Jazzfest Berlin 2024 - Part II

By Sarah Grosser

 

Nov 1, 2024

Haus der Berliner Festspiele

Goran Kajfeš Tropiques 

 

Goran Kajfeš. Photo by Fabian Schellhorn

Goran Kajfeš – trumpet, synthesizer

Alex Zethson – piano, organ, synthesizer

Johan Berthling – double bass

Johan Holmegard – drums

Josefin Runsteen – violin

Leo Svensson Sander – cello

Swedish band Goran Kajfeš Tropiques starts with a 6/4 saunter slowburner. He’s got a good, broad brimmed hat on, accentuating his indie, folky vibe. The Moog piano, drum, contrabass, violin, and cello make for a thoughtful constellation; a nice soft accompaniment for the bright trumpet to stand out from. Easy on the palette to kick things off. Accessible, passionate, warm, and pretty. It’s lovely watching the cello and violin in perfect sync, swaying together.

The show is made up of instantly likeable and memorable compositions. Long journeys, made up of playful time signatures that, although they are subtly complex, give the illusion of simple grooves. Goran's reverby trumpet floats effortlessly over the top of it all adding a dreamy sheen. Towards the end there is an almost aggressive, arpeggiating solo on violin and piano. When the cymbals/ride join the trio of piano, violin, and cello, the release is like a summer rainstorm… and the trumpet is a rainbow.(Multi-talented violinist Josefin Runsteen also plays a mean drum n’ bass triangle.)

Upon exiting the theatre, vague negativity could be overheard in german:

"I expected more from Goran and his trumpet."

"This is just music to listen to at home."

There is simply no pleasing some people.

I enjoyed it very much.

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters

Quasimodo 

 

Part I

Photo by Lea Hopp

Mariam Rezaei – turntables

Mette Rasmussen – alto saxophone

Gabriele Mitelli – piccolo trumpet, electronics

Lukas König – drums, electronics

The venue permits 100 people and the view from my seat is mainly heads, but from time to time we get a glimpse of the queen Mette Rasmussen on sax. The spirit of the band is wild. The electro-acoustic sound is almost primal in nature while simultaneously hypermodern; frantic and immediate.

The mix and sound in this club is surprisingly clear, despite how loud it is- there is a lot going on sonically- it's very dense. The textural effects add a trippy modern twist, immediate and freaky. A distorted vocal adds a '90s grunge flavour. The crowd is super diverse: chicks with cocktails rockin' out, long-haired musos swayin', plenty of old boys too but well balanced with inspired, motivated youth. It’s pleasantly surprising to see such an enthusiastic, packed-out audience – it seems crazy that a band this intense would be so popular, but their fame is certainly well earned.

This band is totally psycho – it's just right for the environment. The sub-bass is visceral and crushing. Berlin was made for this. 

 

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Nov 2, 2024

Wrens

Quasimodo 

 

Photo by Lea Hopp

Ryan Easter – trumpet, electronics, vocals

Elias Stemeseder – piano, synthesizers

Lester St. Louis – cello, sound design

Jason Nazary – drums, synthesizers

An electronic-flavored jazz-hip hop fusion. Spoken-word improv-poetry vocalist Ryan Easter is rebellious, political, and justifiably angry. He spoke of all sorts of injustices throughout history, using examples of jazz having stemmed from a place of struggle. Even today, playing in these spaces in Berlin, he incites everyone to come together to recognise and respect the history of the genre. In response to these spoken-word elements the receptive crowd cheered along in total support. This lyrical element created a satisfying mesh and the suitable timbre of Ryan's voice made for an enjoyable listening experience with a powerful context to boot.

Nazary drumming was virtuosic and very busy. Including him, each band member had their own electronic set-up. Even Easter’s trumpet had effects with added electronic elements to its sound, melding it well in the mix with the other instruments. The cello sound was slightly buried, but St. Louis also had his own sub-bass electronics and effects which hit just right. Keyboardist Elias Stemeseder was completely decked out with an assortment of all different sorts of synths, a piano, and various effects. He effortlessly danced from one to the next, creating waves of random glitches and pops, flittering around his 360 setup like a hummingbird.

The performance had loads of good grooves, with the occasional freakout, and peppered with original beats that the crowd was able to get into with ease. Overall, a wonderfully unique, thoroughly engaging show, from a diverse and exciting new band. 

 

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2024-11-03

Artist Talks - Sylvie Courvoisier, Darius Jones, Otomo Yoshihide

Haus Der Berliner Festspiele

 

Darius Jones

First up to the panel, Darius told the story about getting to spend some time staying in the Western Front; a Vancouver non-profit artist-run centre where he was introduced to Josh Zubot's String Quintet, which left him “blown away.” He wrote and lived there for one month, watching dancers, poetry readings, and learning about indigenous, native American culture and the community. For him, it was a profound experience, getting to connect and work with “beautiful, precious musicians.”

Compositionally, Jones mixes graphic with standard notation and improvisational notions to create "a melding within" and a “visual experience” for the listener, asking himself the question, "How do I distort… [the] expectation?" For the piece, "fluXkit: Vancouver," Jones wanted the strings to be "muscular” - aggressive and not simply a support troupe for the saxophone.

He also dropped a big announcement: "fluXkit: Köln" is officially happening. It is planned to be centered around a piano, “prepared to the point where it's destroyed.” They are also seeking funding for this so if you would like to support the project, do get in touch with Mr Jones!

