With the "Awaking" trio, the excellent pianist now has another ensemble at the springboard. He never tires of stressing how important the alliance with his co-musicians is. And that music is not a playground for egos for him, but a matter of the heart. He will complete his Master's degree in Vienna without giving up his base in Graz. In the spring of 2025, Thomas Quendler won the Ö1 Jazz Scholarship of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, which will enable another album production. "Awaking" is a huge step on a promising path.

The natural limitations of the diatonic instrument eventually led him to the piano. At first, he played on his cousin's piano. He learned by playing by ear and by using online videos. Thomas Quendler received classical lessons at a music school when he was 13, and he discovered jazz piano when he was 15: a breakthrough for his further development. His outstanding musical talent was revealed within a very short time. Parallel to the regular school, he completed a preliminary course of study in Klagenfurt. The aforementioned Wolfsberg music school ensemble initially played jazz standards. Then Quendler & Co. discovered the great jazz rock/fusion tradition: Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, and Chick Corea’s Electric Band. On the other hand, Quendler also learned to appreciate Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly as well as Brad Mehldau and Shai Maestro in those years.

1. It Don T Mean a Thing
2. Madness
3. Flow
4. Racso
5. Horizon
6. Yatra-Ta
7. Awaking
8. Myosotis