Under the Same Stars (Motéma, 2025) is the second installment of Mongolian-born and Germany-based pianist-composer Shuteen Erdenebaatar’s planned trilogy drawing inspiration from the mythology of her Mongolian homeland surrounding the sun, moon, and stars. The first, Rising Sun (Motema, 2023), was an acclaimed quartet recording that evoked vitality, positivity, and optimism – a fitting choice for the album’s bright sonic landscape. This second outing is a duo album with her partner, both musically and in life, Nils Kugelmann, providing the second voice. The two have performed together, mostly in duo and quartet settings, in over three hundred concerts, including a hundred in Europe and Asia in the past year. Stars – representing hope, dreams, and destiny – inspired this duo debut, and the album evokes a reflective, dreamy mix of jazz, classical, and cinematic music. The album also further builds anticipation for the forthcoming debut of Erdenebaatar’s twenty-one-piece chamber jazz orchestra, which will portray the mystery and emotional depth of the moon on next summer’s third installment.

While Kugelmann is best known as a bassist – he’s been a core member of Erdenebaatar’s quartet since its founding four years ago, and has released two acclaimed albums as a bassist/composer on the ACT label – on Under the Same Stars, he makes a remarkable debut on the rarely heard contra-alto clarinet. Erdenebaatar serendipitously discovered Kugelmann’s talents as a clarinetist when they first started playing together as students in Munich.   After years of searching for the right context, the duo found common ground to present  Kugelmann’s two instruments together. The contra-alto clarinet, every bit as large as the baritone saxophone, is an anomaly in improvised music and far more familiar to orchestral or chamber music settings.  It has a sound of its own, deeper than the bass clarinet, and more rounded. Much softer and warmer than a baritone sax, the contra-alto clarinet lends itself well to Under the Same Stars’ dreamy, cinematic repertoire. Erdenebaatar’s piano is highly lyrical and bears similarity in some compositions to Jason Moran. Others may find similarity to Geri Allen, one of Shuteeen’s major influences.

Even the titles hint at the overall sound.  Opener “Mirror Under Water” offers quiet drama as contra-alto clarinet weaves gently in and out of the pianist’s sparkling keys. Kugelmann’s “Train to the Past” features mesmerizing piano and deep undertones from his reed instrument, conjuring nostalgic thoughts of an imaginary train ride with sound becoming almost trance-like. We hear Kugelmann’s upright bass on his joyfully dancing “Tiny Wonders,” while the pianist’s “Mystery of the Woods” is meant to connote a sanctuary of peace. The piano is repetitively minimalist, and the contra-alto clarinet has an ethereal, atmospheric feel.

Erdenebaatar’s “Whispers Beyond Time”  spotlights a special guest: the soulful Jakob Manz on alto recorder. Like a forgotten lullaby echoing across centuries, this delicate composition carries the weight of ancestral memory and is the first piece that Erdenebataar composed for the duo. Kugelmaan returns to his evocative double bass for the title track, another bright piece meant to suggest both unity and the idea of finding sparks of joy in humanity.  “What Will Remain” features Shuteen’s fellow countryman, Dalaijargal Daansuren, on the morin khuur, Mongolia’s iconic horsehead fiddle. On this haunting Kugelmann composition, the piano offers a gentle ostinato beneath the morin khuur’s poignant melody, while Kugelmann’s contra-alto clarinet tones provide a mystical texture, much like shrouding fog.

“Desert Dream,” perhaps the most cinematic of the pieces, is inspired by Shuteen’s father, who grew up in the desert. Together, her resonating piano and Kugelmann’s subtle tones create the feeling of vastness and spaciousness. “Maybe the Clouds,” by Kugelmann, seques nicely in cinematic parallel. Kugelmann returns to the bass for the closer, “Road Ahead.” Shuteen’s liner notes reflect it well: “A joyful note/A door opening/New possibilities. Full of anticipation, the melody winks at things to come. Embrace the journey. Follow your heart with fearless curiosity!”  There are capsules like this for each piece throughout the album notes, as lovely as the music itself.

Erdenebataar’s music has a quiet way of creeping into your head to the point where you can’t get enough of it. It’s the perfect elixir for a good night’s sleep, those last sounds you hear before you retire for the evening, or beautiful music to wake to as well.

‘Under the Same Stars’ is out now on Motéma Records. It can be purchased on Bandcamp.

Photo credit: Dovile Sermokas