ACFNY Presents Young Quartet Ferments Styles Beyond Tradition

On Wednesday, May 4, at 7:30 PM, the up-and-coming Viennese progressive jazz quartet Kompost 3 will present their self-titled debut album to a New York audience. Trumpet, e-piano, drums, bass, and subtle electronics provide the sonic groundwork for this young and funky instrumental jazz band. Despite their young age, the members of Kompost 3, Martin Eberle, Benny Omerzell, Lukas König, and Manu Mayr, have already played with a wide variety of renowned artists, including Soap&Skin, Wolfgang Mitterer, and Wolfgang Puschnig.

Founded in 2009, the band calls Vienna's third district its home, a residential area for workers interspersed with masterpieces of aristocratic architecture. The days of 18th century imperialism are long gone, and the dreary reality of working life has settled into the third district. Detecting 21st century signs of muck and rot, the band takes its energy from this wholly Viennese air of decay to create music that is fresh and invigorating, much like a compost pile produces fertilizer - hence the name, Kompost 3.

Martin Eberle, born 1981, plays trumpet and flugelhorn, studies classical trumpet at the Feldkirch Konservatorium and jazz trumpet at the Hochschule der Künste Bern/Swiss Jazz School Bern. Benny Omerzell, born 1984, plays Fender Rhodes electric piano and red instruments and currently studies at the Jazzhochschule Graz. Manu Mayr, born 1989, plays electric bass and double bass and studies at the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität and the Bruckneruniversität Linz. Rounding off the distinctive sound of Kompost 3 with drums and electronics, Lukas König, born 1988, studies at the Bruckneruniversität Linz and the Gustav Mahler Konservatorium in Vienna.

The band's debut album, Kompost 3, was released in October 2010 on Laub Records. Their new album REKOMPOST features collaborations with international remix-artists and will be released in autumn 2011.

The concert takes place at the auditorium of the ACFNY at 11 East 52nd Street (between Fifth and Madison). Admission is free, but reservations are required. Check or call 212 319 5300 ext. 222.