Sylvie Courvoisier

An essential factor for Sylvie when putting a band together is that the players are people she just likes to be with. “Patricia [Brennan] is funny and fun to be around.” Sylvie wants to work with people who are younger than her, saying that, “If they are younger than me, they are better than me... Younger musicians are faster. They can absorb any sheets.”

When writing for Chimera she was dealing with writing for a horn. On composing for trumpet, she claims, “You write differently. You have to be careful.” But when writing for vibraphone she confidently states: "I don't have to be careful with Patricia!" The audience laughs, and so does Patricia, who is watching on from the crowd. In their duo, she composed for two "keyboards," the process made all the more easier as she and Patricia have “similar phrasing.”

Sylvie is totally nonchalant when addressing her previous work. It’s refreshingly down to earth to hear her refer to 2023’s exceptional “Chimera” as “Music for stoners… like, with Fennesz and everything.” But she assures us that tonight’s performance will be a far cry from this. “Poppy Seeds is not for stoners – you should be more alert!”

 

Otomo Yoshihide

"I'm a really bad jazz player. I'm not a skilled guitarist, not much technique, but electronics! I'm like a technician."

Otomo confessed that before 2000, he almost gave up guitar. After his 1990 band Ground Zero ended, he started thinking about new adventures. When asked if he would be playing the guitar tonight, his response was a slightly deflated, but obviously joking: “unfortunately.”

On the influences for his big band project: “I love American free jazz history. [In the music] You can hear all the development from 1920 to now.”

Beyond his passion for American free jazz, Otomo talked about the experience of going to Fukushima after the 2011 earthquake. There he worked with non-musicians, to establish a kind of “community influence.” Traditional “Bon dance” music was popular in these areas, and the people there wanted them to play Bon dance music.

"In Europe, not many people know this style of music, but in Japan, it's well known… If we can make an encore, we will play Bon dance music!"

Otomo’s big band has eighteen members normally, “Tonight… just sixteen.” This elicits a chuckle from the audience, as the downsizing of eighteen to sixteen still renders a mighty number of musicians on stage all at once. Not everyone in Otomo’s band has had experience with European touring before, but according to Otomo, traveling with a 16-piece Japanese band is still "really fun!”

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Darius Jones fLuXkit: Vancouver (i̶t̶s suite but sacred)

Haus der Berliner Festspiele  

 

Photo by Fabian Schellhorn

 Peggy Lee – cello

Jesse Zubot – violin

Josh Zubot – violin

James Meger – double bass

Gerald Cleaver – drums

Darius Jones – alto saxophone, composition

One has to wonder what the sheet music looks like, after hearing Darius's Artist Talk. The combination of sax and strings sounds like a gaggle of wild geese – the drums are tom-heavy and thudding, plodding, almost militant, and methodical. Occasionally Darius wanders to the back of the stage entirely, allowing the strings to take centre stage in focus. He watches on proudly, and confidently. Although the beat is a continuous pulse, this allows space for the fierce strings to do all the talking. There is a great deal of control. It’s immediate, frantic, percussive, commanding, and indeed "aggressive", but not violent. It’s a statement.

"If you are with your friend tonight- squeeze them tight," is how he introduces a song about friendship. Darius only occasionally articulates, watching the strings tell their story of friendship in a wonky, descending melody. This piece is dedicated to those “friends who are really there to help you out.” It's not a happy song, but through this crazy life, we forge our weird paths, and find our ways to work together. Pushing through, connecting with other weirdos along the way.

Towards the middle, it's a psychotic whirlwind: a massive crescendo like a chest-tightening panic attack. The crowd is totally engrossed. It’s like a mayday alert as the plane is going down or some kind of screaming alarm of danger. But when it's over, there is a soft place to fall. There are even jovial moments on violin, like little jokes to break the tension, and start the healing process. The friend is there at the end to make things seem brighter and better. There is hope and clarity beyond the most tortuous times in our lives.

And the crowd goes ape.

Negative German comment: "Das ist too much."

"Ich brauche meine 'aus zeit'" - "I need my 'out' time."
“Anstrengend. SEHR anstrengend.” - “Stressful. VERY stressful.”

Sylvie Courvoisier Poppy Seeds 

 

Photo by Cristina Marx/Photomusix

 

Sylvie Courvoisier – piano

Patricia Brennan – vibraphone

Thomas Morgan – double bass

Dan Weiss – drum

So here it comes - “NOT music for stoners” - as Sylvie described Poppy Seeds in her Artist Talk. Does it live up to that proclamation? Yes, indeed, it does command attention! The opening piece is very fast with lots of switch-ups and sudden changes. Are you paying attention? Be alert!

Sylvie morphs from a rolling wave to a solid triangle in stance, shifting her pose and changing moods in an instant. Thomas Morgan plays bass with an otherworldly sensitivity. Patricia's vibe solo has you wondering, "Who's show is this anyway?"

And why is every Sylvie show so damn sexy? There is always at least one song with a sultry allure… It's in her blood. This piano was unprepared, but only in a metaphorical sense. Her long back skirt is a glorious statement. She looks and sounds like an icon, together with commanding song titles: “Queen of Spades,” and “King of Hearts.”

The speedy playoffs between drummer Dan Weiss and Patricia are accurate and articulate. Sylvie chimes in with rapid notes from her highest register, emulating crystal icicles melting in some secret cave. The women are the standout here but supported by an outstanding rhythm section - it's the friendly chemistry that makes it work. Sylvie said she only works with people she likes to be around. The last song is a song she wrote for her cat.

(Unfortunately I missed out on seeing Otomo Yoshihide’s big band but I can confirm that Otomo did earn that encore, and they did play Bon dance music!) 

 

Continued from Part I.