This magnificent concert took place at the Berlin Jazzfest 2017, where Angelika Niescier was awarded the Albert Mangelsdorff Prize (German Jazz Prize). This concert by the Angelika Niescier NYC Trio with Chris Tordini on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums - who was Jazzfest Berlin’s 2017 Artist in Residence, and gave several performances in Berlin - proved to be a remarkable stroke of luck for the festival, since Niescier had already worked regularly with both for ten years.

When Alexander Hawkins played at the Jazzfest Berlin in a duo with the American trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, he met the saxophonist Angelika Niescier. Niescier was playing at the festival with her New York Trio with bassist Christopher Tordini and drummer Tyshawn Sorey ("The Berlin Concert", Intakt CD 305). Niescier has also been honored in Berlin with the Albert Mangelsdorff Prize, Germany's most prestigious jazz award.

With this recording, alto saxophonist and bandleader Angelica Niescier and pianist and composer Florian Weber, both from Cologne Germany, place themselves at the centre of the New York City jazz scene. They are joined in the NYC Five by three acclaimed jazz musicians in great demand in the Big Apple: trumpeter Ralph Alessi, bassist Christopher Tordini and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. The quintet plays highly contemporary jazz with original tunes, distinctive arrangements, complex rhythms and expressive improvisations on the album, co-produced by Niescier.