Shake Stew / Klub Royal

Few other bands have shaken up the Central European jazz scene in recent years like Shake Stew. While ZEIT referred to them as "Austria's jazz band of the moment" and NDR early on elevated them to the status of a "cult band," it became clear—especially after they received the Amadeus Music Award in 2023 and the German Jazz Award in 2021 in the category "International Band of the Year"—that something unique has begun to unfold here. And it shows no signs of slowing down! 2026 marks their 10th anniversary, and it wouldn't be Shake Stew if they didn't celebrate it with a musical spectacle: the three-part album project TEN ONE TWO THREE. The first two parts, featuring entirely new music, will be released in spring, with the third following in autumn. The band is also opening a new chapter personnel-wise in their anniversary year: Yvonne Moriel, one of the most exciting newcomers in the scene, joins the band, adding a fresh sound to Shake Stew.

From the very beginning, the formation, founded by bassist and composer Lukas Kranzelbinder, has been surrounded by something mystical that creates an incredibly captivating effect in live concerts, one that few can escape: "The unspoken magic words are magic and energy—Shake Stew brings something cult-like to contemporary jazz, a true enrichment!" writes the jury of the German Record Critics in their justification for including them in the 2020 Best List, and the British magazine MOJO goes even further: "Able to blind you into a trance and make you dance to your knees, Shake Stew twists, blisters and burns like a fevered dream!"

Despite their unusual lineup of two drummers, two bassists, and three horn players, the band consistently manages to engage listeners of all ages in an incredibly direct way—whether in front of a standing audience in a packed club or in the sold-out Great Hall of the Vienna Concert House. "You don't have to like jazz to love Shake Stew: The band led by Lukas Kranzelbinder is set on ecstasy from head to toe. Or, to paraphrase Nietzsche: This is not music, but dynamite!" (Wiener Zeitung) Hypnotic soundscapes and driving rhythms have characterized the band's sound from the beginning, but just when you think you've deciphered the magic formula of this musical stew, Shake Stew reveals the full sonic range of its unique instrumentation: At the edge of absolute silence, sound structures conjured from nowhere emerge, flowing along trance-like repeated bass lines and gong patterns, touching you in their calmness and fragility just as deeply as the preceding groove explosions.

"Something emanates from this band that is new and special—and immensely attractive," wrote ZEIT in their analysis, and after ten years, countless concerts from Europe to overseas, and seven albums, it is clear: Shake Stew is much more than just a jazz band—they are an event. You don't have to like jazz to love Shake Stew: The band led by Lukas Kranzelbinder is set on ecstasy from head to toe. Or, to paraphrase Nietzsche: This is not music, but dynamite! - Wiener Zeitung

What I heard blew me away. Grandiose rhythms, melting horns, hypnotic funk-beat-swing-afro-jazz-rock-rhythm-and-something. I was so captivated, I could hardly stand up. I now know that other listeners had similar initiation experiences; something emanates from this band that is new and special—and immensely attractive. - Die Zeit

The unspoken magic words are magic and energy—Shake Stew brings something cult-like to contemporary jazz, a true enrichment! - Jury of the German Record Critics

Able to blind you into a trance and make you dance to your knees! - MOJO

Lukas Kranzelbinder: Bass, Guembri, Bandleader
Yvonne Moriel: Alto Saxophone
Mario Rom: Trumpet
Johannes Schleiermacher: Tenor Saxophone, Flute
Oliver Potratz: Bass
Nikolaus Dolp: Drums, Percussion
Herbert Pirker: Drums, Percussion