The combination of harp and piano is a rarity, and not just in jazz. Valentina Cinquini and Christoph Cech impressively demonstrate in their program “Satiesfaction” (CD of the same name, alessa records ALR 1133) that these two instruments, with their rich, multi-stringed sounds, can produce wonderfully versatile music. Formed while Cech was still teaching at the Bruckner University in Linz, the duo blends elements of jazz, contemporary composed music, and polyrhythms in Cech’s works, which bear evocative titles such as “Time Out,” “Phoenix,” and “In a Good Mood for No Reason.”

Satiesfaction+ was formed in collaboration with the OENM, the Austrian Ensemble for New Music, which invited the duo to perform studio concerts at the Künstlerhaus Salzburg. The resulting quartet—whose instrumentation is even more unusual—includes the two OENM trombonists—Stefan Konzett and Dušan Kranjc—along with the original duo.

Long before they even played their first note, Satiesfaction + received an invitation to perform at the “Shortcuts” program of the 2026 Saalfelden Jazz Festival. That’s truly wonderful.

In collaboration with oenm . oesterreichisches ensemble fuer neue musik