Manuel Engel

Biographie

Tom Barlow, BBC/Jazzwise Magazine

Engel has a knack for crafting elegant, cinematic pieces of music. And it is an ability he demonstrates splendidly on ME 3 – a constantly shifting improvised album with an achingly beautiful, zen-like quality to it. Throughout, Engel’s classically influenced vision is experimental and refreshingly original: his playing is minimalist at times, exotic at others, and once in a while channeling Paul Bley’s more explorative imaginings.... Finally, however, it is Engel’s piano playing that stars: his dreamy solo number ‘Alithea’ ends what is a dynamic – at times eerily hypnotic – experience.