Christoph Irniger's Pilgrim: Human Intelligence (live)

"The one thing I concluded was not to try and reproduce a live event—I thought, live goals are different. There might be more improvisation, more risk," Christoph Irniger reflects in the liner notes to Pilgrim's 2023 studio album Ghost Cat (Intakt). The saxophonist and composer reinforces the idea with this electrifying live recording, captured at Red Horn District in Bad Meinberg, Germany, in November 2023.

For 14 years, Irniger's quintet—pianist Stefan Aeby, guitarist Dave Gisler, bassist Raffaele Bossard and drummer Michael Stulz —have been refining their chemistry, releasing half a dozen albums along the way. Here, they embrace unpredictability, performing without a set list and allowing composed material to flow seamlessly into group improvisations. The result is a performance that feels both risky and deeply intuitive—in the best possible way.

The quintet's synergy is evident from the start. The concert opens with "Hendrix," where Stulz's meditative touch on pads and cymbals draws the ensemble in before Gisler launches into a blues-soaked homage to Jimi Hendrix. "Calling the Spirits" sustains the introspective mood with bowed strings, plucked piano insides, bells, and airy saxophone, gradually building into soaring solos reminiscent of Wayne Shorter's final ensemble. Irniger knows exactly when to shout and when to whisper, skillfully balancing power with restraint.

Elsewhere, "Secret Level" evokes the percussive chants of Kahil El'Zabar, while "Seven Down Eight Up" playfully stutters with glitch-like bursts of notes. The quintet constructs complexity through continuous deconstruction and reinvention, a feat made possible by their deep musical connection.

By the time the concert reaches its closing piece, "Back in the Game," the journey has come full circle. Irniger's final notes serve as both a reflective farewell and a musical remedy—an uplifting conclusion to an exhilarating, boundless performance.

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