Austrian Syndicate: that name immediately brings to mind Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul. With his band Zawinul Syndicate he celebrated global success for decades until his death in 2007. The new group Austrian Syndicate offers an equally rich mix of jazz, funk and fusion, with warm acoustic piano alongside exuberant synthesizers. Austrian keyboard wizard David Helbock leads the ensemble, which features his mentor, the American master pianist Peter Madsen.

David Helbock plays everything involving keys, continually changing the mood from energetic to atmospheric and even absurdist. Peter Madsen is “a well-kept secret favorite among piano enthusiasts”, according to JazzTimes. He played with American legends such as Stan Getz, Benny Golson and Don Cherry. In 2001 he moved to Austria where he met David Helbock, who became his most successful student. Their 2023 album under the name Austrian Syndicate features top players from Austrian jazz and international guests such as Alex Acuña, Lakecia Benjamin, Maria João, Fred Wesley, and Dhafer Youssef.

‘David Helbock may look a serious bloke, but there is an intense playfulness in his work; not whimsy, not satire or pastiche, but simply the sense that music is a playground in which impossible things become possible and unlikely things happen all the time’ (Downbeat).

David Helbock keys/synths, Peter Madsen piano, Raphael Preuschl bass, Herbert Pirker drums, Claudio Spieler percussion