Ensemble Du Verre – Spaces of Sound and Poetry
In 2003, composer, producer, and drummer Sönke Düwer founded Ensemble Du Verre. With Claas Ueberschär on trumpet, Daniel Cordes on bass, and Düwer himself on drums, piano, and electronics, a musical journey began that continues to this day—marked by curiosity, stylistic openness, and poetic coherence. From the outset, the ambition was clear: to create music that connects jazz, in its original spirit of change, with electronic modernity. The goal was a music that resists categorization—a sonic cosmos where forms and structures, improvisation, and compositional craft could coexist.
The debut album facing, transparent (2004) captured this vision: jazz as a foundation, enriched with electronic textures, opening new sonic dimensions. As the supporting act for Bugge Wesseltoft on his German tour, the ensemble demonstrated its openness. With Sing Me Something (2005), E.D.V. turned its attention to the human voice—featuring Sidsel Endresen, Ursula Rucker, and Torun Eriksen—and received the „CD of the Year“ award from the TV channel Arte.
In 2008, Düwer founded his own label, Batterie, to ensure creative independence. That same year saw the release of Sanctuary For Animals (2008), which won the German Record Critics‘ Award. Once again, Ursula Rucker’s spoken words appeared, a recurring thread throughout the ensemble’s discography. Subsequent releases included Versions, Vibes and Remixes (2010), The Contemporary Cowboy (2011, „CD of the Week“ on NDR), and The Light Gets In (2014), an album embracing elements of Spiritual Jazz, Electronic Beats, and Cinematic Jazz.
With Rooms (2016, „CD of the Week“ on WDR), the ensemble opened a new chapter: stripped-down minimal dub-soul—intimate songs for voice, piano, bass, and drums, interwoven with subtle electronics. Jet-Black Notebook (2019) continued in that vein, deepening the connection between singer-songwriter traditions and contemporary electronics. Book of Fulflled Wishes (2024) brought together two single series—vocal and instrumental—into one multifaceted work. Finally, on February 6, 2026, the tenth album, Lost in Your Garden, will be released: a cycle of twelve compositions featuring musicians such as Melanie Streitmatter, Giorgi Kiknadze, Jan-Peter Klöpfel, Adrian Hanack, and once again Ursula Rucker. The album unites jazz tradition with improvisational freedom, lyrical depth, and sonic renewal. Over the years, Ensemble Du Verre has collaborated with numerous musicians—nationally, including Edgar Herzog, Silvan Strauss, Marc Muellbauer, Nora Becker, and Miss Platnum; internationally, with Ursula Rucker, Bugge Wesseltoft, and Sidsel Endresen. This diversity shapes the ensemble’s eclectic, poetic style, oscillating between urban soul, cinematic sound art, and minimalist song structure. Beyond studio work and releases—including several EPs such as Remixed, Scatterbrained, and Lightning Bugs—Ensemble Du Verre performs live in Germany and abroad. For Sönke Düwer and his changing live line-ups, concerts are spaces of openness: structures dissolve, improvisational energy expands the musical cosmos, and intensity alternates with restraint.
The ensemble’s music has received extensive acclaim from radio and press—airplay on Gilles Peterson, Laurent Garnier, and NDR, as well as features in Jazzthing, De:Bug, and on Arte TV. Nominations such as the Bremer Jazz Prize and the German Record Critics‘ Award underscore the project’s artistic relevance. At its core, however, lies a creative philosophy: Sönke Düwer’s studio work is a space of growth and trust, where chance and process are as vital as planning and composition. Each piece, each collaboration, opens new and unpredictable paths. Ensemble Du Verre is therefore more than an ensemble—it is a living, evolving organism that creates spaces for devotion, vulnerability, beauty, joy, melancholy, and renewal.