Root 70, a creative jazz group led by Nils Wogram (German trombonist), was founded in 2000. The four members of Root 70 were all born in the 1970s, two in Germany, and two in New Zealand. They have performed and recorded many international collaborations in their careers. Wogram’s 1994 New York debut album was his first. Since then, Wogram has released more than 20 albums as either a leader or a co-leader in many settings. These include post-bop, free improvisation and collaborations with the NDR Bigband. He also helmed ensembles such as his Septet and Quartet and his Nostalgia trio. Hayden Chisholm (New Zealand-born saxophonist) first met Wogram in the ’90s while they were both studying at the University of Music and Dance, Cologne. He has since explored microtonal music and other musical traditions, as well as his explorations of straight-ahead jazz styles. Jochen Rueckert, a German-born drummer, met Wogram at Cologne’s conservatory in the ’90s. Rueckert later moved to Brooklyn where he has recorded and performed with many N.Y.C. The drummer’s own band includes saxophonist Mark Turner, and guitarist Brad Shepik. Root 70’s native New Zealander bassist Matt Penman has a long discography and many recordings as a bandleader, since his debut album in 2002. He is a N.Y.C. Penman, a Brooklyn resident, is also a contributor of Brooklyn’s creative jazz scene. He is a member the SFJAZZ Collective and James Farm and has several recordings as a bandleader since his debut disc in 2002; a N.Y.C. Root 70 is a broad-based post-bop and contemporary creative jazz band. While Penman might be viewed as more conservative than Nils Wogram’s trio with fellow trombonist Konrad Bauer or his trio with drummer Tom Rainey and pianist Simon Nabatov, or his duo featuring Kazakh-Turkish vocalist Saadet Turcoz, Wogram still uses Root 70 to explore many interesting jazz concepts. The band’s 2001 debut was released on 2nd Floor. Although Rueckert’s and Penman live across the pond in N.Y.C., the core quartet of Wogram and Chisholm, Rueckert as well as Penman have remained the same for every Root 70 recording. Wogram made the move from Germany to Zurich in Switzerland. In 2003 Enja released Getting Rooted. In 2006, two Root 70 albums were released: Fahrvergnugen, on the Intuition record, and Heaps Dub, on Nonplace. The latter saw the quartet take a left turn and enter the world of electronica-infused nu jazz, featuring tunes by Flanger, Burnt Friedman, and others.
