Press release 1: The Toughest Tenors, who have been in action for two decades now, operate covertly in the last few remaining Jazz Cellars in this world, where they live out their own personal American Dream. The five undercover agents from Berlin (Bernd Suchland - Tenor Sax; Patrick Braun - Tenor Sax; Dan-Robin Matthies - Piano; Lars Gühlke - Bass; and Ralf Ruh – Drums) divulge some of the arcane musical knowledge they’ve managed to smuggle out of the Land of Opportunity (where Jazz developed as a unique cultural treasure). They’re an insider’s tip; they exist outside the spectrum of social media, cultural sponsorship, and European jazz fashion. They use their sensitive antennae to receive and decode original Jazz data that had long been given up for lost and they revive and represent it in the face of modern Crossover. They’re cool, they’re incorruptible, and they know their business. They plug into a time where Jazz still had an earthy style, swung hard, was packed with blues and soul, and reached a public that turned up the radio, swung along, and couldn’t stay in its seats.

Press release 2: The Toughest Tenors is a jazz quintet from Berlin, led by tenor saxophone players Bernd Suchland and Patrick Braun. This band gets right to the point: they’re fresh, agile, and adroit. They play in a raw, direct style that’s fueled by the enduring energy of authentic jazz. They’re serious about the sound that’s become timeless since it was first played in the 1950s and 60s. They’re jazz scholars, whose set list features genuine discoveries from the music’s unlimited archives: long forgotten songs in the legendary two-tenor tradition come to life again onstage. The Toughest Tenors have been doing it for 20 years through more than 400 concerts. Audiences love their direct approach and their relaxed and inspiring grooves. The kind of jazz that used to be an everyday part of our culture lives through the Toughest Tenors. Their music goes straight to the heart, the only place where it deserves to be heard. The Toughest Tenors are: Bernd Suchland tenor saxophone Patrick Braun tenor saxophone Dan-Robin Matthies piano Lars Gühlcke double bass Ralf Ruh drums Press release 3: The Toughest Tenors. This band will knock you out. The ubiquity of would-be Hip-Hop tough guys that rough it out in angry poetry scuffles can merely conjure up a tired smile in the Toughest Tenors. The five heavy jazz dudes, steeled and trained in the Berlin and New York club-scene, don’t pull punches. They put the “hard” back into hard-bop, give the real fighting weight of the blues, and show the real lineage of the battling rappers, direct descendants from the noble spirit of rivalry cultivated by the geniuses of 50’s and 60’s tenor-playing, legends like Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Johnny Griffin and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. The Toughest Tenors have made it their cause to bring back to life the long tradition of the saxophone battle. Using the original arrangements yet devoid of any phoney nostalgia. Contemporary but without trend-doping. With concentrated energy, an uninhibited spirit of playfulness, quick-witted humour, and the heart of a boxer. The band lead by tenor characters Bernd Suchland and Max Hacker has already won countless live contests for the audience appreciation. Now the “Toughest Tenors” launch their debut-CD “What’s Happening”. An assertive eavesdropping attack, a fair contest, a bulls-eye right into the soul of the listener. The Toughest Tenors are: Bernd Suchland tenor saxophone Patrick Braun tenor saxophone Dan-Robin Matthies piano Lars Gühlcke double bass Ralf Ruh drums Press release (short version): The Toughest Tenors have made it their cause to bring back to life the long tradition of the saxophone battle. Using the original arrangements yet devoid of any phoney nostalgia. Contemporary but without trend-doping. With concentrated energy, an uninhibited spirit of playfulness, quick-witted humour, and the heart of a boxer. Press release 3 and short version: Josef Engels