Born in 1987 and hailing from Upper Austria, jazz trumpeter, arranger, composer, and bandleader Simon Plötzeneder lives in Vienna as a freelance musician and is a sought-after sideman in a wide variety of jazz formations.

The Simon Ploetzeneder Quartet's first album, “145th & St. Nick's,” released in 2017, is a tribute to New York and Plötzeneder's formative time at the Manhattan School of Music. New York, the epicenter of jazz, left a deep impression on the young trumpeter and continues to strongly influence his musical work to this day.

Simon Plötzeneder has now been living and working in his adopted home of Vienna for over ten years, to which he dedicates his second album, “Vienna Vibes.” For his new album, he was able to enlist Danny Grissett, one of the world's most sought-after jazz pianists, who has already shared the stage with greats such as Tom Harrell, Nicholas Payton, Freddie Hubbard, and Roy Hargrove. Danny Ziemann from New York on double bass and drummer Jonatan Sarikoski from Finland complete the international quartet.

All four musicians have chosen Vienna as their home and thus share not only a passion for jazz, but also for this great city with the composer. Their love for Vienna and their exploration of the city's past can be felt in songs such as “Vienna Vibes,” “Imperial Legacy,” and “Mazzes-Island Groove.” The song “Mazzes-Island Groove” alludes to the composer's life in Vienna's Jewish-influenced 2nd district, popularly known as Mazzes Island. “Imperial Legacy” deals with Vienna's Habsburg imperial past, while the title song “Vienna Vibes” carries the rhythm of the city in the here and now. The past and present of a city merge into a whole in this album and are skillfully processed, reinterpreted, and brought to life in the music as a symbiosis of tradition and modernity.

As soon as the four musicians start playing, a captivating energy and musical exchange emerges that can be felt and heard. Anyone who has ever experienced the quartet live knows how exciting, explosive, and energetic this constellation is. "You can tell right away whether you fit together as a band or not. I deliberately chose this constellation because I assumed it would work well. When we played together for the first time, I was completely overwhelmed by how well we actually complemented each other and what energy suddenly filled the room. I think we all felt that way at that moment. It's a great feeling when the chemistry is right, and hopefully the audience can hear it too!" (Simon Plötzeneder)