Shake Stew

Featuring an atypical configuration of two bassists, two drummers, and three horns, the Austrian jazz ensemble Shake Stew has drawn notice through its compelling blend of hypnotic grooves, Afrobeat elements, atmospheric layers, rock drive, and complex improvisation. Under the direction of bassist Lukas Kranzelbinder, who occasionally incorporates the guembri, a Gnawa lute, on select tracks, the band rapidly gained recognition not only domestically but also through performances across Europe, Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Morocco, and Tunisia, including appearances at prominent festivals in Montreal, Rochester, and Rotterdam.

Prior to forming Shake Stew, Lukas Kranzelbinder, who entered the world in 1988 in Klagenfurt, Austria, had already pursued multiple diverse endeavors, most prominently as a participant in trumpeter Mario Rom's trio Interzone alongside drummer Herbert Pirker beginning in 2011, as well as with the surf-rock outfit Expressway Sketches starting in 2014. The Interzone personnel supplied the foundation for Shake Stew upon its launch in 2016, which brought in second bassist Manuel Mayr, second drummer Niki Dolp, alto saxophonist Clemens Salesny, and tenor saxophonist Johannes Schleiermacher. The band's inaugural performance occurred at the Saalfelden Jazz Festival that year, leading directly to the issuance of its debut recording, The Golden Fang, via the Berlin-based imprint Traumton.

The first studio effort, Rise and Rise Again, appeared in 2018 after Mathias Koch supplanted Pirker; the release included two guest contributions from the prolific U.K. saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings. A favorable profile in the German newspaper of record Die Zeit expanded the group's visibility. Following the arrival of new bassist Oliver Potratz in place of Mayr, the ensemble captured the expansive double album Gris Gris in 2019; it earned Album of the Year honors from German magazine Jazz Thing and secured the German Record Critics' Award in 2020. The group promptly issued another live document, Alive, compiling performances from recent years. In 2021, Shake Stew received the German Jazz Award as International Band of the Year.

For 2022's Heat, drummer Herbert Pirker rejoined the lineup in Koch's stead, while alto saxophonist Astrid Wiesinger assumed the position vacated by the departing Salesny. The following year, the ensemble claimed the Austrian Amadeus Award in the Jazz/World/Blues category and issued its sixth album, Lila.