Sanchez / Guy / López

Sanchez / Guy / López

(ES, GB, US)

German premiere

British bassist Barry Guy and Spanish drummer Rámon López have a lengthy history of playing together, but their collaboration with the American pianist Angelica Sanchez has only occurred once, facilitated by the 2023 edition of the Jazzdor Festival in Strasbourg, France. As the bassist noted in the 2024 album’s liner notes documenting the performance: “We could have played longer, but festival time constraints left us only one future option: we must play again!” Jazzfest Berlin is thrilled to heed his call.

That initial livewire performance rippled with the tension and excitement of three seasoned musicians finding their way in real-time, responding to unexpected gestures and forging dynamic constellations of sound and rhythm without a net. While the performance mixed free improvisation with compositions by the bassist and pianist, the entire set was marked by a feverish intensity fueled by heightened listening and a stunning ability to collectively build architectural form whether following a score or not. The veteran American pianist Angelica Sanchez – who is part of Guy’s new “Double Trouble III”, which will premiere this Saturday on the main stage of the Festspielhaus – is a musician of mercurial power, blending lyric invention with propulsive swing, kaleidoscopic harmony and soulful elegance – and we are thrilled that she is making a rare visit to Berlin this weekend.