Charlotte Greve at Donau115

Charlotte Greve live at Donau115
Charlotte Greve - saxophone, voice, synth · Charlotte Jacobs - voice, synth · Simon Jermyn - bass · Mark Schilders - drums
Charlotte Greve Breaks Form on WATERBODIES, Her Expansive Solo Debut
Produced by Shahzad Ismaily, the Oct. 2 album charts a deeply personal journey across Greve’s musical worlds
On October 2, 2026, New Amsterdam Records will release WATERBODIES, the debut solo album from German-born, Brooklyn-based saxophonist, composer and singer Charlotte Greve. Praised by The New York Times as “definitely her own artist,” and featured on two of the publication’s “best of” lists, Greve has drawn acclaim from Pitchfork, MOJO and The Wire for a sound that moves fluidly across jazz, classical and experimental traditions. A sought-after sidewoman for artists including Chris Morrissey, Laura Veirs, Cass McCombs and Matt Pavolka, she recently premiered Breathe for the award-winning vocal ensemble Lorelei, as well as Continuing, a saxophone-and-choir piece presented by Carnegie Hall that debuted at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Produced by Shahzad Ismaily, WATERBODIES features an expansive cast, including the New York-based vocal ensemble KHORIKOS and the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, spanning styles from jazz and ambient to classical, power ballads and ‘80s-inspired dance pop. Unbridled and unapologetic, the album is a deliberate rejection of stylistic cohesion, a defiant journey through Greve’s most cherished musical worlds, and her most personal work to date.
“Although this is my 10th release, in many ways it feels like a debut,” says Greve, who is releasing the record under her own name after nine projects under band aliases. “It captures the full range of what I’ve been drawn to musically. Rather than narrowing things down, I wanted to open them up, placing these disparate influences side by side and trusting their connection would come through because they’re all channeled through me.”
Written while Greve was pregnant with her daughter and first child, WATERBODIES opens with the gentle drone of “The Well,” her distinctive saxophone wandering, curious, before crashing into the poised thrum of “Wave,” a synth-centered, ‘80-pop-inspired track where Greve sings, “Trying to escape the big water coming.”
Soon after learning she was pregnant, a friend urged her, “Record it now, before the baby comes!” The advice provided the impetus to document this moment in her musical life, resulting in a record that kicks against the goads — sometimes contemplative, often triumphant and always sanguine.
“This is the most holistic representation of my musical interests,” she says. “I wanted it to feel like a playground — the opposite of an easy-to-sell, career-minded, one-kind-of-thing record. In some ways, it made no sense. I was pregnant and pouring my money into something that was clearly not commercial. But this was a personal wish. Something I felt I had to do.”
Like currents across the sea, the album’s songs move as individual pieces within a shared world, shifting from spoken word to a full symphony orchestra, improvised jazz to bizarro synth-pop, power ballads to the serene, arpeggiated closer, “Scorpio.” It all ends where it begins: in muted musing, finally bringing the tempest-tossed listener to shore.
“With WATERBODIES, I hope to invite the audience to experience the music as if walking through a film,” says Charlotte Greve. “Contrasting scenes unfold one after another, yet remain connected by a common thread.”
Much like life itself.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlotte.greve.18
Instagram: @cha.greve
https://charlottegreve.bandcamp.com/album/waterbodies