Ed Partyka and Julia Oschewsky make music that is original and unique. To wit: Is there another vocalist who writes deep, probing, singable songs about life and love arranged for a thoroughly modern, 18-piece jazz ensemble with a beefed low end of tuba, bass trombone, baritone saxophone and contrabass clarinet? As fans are aware, Hold Your Fire is their fourth album, preceded by two other recordings as co-leaders, Hits (2014) and Kopfkino (2017), and Partyka’s In the Tradition (2018), which featured Oschewsky on two tracks. Their musical acquaintance goes back to 2008, when Julia played in the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra, BuJazzO, which Partyka conducted. When Julia sang Tom Waits’ “Time,” Ed was knocked out. “She sang it so great, I put a little mental check mark next to her name,” he recalled. “When my vocalist left the band in 2012, the first person I thought of was Julia.” They’ve been collaborating ever since.