Caris Hermes

With her 2022 self-titled debut album, Caris Hermes made a powerful statement—as a virtuoso bassist, a sensitive team player, and a composer with a distinctive voice. Her work earned her, among other accolades, the WDR Jazz Prize in 2024. Now, with “Rise,” she takes the next step, joining forces with the Grammy-winning WDR Big Band.

At the heart of the album are Hermes’ compositions, reimagined for big band by Steffen Schorn. His arrangements retain the intimacy and melodic clarity of the originals while opening them up into a richly colored orchestral panorama. From the buoyant ease of “Delighted” and the haunting ballads “Twelve for J.” and “Abeyance” to the high-energy “Blues No. 1,” the WDR Big Band swings, grooves, and brings every facet of this music vividly to life.

Vocalist Maika Küster adds another distinctive dimension, her voice blending seamlessly into the band’s sound. Her signature track “Wyan” grows from an intimate dialogue with the bass into a captivating orchestral soundscape.

The album closes with “Extraordinary People,” a tribute to the people who inspire us. And that is exactly what “Rise” is about: curiosity, openness, and the joy of making music—a sophisticated, powerful big-band album with an unmistakably personal voice.