Romed Hopfgartner: Pattern & Decoration

Composer and saxophonist Romed Hopfgartner recorded a wonderfully relaxed jazz album in 2021 called “Pattern & Decoration”, which refers to the visual arts movement of the late 1970s and 1980s that focused on pattern combinations and abstract ornamentation. The aim was to focus on elements that are considered purely decorative in the West and the associated craft techniques. The music in the album is similar: Jazz, a genre often dismissed as somewhat dusty or “background music”, is celebrated here in all its forms, colours and possibilities. “For me, the music always comes first; playing the saxophone is merely a means to an end. What I do with my instrument is to make my voice heard” says Hopfgartner.