Alba is the premiere recording of trumpeter Markus Stockhausen's duo with pianist Florian Weber, a formation in existence for some six years now. Though very different in their connections to the language of jazz, both musicians share a deep interest in the process of creative expression: of looking inwards and outwards with intensity at things, for echoes, resonances, insights. Initially, the duo experimented with electronic sounds, also to create the "opening sounds" that have attracted Stockhausen since he first played with Rainer Brüninghaus's trio in the early 1980s. But with Weber, the realization soon came that the duo sounded stronger playing acoustically. "Florian has this incredible touch and possibilities to modulate the sound of the piano. There are so many colours available". Alba is Markus Stockhausen's first ECM recording since Karta was released in 2000. Florian Weber, a German Jazz Critics prize winner who has played with Albert Mangelsdorff, Lee Konitz and many others, makes his ECM debut here.