Half-time at the Cologne Jazzweek and what has run like a thread through the week so far is the discrepancy between inconveniences during the time apart from the events on the one hand and the concerts themselves on the other hand. Initially, it was the heat and the noise that almost killed me, and then it was the loss of items. The most serious one was certainly the fact that my bank card was missing, which is why I have to rely on the help of my Cologne friends for cash. In addition, I’ve used a rented bicycle to commute between the various venues. Unfortunately, I lost the key for my bike lock and had to have it replaced (not for free, as you might imagine). Finally, after the first evening I left my pencil case in the Stadtgarten (I take my notes by hand), it hasn’t turned up again. I’d say I'm not on a roll right now. That’s why the concerts are the only consolation so far, and which is why I’m really looking forward to them.
![]() |
Savannah Harris Trio |
As a continuation of Monday’s concerts, I wanted to see the Savannah Harris Trio at the Loft the following night. She was already the secret star of the evening in Petter Eldh’s Projekt Drums, so I was curious to see what she could get up to with her own trio. The interesting thing about Harris is that she has a wide range of interests. Since she played with Peter Evans in his band Being and Becoming during the festival last year, I was interested whether she would choose a bit more ambitious path with her trio featuring Or Bareket (bass) and Mike King (piano) compared to the day before. However, to cut a long story short, the trio was also rather conventional modern jazz which oscillated between improvisation and tonal fixation, between shimmering pulse and concrete beat. The band’s music thrives much on dynamics and is based on the famous trios of jazz history - from Bill Evans to Ahmad Jamal to Keith Jarrett and especially Herbie Hancock’s trio with Ron Carter and Tony Williams (whose piece “This Night This Song“ they also covered). The music was not a simple reference though, the playing is expanded by tiny extended techniques here and there (especially by Harris). Mike King’s style is rich with arpeggios, trills and minor chords. Harris counters this with cascades on the cymbals and with her hard hits on the snare. Yet, her playing is characterized by great lightness. She also cleverly sprinkles in small hip-hop beats or drum’n’bass figures. The melodies of her original compositions are simple and folk-song-like, they become more interesting when the whole thing is thrown overboard and the band improvises intensely. However, this could have happened more often. I am curious how she will present herself in the trio with Tomeka Reid and Angelica Niescier.
![]() |
Sons of Kemet |
Unfortunately, after 10 years together the band is going to split up when they complete their 2022 tour. This is particularly sad, for their vision of jazz was one that pointed to a possible successful future for this music.
---
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please note that comments on posts do not appear immediately - unfortunately we must filter for spam and other idiocy.