Yunus' tips for February

Yunus Durrer01-21-20263 min. read

My February tips are all about time travel. We will take a look into my past, visit New York in the 1950s, and look to the future.

Tuesday, February 3 - Brandee Younger Trio

Before working at Moods, I was responsible for booking acts at the Festival da Jazz. It was there that I first encountered Brandee Younger, and I've been a big fan of hers ever since. She reminds me of Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. Her trio — consisting of bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Allan Mednard — plays with the precision of Swiss clockwork without sounding machine-like. Come and experience it for yourself — you'll be revelling in it for days afterwards!

Thursday, February 5 - AS IN PLASTIC

Back to the future! The future of Swiss jazz. In my opinion, the Lucerne band is the future of Swiss jazz. Just as the individual band members are different, so is their music. Genres? No matter! The collective mixes things up wildly without losing anything in the process.

Saturday, February 14 - New Regency Orchestra

It's a journey from the future back to the past — though not quite. The young New Regency Orchestra from London is breathing new life into the glamorous Latin sounds of 1950s New York. The orchestra is the brainchild of its artistic director, Lex Blondin — the man behind the Total Refreshment Centre and co-founder of the Church of Sound. It was through his long-standing passion for jazz that he discovered the explosive Afro-Cuban rhythms that were popular in New York in the middle of the last century, courtesy of the godfather of Afro-Cuban jazz, Mario Bauzá.

Sunday, February 15 - Samuel Rohrer Solo

Last summer, I had the pleasure of hearing him perform at a festival in Portugal at 2 a.m. As an improvisational sound artist, Samuel Rohrer is a master at navigating the space between beats and anti-beats. His music floated somewhere between the dance floor of a rave and contemporary concert music, paired with glitchy grooves. It was an experience for the ears and the heart.

Friday, February 20 - Matt Johnson

Matt Johnson is probably best known as the band leader of Jamiroquai. As well as Jamiroquai, he has written songs for and contributed to albums by many other artists, including Dizzee Rascal, Duffy, Ashanti, Lizzo, Purple Disco Machine, Nolwenn Leroy, Lucky Daye and Newton Faulkner, to name a few. But he can do it not only for others, but for himself too. In 2025, he signed with the renowned Parisian label Naïve to release his second solo album, Warrior Princess, which fuses 1970s funk, cosmic jazz, and raw soul, and features renowned musicians such as Jeff Lorber, Cory Wong, and Will Lee.

Honorable Mention

Unfortunately, we have a limited number of tips, and I couldn't choose between these gems, so I've combined them all into one. On February 12, I recommend you the Carte Blanche from Till Ostendarp. It will be a big jam where everyone can join in. On February 19, Alabaster DePlume will perform. He is a musician and spoken word poet who plays the saxophone with the same skill as he writes. On February 24th, Vincent Peirani and his quintet will present his latest album "Living Being IV: Time Reflections", which is deeply rooted in the musical exploration of time.

The February tips from Yunus

    • Brandee Younger Trio

      JazzSpiritual JazzGroove Jazz
  • Suisse Diagonales Jazz

    • AS IN PLASTIC

      JazzPop / Rock / Singer / SongwriterIndieRockArt Pop
  • Carte Blanche

    Till Ostendarp

    • Tillmanns toller Jam im Moods

      JazzJazz Modern CreativePop / Rock / Singer / SongwriterModern Creative JazzElectronic JazzPopRockIndie
  • Spirit Music Society & Moods present

    • New Regency Orchestra

      JazzGlobal SoundsCubaLatin JazzLatin AmericaBig Band Jazz
    • Samuel Rohrer Solo

      ExperimentalElectronic JazzExperimental Jazz
  • London Jazz Calling

    • Alabaster DePlume

      JazzJazz Modern CreativeExperimentalAmbient JazzLondon JazzSpiritual Jazz
  • «Warrior Princess»

    • Matt Johnson (of Jamiroquai)

      Soul / Blues / FunkSoulFunk
  • «Living Being IV – Time Reflections»

    • Vincent Peirani

      JazzJazz Modern CreativeExperimental JazzContemporary JazzGroove Jazz