Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on December 1, 2025
Jung Stratmann Quartet Confluence Album Release Feat. Steve Cardenas & Marko Djordjevic
The Jung Stratmann Quartet introduce their new project Confluence with the haunting first single, “This Wine Tastes Very Dry,” ahead of the album’s December 3, 2025 release. The international quartet, led by South Korean pianist Sujae Jung and German bassist Wolf Robert Stratmann, is joined by guitarist Steve Cardenas and drummer Marko Djordjevic on a set of five original compositions that highlight nuance, space, and storytelling.
Confluence brings together Jung’s and Stratmann’s complementary writing voices. The opening track, Jung’s “Tree Huggers,” sets the tone with a relaxed, melodic feel and unhurried interaction between piano, bass, guitar, and drums. “Summer Whale,” co-written by Jung and Stratmann, plays like a short film, tracing the annual journey of a blue whale through the ocean—full of vivid sights, subtle drama, and a touch of homesickness that the band renders with cinematic clarity.
Stratmann’s “This Wine Tastes Very Dry” turns inward, unfolding as a melancholy, out-of-tempo ballad where the quartet finds motion through harmony and texture rather than pulse. The band lingers in stillness, letting quiet emotions and melodic fragments rise and fall like memory. “The Pull” offers a contrasting mood, channeling the late-night energy of New York City’s after-hours scene with an infectious Stratmann bassline and an easy, swinging groove.
The album closes with Jung’s “After Sunset,” a brief, wistful ballad that feels like the last deep breath at the end of an evening—intimate, reflective, and gently unresolved. Across the album, the four musicians blend their distinct personal sounds into a unified group identity, favoring patient development and lyrical improvisation over flash.
Both Jung and Stratmann bring a rich background of study and projects to Confluence. Jung studied at The New School in New York (earning a Master’s degree as a Performer-Composer), the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, and Kukje University of Arts. Her work ranges from solo ambient music as SueSoom to the improvised electronic trio Airplane Ears and Intertwined, which combines traditional Korean music with contemporary jazz. Stratmann, born in Bielefeld, Germany and also a Royal Conservatory alum, relocated to New York in 2023 to study at The New School. He has toured Europe and explored sound-driven projects like Project Natural Sound, which blends field recordings with improvisation, as well as Airplane Ears with Jung.
Together, as the Jung Stratmann Project, the two have documented their evolving chemistry on Bird of Luck, Live at 29th Street, and their duo EP Tree Huggers. With the release of Confluence, they widen the circle, inviting Cardenas and Djordjevic into an intimate, highly interactive quartet setting that feels both grounded and exploratory—a strong next chapter for two artists steadily carving out their own corner of the modern jazz landscape.
For more information, visit sujaejungmusic.com and wolfrobertstratmann.com.
Track Listing – Confluence
1. Tree Huggers (6:53) – composed by Sujae Jung
2. Summer Whale (6:52) – co-composed by Sujae Jung and Wolf Robert Stratmann
3. This Wine Tastes Very Dry (5:51) – composed by Wolf Robert Stratmann
4. The Pull (6:01) – composed by Wolf Robert Stratmann
5. After Sunset (3:34) – composed by Sujae Jung
Total CD time: 29:11
Personnel:
Sujae Jung – Piano
Wolf Robert Stratmann – Double Bass
Steve Cardenas – Guitar
Marko Djordjevic – Drums
