Bobo Stenson Trio // Kaja Draksler & Susana Santos Silva // The Vijay Iyer Trio

Live concert in Berlin / ca. 60 min

Bobo Stenson Trio

Since the mid-1960s, Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson has maintained a startling equanimity that belies his restless spirit and improvisational yearning. Despite his unerring sense of proportion and an abiding air of restraint, both of which emerge through a repertoire dominated by slow-moving themes, Stenson has always been a seeker, digging deep within jazz history and collaboration to make fresh discoveries. For more than five decades, he has laid down a series of gorgeously contemplative trio albums that weave together post-bop with classical music and folk themes from around the globe. He has also been a key associate of horn players like Charles Lloyd and Tomasz Stanko, where he routinely injected his introspective aesthetic to achieve a more profound group sound. His most recent recording, “Contra la Indecisión” from 2018, opens with a ravishing interpretation of the title composition by Cuban songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, underlining a propensity for smouldering melody. The album proceeds with a set of material composed by and with his fellow band members – bassist Anders Jormin and drummer Jon Fält – as well as themes by Satie, Bartók, and Mompou, all of which sound of a piece in his magical hands.

Bobo Stenson piano
Anders Jormin double bass
Jon Fält drums

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Live concert in Berlin / ca. 60 min

Kaja Draksler & Susana Santos Silva

The Slovenian pianist Kaja Draksler and the Portuguese trumpeter Susana Santos Silva, two of the most important and original voices in contemporary music, have both performed in various configurations at Jazzfest Berlin. The former played in 2018 with her magnificent trio Punkt.Vrt.Plastik, with bassist Petter Eldh and drummer Christian Lillinger, while the later was part of the T(r)opic juggernaut organized by Rob Mazurek and Julien Desprez in 2019. This year, they bring their subtly profound duo to the festival. The pair’s 2015 album “This Love” offered a series of richly-detailed duo improvisations that simultaneously highlighted their shared melodic gifts and their mastery of texture and timbre. From piece to piece, the musicians juggle passages of heart-rending lyricism, unexpectedly percussive extended techniques, and pure sonic experimentation – whether demonstrating a chamber-music intimacy or more fiery, physically-driving exchanges – yet the most rewarding element of their collaboration is how locked-in they are. They reveal an uncanny rapport through every possible soundscape, listening to one another with deeply respectful, alert ears.

Kaja Draksler piano
Susana Santos Silva trumpet

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Live concert in Berlin / ca. 60 min

The Vijay Iyer Trio feat. Linda May Han Oh and Tyshawn Sorey

Few musicians have exemplified the prerogatives of 21st century jazz like pianist Vijay Iyer, a shape-shifting thinker, composer, and educator with a generously holistic conception about improvised music. He has worked in many contexts, seamlessly pivoting from solo recitals to intimate partnerships with figures like Wadada Leo Smith and Craig Taborn to writing music for contemporary classical ensembles. His trio with bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore deftly melded jazz fundamentals with genre-busting repertoire choices – whether Michael Jackson or M.I.A. – but earlier this year, the pianist introduced a new trio, now making its Berlin debut with the astonishing album “Uneasy”. While Iyer composed most of the music on the recording, it is billed as a collective ensemble with bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, both respected composers and bandleaders in their own right. Together they push-and-pull in a program of music that tacitly recognizes a world in upheaval, with explicit references to the Black Lives Matter movement and the contaminated water supply in the largely Black community in Flint, Michigan. The music is instrumental, but the steady navigation of disparate musical ideas and ultimate harmony achieved by the trio says more than words could transmit.

Vijay Iyer piano
Linda May Han Oh double bass
Tyshawn Sorey drums