Germany's Philipp Gerschlauer is a forward-thinking improviser and composer with a harmonically advanced approach to jazz. Born in 1986 in Lich, Germany, Gerschlauer first began playing saxophone at age seven after seeing the puppet character Zoot playing the instrument on The Muppet Show. He also added piano lessons to his practice routine, and by his teens was studying classical saxophone at the Music University of Frankfurt/Main. During his formative years, he developed a love of jazz, and honed his skills playing with the Youth Jazz Orchestra of the federal district of Hessen. He also formed his own group, Besaxung, with whom he recorded several albums, and won the German national youth jazz competition. From there, he attended the Jazzinstitut Berlin, where he studied with Peter Weniger, Greg Cohen, and Kurt Rosenwinkel. Graduating in 2012, he relocated to New York, where he earned his Master's degree from New York University and studied with such luminaries as saxophonist Chris Potter and vibraphonist Stefon Harris. In 2017, he released his debut solo album, Mikrojazz, featuring drummer Jack DeJohnette, guitarist David Fiuczynski, bassist Matt Garrison, and keyboardist Giorgi Mikadze. ~ Matt Collar