2015 release ** "The members of Nikolaus Neuser's "5tet" are new Berlin residents, some of them from the post-reunification era. The bandleader is a trumpet player in Silke Eberhard's two Eric Dolphy Project bands, and Eberhard, in turn, is the featured soloist in Neuser's ensemble, which also includes trombonist Gerhard Gschlößl, Mike Majkowski on double bass, and Bernd Oezsevim on drums. In her witty liner notes, Eberhard references the free jazz of the GDR; and the "Pink Elephant" respectfully references the Zentralquartett and its legendary album "Auf der Elbe schwimmt ein rosa Krokodil" (A Pink Crocodile Swims on the Elbe). In addition to this idiom, Neuser's music also draws on that of Charles Mingus: Majkowski's bass is, so to speak, the Atlas on which Neuser's musical cosmos rests, but unlike the legendary figure, this is not a static affair, but rather a constantly renewed rhythmic dynamic power of deftly crafted, ever-changing ostinato figures with a congenial drum kit as the source of power. Neutonal, odd-shaped metrics melt into a hearty, swinging drive, recalling the magic of Dave Holland's partnerships with his drummers. Drawing on the spirit of the Central Quartet's Prussian swan song and Mingusian reminiscences—partly in collaboration with other band members—Neuser has created a compelling, humorous, and diverse overall structure, in which Dolphys-esque elements find contemporary expression and trombone multiphonics emancipate themselves to a primal freedom, free from the brilliance of the virtuoso. Perhaps Neuser felt that his clear trumpet playing, which, despite its virtuosic suppleness, is entirely without bravado, was neglected in the overall program and deserved a brief feature in duo with the drums at the end—thus disrupting the album's harmonious cohesion."