Articles by Adriana Carcu
Jazz and Joy Festival 2015
by Adriana Carcu
Jazz and Joy Festival 2015 Worms, Germany June 19-21, 2015 The Jazz and Joy Festival, located in the German town of Worms, celebrated its 25th anniversary. Not far from Frankfurt on Main, Worms carries an illustrious historical heritage, as the site of the Middle Age Nibelung Legend, which was later masterfully rendered in music by Richard Wagner in the series of operas called Der Ring des Nibelungen. The festival--featuring 40 bands, on five different ...
read moreMarilyn Mazur: The Song in the Woods
by Adriana Carcu
Danish drummer, percussionist and composer Marilyn Mazur reached iconic status on the contemporary jazz scene in the early years of her career. Playing in the eighties with titans Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter and Gil Evans, she later joined Jan Garbarek's group and was instrumental in some of the musician's most significant projects at the beginning of the millennium. With astounding versatility and a natural sense of emulation, Mazur turns each of her performances into a powerful show that ...
read moreEivind Aarset: The Edge Between Intimacy and Courage
by Adriana Carcu
Guitarist and composer Eivind Aarset is one of the most imaginative exponents of the spirit of open diversity that defines and differentiates the Nordic Jazz soundscape. Coming along a progressive-rock line of influence enriched by a world music heritage and refined by electronics, his music emanates the radiant energy of an unfolding white lotus flower that gradually reveals its self-contained complexity. His guitar tones explore spheres of pure lyricism paired with a vibrant force of expression, and reaches resonant peaks ...
read moreJazz in Church Festival 2015
by Adriana Carcu
Jazz in Church Festival Bucharest, Romania Lutheran Church April 16-19, 2015 The Jazz in Church Festival reaffirmed its call of unconventionality by bringing together artists of most diversified styles and orientations. A subtly assorted lineup consolidated the nascent tradition of open dialog and transgender interplay set forth three years ago. For four days in April the cupola of the Lutheran Church in Bucharest echoed with the unobstructed creativity of the performers and reverberated with ...
read moreEnjoy Jazz Festival 2014
by Adriana Carcu
Enjoy Jazz Festival Heidelberg, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, Germany October 2 -November 15, 2014 Here are the festival numbers: 80 shows in almost seven weeks on 25 stages, performed by 250 musicians from 35 countries. Beyond the numbers there are many names: quite a few well known, a fair amount of established artists and--in a refreshing proportion-newcomers. True to its motto “festival for jazz and other such things," Enjoy Jazz carried out a gender cross section featuring ...
read moreJazz at Bran Castle 2014
by Adriana Carcu
Bran Castle Bran Jazz Festival Bran, Romania August 29-September 1, 2014 The castle located in the heights of the Transylvanian Carpathian Mountains known as the dwelling place of the legendary Count Dracula has hosted the second edition of a jazz festival that ushered in a new type of record: the most visited castle in the world- -toured each year by well over half a million tourists--for three days became the scene of a quite ...
read moreErland Dahlen: Rolling Bombers and Blossom Bells
by Adriana Carcu
The drummer, percussionist and composer Erland Dahlen is one of the most proficient musicians of the Nordic jazz community. His collaborations with top ranking musicians, such as Nils Petter Molvaer, Stian Westerhus, Eivind Aarset and Jan Bang, as well as his solo projects, have an unmistakable rhythmic signature owing to his singular instrumental voice. The natural roundness and the musicality of his drums as well as the spatiality of the cymbals and bells create an inspiring rhythmical halo. ...
read moreMircea Tiberian: The Natural Force of Music
by Adriana Carcu
Pianist Mircea Tiberian is an emblematic figure of Romanian jazz, with a prodigious musical and academic career. He plays an influential role in the jazz scene and as author of many theoretical studies and essays, fosters its development on the theoretical level as well. Along his 40 year career Tiberian has played with top ranking Romanian jazz musicians and with quite a few Western ones such as Randy Brecker, Chris Dahlgren, John Betsch, Maurice de Martin and Christian Lillinger. Educated ...
read moreGarana Jazz Festival 2014
by Adriana Carcu
Garana Jazz Festival Wolf's Meadow Garana, Romania July 10-13, 2014 One of Europe's most visited festivals, taking place on a meadow over 300 ft. high in the Western Carpathians, just had its 18th anniversary. The lineup, a brand mark of the festival director, Marius Giura, combined again tradition with diversity, bringing together American jazz musicians such as Andy Sheppard, Tom Harrell, Joey Defrancesco and Mike Stern, the Nordic jazz representatives Ulf Wakenius, ...
read moreNils Petter Molvaer in Benrath Forest
by Adriana Carcu
Nils Petter Molvær: Lucid DreamBenrath Forest Duesseldorf, GermanyMay 31, 2014 Nils Petter Molvær's ambient sound and light installation, Lucid Dream, was performed in Germany on the last night of May, 2014. The floating dreaminess of the music was enhanced by sound designer Jørgen Larsson and lighting/video artist Pekka Stokke. Molvær has elaborated the concept of the performance together with Beate Schüler, who was also the curator of the event. The performance, sounding the elusive territory ...
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