Stax is the name of the quartet of young German drummer Max Stadtfeld, who has learned to play the drums under the guidance of teachers Heinrich Köbberling and Michael Wollny. The quartet has found each other on the Leipzig-Cologne axis and features Max Stadtfeld on drums, Matthew Halpin on tenor saxophone, Bertram Burkert on guitar and Reza Askari on double bass. Their music is imbued with an astonishing sense of both freshness and maturity.  They listen to each other and react, and it’s different each time on their “Stax” album, which features eight compositions by Stadtfeld and two unexpected standards, “Begin the Beguine” by Cole Porter and “Jungle Book Overture” by George Burns.