00:00
On The Road With Duke Ellington: I
In May 2014, the Conservatory of Amsterdam hosted a unique conference about one of the greatest jazz composers of the 20th century: Duke Ellington. Musicologists and musicians with a special bond with Ellington and his music spoke about his life and music. Among them were David Schiff, author of ‘The Ellington Century’, and Harvey Cohen, author of ‘Duke Ellington’s America’. Moreover, concerts were played by jazz pianist Matt Cooper, the Calefax Reed Quintet, and the Concert Big Band of the Conservatory of Amsterdam conducted by David Berger. The winner of the Boy Edgar Prize 2013, viola player Oene van Geel, performed his ‘All Ellington Project’.
01:26
jazzahead! 2022 - Jazz Forum Talents
Annual trade fair, exhibition, and festival jazzahead! is one of the international jazz community's most important events. Hosted in Bremen, Germany, jazzahead! brings together musicians, bookers, agents, organizers, jazz experts, and music enthusiasts at the world’s largest jazz event. In 2022, jazzahead! paid special attention to Canada’s jazz scene and invited forty jazz acts from all over the world to perform over the course of three days. Among the artists presenting themselves at jazzahead! 2022 are the seven brightest young talents of Polish jazz, appearing under the name Jazz Forum Talents. These rising stars were selected from among the musicians who took part in 2019’s Jazz Forum Showcase powered by Szczecin Jazz. Kasia Pietrzko (piano), Kacper Smoliński (harmonica), Maciej Kądziela (alto saxophone), Tomasz Chyła (violinist), Jakub Mizeracki (guitar), Roman Chraniuk (double bass, bass guitar), and Adam Zagórski (drums) worked out the compositions and arrangements for this joint project together.
01:58
jazzahead! 2023
Annual trade fair, exhibition, and festival jazzahead! is one of the international jazz community's most important events. Hosted in Bremen, Germany, jazzahead! brings together musicians, bookers, agents, organizers, jazz experts, and music enthusiasts at the world’s largest jazz event. In 2023, jazzahead! paid special attention to Germany’s jazz scene and invited thirty jazz acts from all over the world to perform over the course of three days. Among the artists presenting themselves at jazzahead! 2023 is Belgian-Japanese piano wizard Alex Koo. In his brand new ‘Etudes for Piano’, composed for and commissioned by BOZAR Brussels, he shows how his passion for jazz and classical music merge perfectly, like a marriage between Debussy, Chopin, Reich, and Rachmaninov on the one hand, and Keith Jarrett, Craig Taborn, Brian Eno, and Philip Glass on the other.
02:36
MotorMusic Jazz Sessions: De Beren Gieren
The MotorMusic Studios in Mechelen, Belgium, attract many great musicians to the city. A wide variety of visiting international jazz musicians share their art of making jazz music with us in the DJAZZ series ‘Belgium Sessions’. In these sessions, some of Europe’s finest musicians perform their own, original music. The Dutch-Belgian acoustic-electronic piano threesome ‘De Beren Gieren’ (‘The Bears Shriek’, ‘Les Ours Vautours’) are known for their unique energetic sound, sparkling melodies, complex song structures and quirky song titles. ‘De Beren Gieren’ brings a fresh yet familiar blend of polyrhythmic soundscapes, sing-alongs, and elitist twists, building a sonorous bridge between early 20th century classical compositions and more contemporary escapades. ‘De Beren Gieren’ show an ability to change mood quite suddenly in a way that constantly holds the audience’s attention. A surprising live experience not to be missed!