Jazz & World

Pat Metheny’s Dream Box

The trailblazing guitarist returns to Konserthuset. Pat Metheny has had a remarkably long career by now, yet his curiosity has never waned. Few, if any, can match his versatility. A true musical explorer, he has engaged in numerous collaborations over the years – often beyond the realm of jazz. Metheny has performed with the likes of Ornette Coleman and Herbie Hancock but has also worked with Steve Reich and David Bowie, to name just a few.At Konserthuset Stockholm, he presents his latest album, Dream Box (2023) – a collection of solo pieces recorded over several years while on tour, based on musical ideas he stumbled upon on a long-forgotten hard drive.Metheny has a habit of quickly recording ideas as they emerge. “As I listened through these sessions, I gradually began to sift through the material and realised that a coherent whole was taking shape. I discovered that, without meaning to, I had arrived at a destination I hadn’t planned – and I’m looking forward to sharing what was hidden there.”Pat Metheny made his debut at Konserthuset Stockholm in 1989 and last visited us in 2022.

Dutch Jazz Heritage: Sarah Vaughan

It goes without saying that The Concertgebouw and jazz & pop music make a perfect combination. The stages of both the Main Hall and the Recital Hall have borne witness to nearly the whole of jazz history. Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald have both performed here, as have Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong. Famous pop stars and bands that have graced the stage of the Main Hall include Frank Zappa, the Doors and the Eagles, to name but a few. Legendary concerts, in the present as well as the past.

Fado ao Centro

The musical ensemble Fado ao centro presents its audience with urban and emotional fado from the Portuguese university city of Coimbra – a city with its very special fado tradition. The male line-up shines with its differently tuned guitars, which radiate warm tone colours and penetrate deep into the hearts of the listeners. But the passion for their music is best described by the members of Fado ao centro themselves: »We carry our genuine love for fado deep in our souls and want to share this with other people – whether with other musicians, local fans or visitors who may never have heard of Coimbra Fado.« Fado is mainly associated with the Portuguese capital Lisbon. However, the university city of Coimbra has its very own fado tradition. The most decisive difference is the exclusively male line-up with guitars in different settings.

Ayanna Witter-Johnson

“As a second generation British-born Jamaican, my music represents and celebrates my heritage, culture and identity,” says Ayanna Witter-Johnson. The singer, songwriter, pianist and cellist crosses boundaries between classical, jazz, reggae, soul and R&B. Her musical signature includes percussive techniques on the cello. Two members of the Konzerthausorchester, violinist Avigail Bushakevitz and violist Ernst-Martin Schmidt, will also be playing with her in this concert.

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Les trésors du Musée

Nai Barghouti, flute

Two musical hearts beat in the chest of Palestinian singer Nai Barghouti: one for the Arabic music of her homeland and one for jazz – her music is a unique combination of both genres. Not least because Barghouti has developed her own singing technique for this symbiosis, which her fans affectionately call »Naistrumentation«. Barghouti uses her voice as an instrument, very similar to »scat singing« in jazz, which instead of words improvises individual syllables into virtuoso melodies. Together with her band, a quartet comprising the Arabian box zither qanun, drums, bass guitar and piano, she transfers the jazzy influences very organically to the Arabian repertoire of her homeland. Nai Barghouti grew up in Palestinian Ramallah. At aged 14, she started studying singing and flute at the Edward Said National Conservatory in Jerusalem. In 2013, she went to the USA, where she discovered her passion for jazz, which she was to take to Amsterdam two years later. There, she studied jazz singing at the Amsterdam Conservatoire. Her exceptional talent and musical sense did not stay undetected for long: in 2019, she was a finalist in the Aga Khan Music Awards in Lisbon and, in 2020, Barghouti won the Concertgebouw Young Talent Award, which opened doors for her in Europe too.

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Naissance et développements de la guitare moderne

NDR Family Concert

Ding dong – the doorbell rings! Flat by flat, we trudge up the grand staircase and try to find the family who have lost their bunch of keys in the entrance hall. The doors may all look monotonous, but the doorbell signs give us an idea: the most colourful families live behind them. Whether traditional, small combo, large gang, solo or patchwork: they all tell us stories about being together, laughing and arguing with each other and the daily improvisation as part of a large »house community« called a big band. A concert about families in all their facets and a tribute to the diversity of jazz music.

KINAN AZMEH CITYBAND

Syrian composer and clarinetist Kinan Azmeh brings his New York–based Kinan Azmeh CityBand back to the Pierre Boulez Saal. Crossing boundaries between styles and genres, between composition and improvisa­ tion, the quartet plays “music that is inspired by a multitude of traditions without being limited by any of them,” as Azmeh describes it. The concert is part of a German tour celebrating the release of the band’s new album Live in Berlin, recorded at the Pierre Boulez Saal in 2021.

