Earlier this year, the band released its fourth album “About Ghosts”, a major statement that proves that Halvorson’s talent as a composer matches her brilliance as an improviser. Next, the legendary British bassist and composer Barry Guy presents the latest iteration of his long-running London Jazz Composers Orchestra, which formed more than five decades ago.
As always, a sublime cast of European improvisers comes together to interpret Guy’s ambitious writing, and for this visit he’ll present “Double Trouble III”, which he originally wrote for a performance by his ensemble with Alexander von Schlippenbach’s Globe Unity Orchestra. This new version of the piece brings together two of America’s boldest pianists, Marilyn Crispell – who will receive this year’s Instant Award for Improvised Music – and Angelica Sanchez. The remarkable New York-based vibraphonist Patricia Brennan, who plays in Halvorson’s band, returns to close out the Main Stage programme with the German premiere of her septet, playing music from her album “Breaking Stretch”, which draws upon Afro-Caribbean traditions, contemporary music and her own Mexican roots. The group features an extraordinary frontline with saxophonists Mark Shim and Jon Irabagon melding with trumpeter Adam O’Farrill – another member of Halvorson’s band – over the elastic grooves of bassist Kim Cass, drummer Dan Weiss and percussionist Mauricio Herrera.
The new sound of Cologne and Essen will ring out in the intimate A-Trane with hilde, a chamber-like quartet that seamlessly mixes art-pop, free jazz and contemporary music, as the instrumentalists pivot easily around the tender singing of Marie Daniels. The evening concludes with an eclectic double bill at Quasimodo. Legendary guitarist Marc Ribot reveals his astonishing singer-songwriter side as he performs music from his new album “Map of a Blue City”. Sharing the bill is the experimental trio MOPCUT, blending the off-kilter funk of drummer Lukas König, the paradigm-shifting vocals of Audrey Chen and the painterly guitar noise of Julien Desprez. Tonight the trio is joined by a special guest, American rapper MC Dälek.