Rodrigo Amado’s The Bridge
The buoyant yet exploratory Portuguese tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado presents an exciting new quartet with three of the world’s greatest improvisers: pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Gerry Hemingway.
Rodrigo Amado
© Cristina Marx, Frank Rubolin, Petra Cvelba, Peter Grannushkinr
Past Dates
German premiere
Rodrigo Amado’s The Bridge
(PT, DE, USA, NO)
Despite a well-deserved reputation as one of Portugal’s most dogged saxophone explorers Rodrigo Amado’s aesthetic has always been rooted in jazz. Even when pulling sounds out of thin air, he gives them shape and drive. He put together this multi-generational, international improvising quartet, named partly for the classic Sonny Rollins album, with three like-minded players. Cumulatively Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Swiss-based American drummer Gerry Hemingway and Berlin pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach span improvised music’s history. Von Schlippenbach, who has previously worked with Amado’s Motion Trio, is one of the founding fathers of free jazz and has never stopped pushing forward. His steely presence excels as a uniting force, and while his endlessly-darting yet floor-rumbling lines can seize control of a situation on a dime, he has always preferred interaction. Flaten, on the other hand, has never allowed his ferocious power to overwhelm his deeply musical instincts, while Hemingway meticulously forged equal grounding in post-bop, free jazz and contemporary music, with an exquisite touch that’s not afraid to make its mark. At this year's Jazzfest Berlin, the quartet will make its Berlin debut.
Line-up
Rodrigo Amado tenor saxophone
Alexander von Schlippenbach piano
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten double bass
Gerry Hemingway drums