With his new album Freshta, Mark Lotz confirms his reputation as a composer and improviser who always comes up with surprisingly haunting music. always comes up with surprisingly haunting music. Freshta is the result of a commission from the Association of Dutch Jazz Venues and Jazz Festivals (VNJJ) and the Dutch writers' organization BUMA. He dedicated the commission to the women of Afghanistan. The album title commemorates Freshta Kohistani, an Afghan women's rights activist and fighter for democracy. In 2020, when she was 29 years old, she was murdered near her home north-east of Kabul. He put together a new ensemble especially for these new compositions. "A dream team of top European musicians," he says proudly. "Musicians who are able to give complex music an emotional level."