Julia Hülsmann, the Berlin-based pianist and composer, has opened a new chapter in the book of quietly inquisitive contemporary-jazz lyricism she embarked on with her first trio over 20 years ago, and then refined with regular bassist Marc Muellbauer and drummer Heinrich Köbberling under ECM’s wing after 2008. The leader’s former student, Uli Kempendorff, now joins on tenor sax – the latest occasional guest (singer Theo Bleckmann and trumpeter Tom Arthurs have been others) to realise a longstanding Hülsmann affection for partnering voices or voicelike sounds. Kempendorff, rousingly fusing old-school swing-sax romanticism, a flamethrowing Peter Brötzmann-like ferocity, and a playfulness suggestive of Andy Sheppard, dramatically expands the soundworld of this creative group. Their perspective on a Cool-to-post-bop agenda resonates through Muellbauer’s obliquely grooving ‘Le Mistral’; Kempendorff builds David Bowie’s ‘This Is Not America’ to an anguished howl (Hülsmann’s plaintive unaccompanied version of it to close the set); the title-track is a softly pulsing vehicle for a sax/piano conversation, and the tracklist brims with slow-burn mood pieces, sultry Latin grooves and disguised swing. This is very sophisticated contemporary jazz, but it has a steely core.

Jazzwise spoke to Julia Hülsmann: You discovered jazz as a teen by accident from your piano teacher. How did it happen?

My teacher would transcribe solos by all kinds of players for me – not just pianists, but Louis Armstrong and Django Reinhardt. He also gave me a mix-tape with lots of different artists. I was hooked when I heard a Bill Evans duo album with Jim Hall called Undercurrent. I wanted to play like Evans.

You formed your first trio in 1997 after graduating from the Berlin University of the Arts. What kind of music did it play at first?

Our first album in 2000 has a mixture of standards and originals. ‘Caravan’, ‘Invitation’, ‘Besame Mucho’ are on it, and The Police’s ‘King of Pain’. We only wanted to record a demo, but I brought one of my tunes to a rehearsal and Marc Muellbauer asked what else there might be. So, we added more of my tunes and in the end had a whole album.

You’ve mentioned that when the trio began recording for ECM in 2008, working with Manfred Eicher marked a change in the way you played as a group. Why was that?

Before ECM it was me who wrote all the material (except some arrangements Marc did for the album Good Morning Midnight). Working with ECM, we started viewing the trio more like a band, with three musicians who all compose and contribute their sound and ideas. Manfred Eicher influenced that, and he still pushes us to explore all possibilities and directions.

Not Far From Here brings in Uli Kempendorff on saxophone. Why did you make this change now, and what do you feel Uli brings to your music?

We wanted new input, and a new sound. We had worked a lot with singers and also with trumpet, but never with sax. Uli adds something to the trio we didn’t have before: a kind of harmonic edginess, maybe also a modern contemporary jazz sound.

Will you be exploring this quartet concept further now – or do you have a dream to do something completely different?

I have a strong feeling, and I think the band would agree, that we are not done with the quartet. It feels like we just started, and we have many more tunes waiting to be played. We love to be on tour together. So it looks like for now the band is here to stay…