Heinrich von Kalnein (as/ss), Marek Balata (voc), Uli Rennert (keyboards), Achim Tang (bass), Gregor Hilbe (drums, samples & loops).
Tracklisting:
1. Songlines (8:21)
2. Short jump (4:21)
3. Virginia (8:37)
4. Cien agues (8:12)
5. Sam (5:49)
6. Homepage (7:17)
7. Coming home (5:58)
Released 2007.

The CD’s title Songlines has a double significance. Von Kalnein is riding high on what nearly amounts to a fixation. He’s giving us his own songs, although they are songs without words. Their structural components, which are often quite long, are additionally broadened and stretched through improvisation. Sustained breath, rests or breathing pauses play nearly as important a role as the notes themselves. The “endless song lines” evoke timelessness; the frequent swing between rubato and light, airy grooves heightens the soulful, contemplative mood. While listening, I sometimes saw the association with the passionate, half-improvised songs of Central Europe and Iberia. Above all, I was reminded of the folklore-imbued jazz of Polish pioneers, such as Zbygniew Namyslowsky, Zbygniew Seifert and Tomasz Stanko. This was perhaps due to the participation of Marek Balata, the high-profile Polish scat singer. Anyway, involving him in this project was a fine idea. When von Kalnein brings in his voice, Balata often sounds like another wind instrument. Alternating between baritone and falsetto, he presents a magnifying mirror for the sonorous alto and soprano sax.
Songlines never intends to deliver an ironic or socially-critical kind of jazz. To my mind, it is more like the integrative work of someone who is in love, in the presence of which the listener is naturally more empathetic and tolerant. For Heinrich von Kalnein, life is one long sweet song – and the saxophone. (written by Jürg Solothurnmann).