Plays The Music Of Dirk Strakhof - Vanishing Points

Vanishing Points was released in 2020 on the Jazz Haus Musik label, documenting a collaborative project between the Berlin-based composer and bassist Dirk Strakhof and The Composers' Orchestra Berlin. The album serves as a vehicle for Strakhof's expansive compositions, which draw heavily on the interplay between a large jazz ensemble and contemporary classical influences. The arrangements were meticulously crafted by Hazel Leach, whose work with the orchestra emphasizes complex, architectural textures that define the sound of the contemporary Berlin jazz scene.

The production captures a deliberate effort to blend the spontaneity of improvisational jazz with the disciplined structure of orchestral writing. The design of the project reflects the cerebral nature of the music, focusing on the dialogue between Strakhof’s melodic sensibilities and the rich, multi-layered arrangements provided by Leach. Upon its release, the album was received as a significant contribution to the European large-ensemble canon, noted for its high technical standard and the cohesive performance of the orchestra under the label’s long-standing dedication to experimental jazz.