Complexity sets the tone on "The Raid," the debut CD of the Stephan Braun Trio. Latin rhythms, 70s grooves and urban cool jazz encase smooth vocals and are topped off by the band leader's cello on a techno trip. Stephan Braun defines a broad style terrain with nine of his own compositions. The force behind the wealth of his inventive playing techniques easily puts the cello on par with jazz's more traditional lead instruments. All three members of the young Stephan Braun Trio can boast of having completed their studies at a German college of music. However, this is just one aspect of their respective professional histories. Drummer Bodek Janke, born in 1979 in Warsaw, is strongly influenced by his Polish-Kazakh-Russian roots. His learning to play the Indian tabla percussion instrument, work with internationally acclaimed jazz greats and current residence in New York are all factors that contribute to this picture of a shimmering, versatile musical personage. Also a Poland native is pianist Matth us Winnitzki whose heart belongs to Afro-Cuban music. With Hamburg as his adoptive home, it is no wonder that this founder of several bands and owner of his own label (brennt rekords) can mostly be heard in Latin Jazz ensembles. In the middle of his classical studies, Stephan Braun ultimately decided to pursue training in jazz whereby his concentration on groove techniques on the cello earned him not only his degree, but also several distinctions setting him apart from the rest. He has been awarded at national and international competitions and has up till now made a name for himself with the group deep strings (winner of the Berlin "Jazz and Blues Award" 2004) and by playing with the NDR Big Band, Annamateur and the Kristjan Randalu Quartet. "The Raid" is a declaration of sophisticated jazz composition far removed from the ingrained "themeimprovisation- theme" formula. Stephan Braun's creations are the products of his love for and exhaustive knowledge of composers from the expressionist and classical modern eras: Igor St