“It’s All in Your Head” is tenor saxophonist Julius Gawlik’s debut album as a leader. It doesn’t feel or sound like a debut album, though. As a saxophonist and musician, Gawlik’s maturity belies his years.

I met Julius seven years ago at a workshop and his sound and demeanor stuck out to me immediately. Fully and equally in control of both of his primary instruments, the clarinet and the tenor saxophone (both of which are represented on this album), he was already a powerful, yet probing and searching soloist, never blasé, always confidently curious and pushing forward. I was glad to see him follow his own path in the consecutive years, quickly establishing himself on the scene in Berlin and working in small groups all over the continent. Luminaries from different generations recognised his unique qualities - Phil Donkin, Oli Steidle, Felix Henkelhausen, Evi Filippou and especially Jim Black, with whom he started to develop a fantastic raport in his quartet with (fellow (alto) saxophonist Asger Nissen). This connection is evident on “It’s All in Your Head”.

Then, at 23, he became the youngest member of the NDR Big Band, following Christof Lauer’s retirement and again filling those shoes with a justified confidence and his own voice. The band featured his own music in the “Tauchen” project during the first year of his tenure, taking the ensemble into a different direction and culminating in shows in different cities as well as a radio production (this production will be released in 2026). Despite this regular empoyment, he’s maintained his presence in Berlin and hasn’t let up on any of his activities here. This way, Julius has worked himself into the privilege of getting into high- stakes fast-learning mentorship situations and to me, he has lived up to all the expectations naturally and (seemingly) calmly every time. That calmness shouldn’t fool you into thinking that he’s resting on any of the achieved laurels, though - he just keeps patiently pushing the rock. Upwards and onwards with the arts, indeed!

This welcome organic development of a strong individual voice finds its way into this record. Gawlik’s ties to all members of the band are all long-standing and mutual, having worked in each other’s bands for quite some time. This familiarity becomes evident upon a first listen but it is a familiarity that doesn’t result in benign comfort with each other, but rather the certainty and trust to push each other to, as Leo Nocentelli would say, “keep on stretching that rubber band”. This, in a nutshell, is what makes you quickly forget that this record is a debut: that Gawlik chose to position himself in an environment that favors exploration, discourse and challenge over a comfortable canopy on which to show off his remarkable qualities as a young and gifted instrumentalist. As a listener, you're in the music right away, ready to go along on the ride.