

According to JazzTimes, Peter Madsen is “a well-kept secret among piano fanatics”. He played with American legends such as Stan Getz, Benny Golson and Don Cherry. In 2001, he moved to Austria, where he met David Helbock, now his most successful student. Last year, their first album was released under the name Austrian Syndicate, with top players from Austrian jazz and international guests such as Alex Acuña, Lakecia Benjamin, Maria João, Fred Wesley and Dhafer Youssef.

'David Helbock may look a serious block, but there is an intense playfulness in his work; not whimsy, not satire or pastiche, but simply the sense that music is a playground in which impossible things become possible and unlikely things happen all the time' (Downbeat).