A powerful drummer from Germany who has been part of the New York creative music scene for the past quarter-century, Christian Finger is also a skilled composer whose originals often draws upon deep emotions. He describes his  new album as being “about the time (ZEIT) that feels wide open when dealing with one’s inner realm (ZIRKEL). The music is rooted in the resilience and space of the human spirit specifically in the face of death and loss.” While exploring human suffering, Finger’s pieces turn dark feelings into hope about the days ahead and finding inner peace.

For this set of 13 explorations, Finger is joined by four brilliant musicians, each of whom add their creative skills and individual voices to the unpredictable and often-haunting music. Ralph Alessi has been an innovative trumpeter ever since joining altoist Steve Coleman’s Five Elements in the mid-1990s. Ben Monder first emerged as a distinctive and versatile guitarist in the early 90s and worked amomgst others with David Bowie. Pianist Vadim Neselovskyi (recorded and toured with Gary Burton) and bassist Adam Armstrong (played with Maria Schneider and Kenny Kirkland) first recorded with Finger back in 2006 and are long-time associates.

The opener, “Alta Anima” (which in Spanish means “high soul”), has a thoughtful theme played by Alessi, a countermelody added by Monder, and a fiery trumpet solo. “Hope and Hope” begins with an uptempo trumpet-drums-bass trio,is joined by guitar and calms down during the closing melody for a hymnic statement. “Fifteen PM,” one of the program’s highpoints, features blazing trumpet, rockish guitar, powerful drums, and a particularly creative piano solo.

The other selections include the picturesque “Dawn Dream,” an exuberant “Stimmung M,” the intriguing “Frei Geist” which has pianist Neselovskyi swinging in his own way, the intense “Wellenklang,” a stark ballad (“Five Secrets I”), the peaceful “Gentle Garden” which features bassist Armstrong, particularly close interplay by Alessi and Neselovskyi on “Zeit Zirkel,” the thoughtful interplay by the five musicians on the free-form “Five Secrets II,” and a pair of concise but colorful drum solos (“Time Flows For You” and “Time Flows For Us”).

Christian Finger was born and raised in Germany. Considered a child protégé, he studied drums in Germany, the United States, and the Netherlands. He spent time living and working in Europe and Sydney, Australia before moving to New York City in 2001. Since that time Finger has worked with such notables as Lee Konitz, Ron Carter, Jeff Ballard, Dave Kikoski and several Grammy nominated artists. He was also nominated best composer at Cannes Documentary Film Festival.

Among the groups that he has led are the Christian Finger Band (a trio with Vadim Neselovskyi and Adam Armstrong with guests like Donny McCaslin and Rich Perry), the Finger European Band (a quartet with top German players), the collaborative IN Trio (with saxophonist Tim Armacost and bassist Harvie S), and the experimental duo nimbu2 with Peter Knoll. 

Zeit Zirkel is one of the finest showcases yet for Christian Finger’s highly individual writing, drumming, and ability to bring out the very best in his musicians.

BIOGRAPHY

Christian Finger is an award-winning and critically acclaimed drummer, composer, bandleader, and educator based in New York City. Born and raised in Germany in an artistic family, he began playing drums and piano at an early age and quickly distinguished himself as a young musical talent at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold.

His musical education took him across Germany, the United States, and the Netherlands, where he earned degrees in teaching and percussion. After establishing himself professionally in Europe, Finger moved to Sydney, Australia, before relocating to New York City in 2001. Over the course of a career spanning more than three decades, he has established himself as an internationally active performer, composer, bandleader, and educator.

“It takes an exceptional composer, leader, and percussionist to conceive a program of such ambition and scope, much less to make it work. Christian Finger is all three in one person and that marks him as an exceptional and exemplary contemporary musician.”

— Bob Blumenthal, Jazz Author

Finger has released five albums as a leader: 

• Balance (2001), featuring Lee Konitz, John Goldsby, and Frank Wunsch.

• Merge Into Beauty (2006), featuring Rich Perry, Vadim Neselovskyi, Adam Armstrong, and the Momenta String Quartet.

• Ananda – The World Is Bliss (2015), featuring Jeff Ballard in a rare drum duet, together with Dave Stryker, Zach Brock, Vadim Neselovskyi, Pete McCann, Bobby Harden, Adam Armstrong, and the Mivos String Quartet.

• Dignity and Passion (2018), featuring Vadim Neselovskyi and Adam Armstrong.

• Zeit Zirkel (2026), featuring Ralph Alessi, Ben Monder, Vadim Neselovskyi, and Adam Armstrong.

"...Finger's percussion is masterful, providing the perfect touch."

— Ken Dryden, NYCJR

Finger leads the Christian Finger Band in New York City, featuring a core trio with pianist Vadim Neselovskyi and bassist Adam Armstrong. The group brings together jazz, classical, world, and popular influences through Finger's original compositions and the individual voices of its musicians.

The band has featured an exceptional roster of internationally recognized artists, including Lee Konitz, Ralph Alessi, Ben Monder, Dave Kikoski, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin, Dave Stryker, Zach Brock, and Dan Tepfer. Finger has performed with Grammy-nominated artists at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and leading jazz clubs and festivals in New York City and internationally.

He also leads the Finger European Band, bringing together leading musicians from Europe and maintaining a strong connection to the European jazz scene.

As a sought-after sideman and collaborator, Finger has performed and recorded with some of the most respected musicians in jazz and contemporary music. 

He was a member of IN Trio with bass legend Harvie S and saxophonist Tim Armacost. The trio released three critically acclaimed albums: Defining Moment, Cascade, and Sizzle. Finger is also a member of the experimental duo nimbu2 with guitarist Peter Knoll. The duo explores the boundaries between jazz, rock, noise, soundscapes, and electronic textures, and has released the album Open Plains.

“Ananda is brimming with idealism and fearless venture... this ambitious undertaking successfully aspires to exude an abstract, sprawling vibe of global connectivity... Ananda is plentiful with such moments: cinematic tableaus that somehow gracefully merge... on-the-sleeve honesty and that’s key..."

— Jeff Potter, Downbeat Magazine

Drawing on jazz, classical, world, and popular music, Finger has developed a distinctive compositional language that brings together the improvisational spirit of jazz, European musical sensibility, indigenous traditions, and the cinematic qualities of film music. His compositions balance sophisticated arrangements with openness, spontaneity, rhythmic exploration, and improvisation.Finger's work as a composer has also extended beyond the concert stage. His music has been recognized for its cinematic qualities, and he was nominated for Best Composer at the Cannes Shorts Film Festival.

Finger holds a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching and a Master of Arts in Percussion, having studied in the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands.

He is the founder of the New York Drum School where Christian offers private instruction, workshops, clinics, and online lessons.

Whether performing with his own ensembles, collaborating with leading musicians, composing for large and small groups, or working one-on-one with students, Christian Finger approaches music as an ongoing exploration of rhythm, sound, improvisation, and human expression.

Rooted in the traditions of jazz while drawing freely from classical, world, popular, and contemporary music, his work reflects a distinctly international perspective shaped by his European upbringing, his years in Australia, and more than two decades immersed in the creative music scene of New York City.