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As the title of Christian Artmann's new CD The Middle of Life suggests, he's no ingénue. The German-born flutist, now based in the San Francisco Bay Area after living for more than 15 years in New York, is a seasoned composer with a small but acclaimed discography that's contributed significantly to keeping the flute in the foreground of the contemporary jazz scene. As for many of us, the experience of the pandemic inspired deep reflection, and with his fourth album (and third for Sunnyside) Artmann takes stock of what matters most.

Part of what makes The Middle of Life a strikingly cohesive project is Artmann's choice of ensemble. The album features Hungarian-born pianist Laszlo Gardony (also on Artmann's previous release Our Story), as well as Gardony's longtime collaborators, bassist John Lockwood and drummer Yoron Israel.