Results for "Berlin"

Volker Meitz

Berlin based pianist / keyboarder Volker Meitz is involved in several projects from Jazz to experimental or popular music. Due to his eclectic approach, Volker has always been hard to pigeon-hole to any one specific genre - but he actually likes it that way. Having started out composing chiptunes in the 8-bit computer scene, he went on to produce electronic club music incorporating jazz musicians in the 1990's, played in one of the first drum'n'bass live bands in Europe, was musical director of Sonar Kollektiv Orchester and recorded freely improvised, yet heavily processed music with Projekt Schwedt.
Today, his projects include SpaceKrautDubJazz band THE SHREDZ (w/ Eric Schaefer, John Dennis Renken, John Eckhardt), Free Imrov quartet KEMD (w/ Silke Eberhard, Almut Kühne, Yorgos Dimitriadis), SouljazzFusionStep combo GRAND COULOIR as well as duo and solo programs

Conor Cantrell

Born: July 26, 1990

Born in Galway, Ireland, Conor embarked on his professional musical career at the age of fourteen, establishing himself as a versatile multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter. His development as an artist has been profoundly shaped by his beginnings as a trumpet player and the opportunity to study under and receive masterclasses from some of the world’s most distinguished musicians and educators, including Steve Waterman, Gene Calderazo, Phil Robson, Dave Liebman, Mark Turner, Rufus Reid, Jonathan Kreisberg, Ari Hoenig, and Jerry Bergonzi, among many others.

Throughout his career, Conor has had the honour of performing and recording alongside various internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles such as The Commitments, Imelda May, The Republic of Loose, the Brexit Big Band, Brian Priestly, the Matt Roberts Bigband and Louis Stewart.

60 Years Of Jazzfest Berlin: Still Digging

September 26, 2024

From October 31 to November 3, Jazzfest Berlin is celebrating its 60th anniversary with 24 concerts at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Quasimodo, A-Trane and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. This year, the concert programme is bolstered by two anniversary specials: the Jazzfest Research Lab and the Jazzfest Community Lab Moabit. The full programme. Jazzfest Berlin, ...

Janek van Laak: Drumming Up a Circle of Madness

by Lawrence Peryer
July 13, 2024

Today, the Spotlight shines On Berlin-based drummer, composer, and producer Janek van Laak. Janek grew up in post-reunification Berlin which gave birth to a vibrant culture of music and art. He joined me earlier this year, around the release of his debut solo album, Circle of Madness (Sonar Kollektiv), a work that makes me ...

Markus Reuter: Recording Music Across Space and Time

by Lawrence Peryer
May 4, 2024

Today, the Spotlight shines On returning guest, the innovative musician and composer Markus Reuter.Markus originally joined us for Episode 130 back in November 2022. He joins us now to discuss his project Sea of Hopeless Angels (Unsung Records), which began as several unedited studio solo improvisations by Markus on his electric touch guitar. Those ...

Hainbach: Crafting Soundscapes from Forgotten Relics

by Lawrence Peryer
April 27, 2024

Today, the Spotlight shines On Berlin-based electronic music composer and performer Hainbach.I have come to view Hainbach as much an archeologist or audio specimen collector as he is a musician. While he makes beautiful music and soundscapes, they are often showcase pieces for the devices he works on, which include not only vintage and ...

Ramiro Zayas

The jazz pianist and composer Ramiro Zayas, based in Berlin, has been active in the scene for several years. In his music, Zayas blends his understanding of modal jazz, free improvisation, and Argentine music. Among his works as a leader are "Río Interior" (2019) and "Parte del Viaje" (2024), where the artist showcases refined harmonic exploration and solid skills as a composer. Currently, he also leads his ensemble "Collector" and is part of the Finnish-Argentinian trio "Narat."

Discovering the connection between images, emotions, and music is what interests him the most, and he strives to apply it both in his own project and in his compositions for large ensembles or big bands.

Jazz Meets Classic And Cinema on Gerhard Daum's 'Jazz Ballads'

March 14, 2024

Jazz Ballads is the fourth album by Gerhard Daum that I’ve reviewed since 2017, and each album has been a surprise—from solo piano to guitar to ensemble and now to trumpet. Daum’s trumpet is the lead instrument on all of the tracks along with an ensemble that includes piano, flugelhorn, guitars and MIDI bass—all played by ...

Dexter Stanley-Tauvao

Born: May 8, 1995

Dexter Stanley-Tauvao is a Sāmoan jazz drummer, composer and educator currently based in New York, USA. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Dexter studied at the New Zealand School of Music and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz with First Class Honours.

His musical career has taken him to Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, the USA and Germany, and he has performed alongside jazz icons such as Alex Sipiagin, Antonio Hart, Rufus Reid and Scott Wendtholt. While he is most passionate about big band and straight-ahead jazz, (Alex Sipiagin, Roberto Manzin, Umar Zakaria, New Zealand Youth Jazz Orchestra, Lauren Nottingham) he also loves Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, funk, indie-pop and folk music. Dexter’s willingness to learn has led to engagements with a wide range of musical ensembles, including:

Judy Niemack

Born: March 11, 1954

Born and raised in Pasadena, California, Judy gained her early experience singing in her church choir from the age of 7. She first heard jazz through her mother’s Nancy Wilson records, and discovered that she could easily sing harmonies when she and her sister sang background vocals on folk songs behind their brother. As a teenager, she sang in a wide variety of settings including musical theater, rock bands, bluegrass groups, madrigals and in a vocal jazz quartet.

Judy then studied classical singing and was encouraged to make it her focus, but the turning point in her young career was when she met the great tenor-saxophonist Warne Marsh (who followed in the footsteps of his teacher, pianist Lennie Tristano by becoming an important jazz educator). “I became Warne’s first vocal student. He treated me just like I was a horn player, and assigned me solos by Charlie Parker, Roy Eldridge and Prez to learn. He taught me to improvise. He always called it instant composition.” Attending Pasadena City College, she had lessons with alto saxophonist Gary Foster, and later studied classical singing at New England Conservatory and Cleveland Institute Of Music.