Jochen Baldes Bashō

A glimmer, a snapshot that defies meaning and interpretation, a form of beauty that embodies nothingness. To understand the haiku, one must possess mental humility, as well as the capacity for contemplative detachment and devotion. Matsuo Bashō was a 17th-century Japanese poet. The haiku owes its entry into serious literature, as well as a new grace and mysticism, to him. In his latest project, Jochen Baldes translates these Japanese poems into a delicately balanced jazz language. Brief poetic images, silence, movement and surprising twists form the basis of compositions that open up wide spaces and invite interpretation. The accompanying album, Bashō, was released on Unit Records on 23 October 2026.