Gonzalo Rubalcaba / Pierrick Pédron

Only in the world of jazz do stories like this emerge: two instrumentalists, from two different continents, who have never spoken to each other before, meet in New York. In a recording studio. And without any rehearsal, they record an album together with all the potential to become a true classic. This is exactly what happened when the French saxophonist Pierrick Pédron and Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba came together for the first time. Their album »Pédron/Rubalcaba« would be a revelation even if it had come to life under more conventional circumstances. Besides delighting in the beautiful music the two make together, one cannot help but be astonished at how seemingly unconditional the musical intimacy between them was. The recording session was certainly well prepared, with the material tailored in arrangements to the diverse ranges of the two performers. What emerged in sound terms is certainly anything but run of the mill. Rubalcaba is a world-famous pianist from Cuba who brings all the ingredients that make a great master. Four Grammys bear witness to this. Pédron, who grew up in a village in Brittany, does not yet have such a big name for himself. He has long been one of the best saxophonists in France however, though he limits himself entirely to the alto saxophone. On their debut album, these two sensitive virtuosos traverse jazz history in eight stages, from Sidney Bechet to Carla Bley, and each number is more profound and perfect than the last. The season could hardly end on a more beautifully note than with this duo for the »Jazz Piano« series, which features a particularly high-calibre line-up this season.

Ibrahim Maalouf

Lebanese-French trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf is one of those improvisers whose playing you can undoubtedly recognise after the first couple of notes. This is primarily due to seeming festooned in Middle Eastern sounds, which characterise his melodies and differentiate him from pretty much any other virtuosos on this instrument. Standard trumpets are not supplied with the microintervals required by the Arabic musical language Maqam – Ibrahim Maalouf plays a design with an additional quartertone valve. His father Nassim, who is also a trumpeter, designed this. Maalouf junior phrases on this in an incredibly smooth way, excels at any tempo and is not at all reserved about crossing stylistic borders – not only concerning the Orient and Occident, but also the genres within western popular music in particular. Hamburg took to its heart this fisher of men Ibrahim Maalouf, who ensnares his audience at least so readily with words as with notes, on the occasion of his involvement at the »Reflektor Angélique Kidjo« in March 2023. Now, he returns with the Trumpets of Michel Ange (T.O.M.A.), whose impressive trumpet section went into training under him and also toots on quarter tone trumpets. An accompanying band produces considerable power if required. Pretty much anything stylistically is likely to happen in this concert from yearning arabesques to bone-dry rap including eloquent stand-up comedy from the bandleader.

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Les trésors du Musée

Table ronde : héroïques ? La voix des cheffes aujourd'hui

Eroica

Three winners of the third edition of the La Maestra competition for female conductors perform alongside Claire Gibault, the driving force behind this initiative to promote women in music.

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Contes de la nature

Ali Zand Vakili

Ali Zand Vakili is an Iranian singer, musician and songwriter known for his unique blend of traditional Persian music and modern elements. His music is characterised by profound, emotional lyrics that often deal with themes such as love, loss and social issues. He combines classical Persian instruments with Western musical styles, creating a catchy yet authentic sound. Zand Vakili has a large following, especially in the Iranian diaspora, and has bridged the gap between Iranian musical tradition and global influences through his music. His versatile musical style encompasses pop, rock and ballads and appeals to both younger and older generations.

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JazzKLUB / Get The Blessing / A fascinating kaleidoscope of groove

The band’s members’ discographies amount to a picture of several generations of British rock music: from Peter Gabriel and Robert Plant to Hawkwind, Portishead and Radiohead. Nevertheless, their horizons and inspirations reach far beyond that genre – which is probably the foundation of the group’s success. Get The Blessing travelled a long way, from the pugnacious Ornettian inspirations on their 2008 All Is Yes, to the trance-like, almost cinematic soundscapes of the latest albums. Still, however, Judge’s trumpet enhances the hypnotic trance with the element of unpredictability, McMurchie’s saxophone lending the band’s onirically meditative music its body and power. Seen from afar, the group’s music emanates calmness, while close up it is full of movement and surprising details. All this results in a fascinating kaleidoscope of grooves, colours and moods. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

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Danube’s Banks

This music evokes road trips and long summer nights of non-stop dancing: Danube’s Banks are a byword for a danceable mix of gypsy swing with connections to Django Reinhardt, Klezmer and Balkan beats. Saxophone and clarinet revel in characteristic Balkan and Klezmer melodies; the accompaniment also provides the necessary driving grooves with rhythm guitar and drumming. Their outfits and instruments are retro, their music not one bit old-fashioned however, but always intoxicating. They began with street music in St. Pauli and you can still enjoy the experience here if the weather is good. Because nowhere are you so very close to your audience. But the sextet also makes bars, pubs, clubs and concert halls willingly uneasy – and now the Elbphilharmonie!

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Rencontre avec Laurent Pelly

Gypsy

Performed here for the first time in France, the musical Gypsy—based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee —is presented in a version created by one of the great masters in musical and opera staging, Laurent Pelly.