JazzKLUB / Myra Melford Splash Trio / Juicy Boogie Woogie

27. Boogie Woogie Congress

The Boogie Woogie Congress in Essen will feature renowned pianists Frank Muschalle and Daniel Paterok, alongside host Jörg Hegemann and drummer Jan Freund. This long-running concert series, organized by Karl H. Heidergott, promises a unique and exciting boogie-woogie experience on October 16th.

JazzKLUB / Marcin Masecki Trio / Thelonious Monk’s New Incarnation

„He’s got time!” is what Tomasz Stańko used to say about Thelonious Monk, but he could just as well say the same about Marcin Masecki. „He has time” – meaning that he is its master, stretching it or condensing it, with disregard for any rules whatsoever, except those he created himself. Monk felt the basic dimension of reality and expressed it in his music unlike anyone else – so it is with Masecki. The artistic kinship between the two artists is striking, with their special sense for timing enhanced by the propensity for dissonance, so characteristic for both. They could not meet – Monk passed away in February of 1982 and Masecki was born in September the same year. In the concert, however, the Polish pianist is going to converse with his American predecessor. And there is so much they have to say to one another. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Guest performance Boogie Woogie Hits

Guest performance Boogie Woogie Hits

JazzKLUB / Soojin Suh Coloris Trio / The Korean jazz concept

The world first learned about the Korean drummer’s talent from the Near East Quartet albums published under the ECM label. In the case of her trio, far from jazz purism, a good point of reference would be the more ambitious recordings by the Bad Plus band, minus their propensity for showiness. The pieces dedicated to Herbie Nichols and Andrew Hill also shed light on the directions of the leader’s creative explorations. In Suh’s compositions, the aggressive, mathematical ostinatos of the piano neighbour a lyrical minimalism. The interchangeability of the functions necessitates a departure from the label of piano trio and a move towards calling the ensemble a drums-bass-piano trio. Soojin Suh’s playing lends the music a nerve, simultaneously being saturated with colurs, her drumming gestures resembling sudden brushstrokes. On some albums, the artist reaches for her native traditions, using the geomungo or inviting a pansori-style singer. This time, the reference to the Korean heritage is subtle and philosophical – in the trio’s music, we can find an implementation of the „breath of the melody”, an old Korean aesthetic of sound. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

JazzKLUB / Gombrowicz-style irony

Bands such as the Transatlantyk are the ultimate proof of the existence of a wave of creators integrating Polish folk music with various forms of improvised music. The power of this current lies in its diversity, which is why Michał Żak’s ensemble can be deemed its part, even though it sounds like no other. The band’s leader inherited the old dulcimer, made from a grand piano lid and saved from the whirlwinds and turmoil of the war, from his grandfather, a folk musician from the Vilnius region. He found a fitting repertoire and – most importantly – had an ingenious idea for its interpretation. One can hear a little nostalgia for a bygone world, as well as echoes of cheesy village-hall discos, some free jazz from underground clubs, and sometimes a bit of America and Africa, i.e. everything that musical Polishness has met while travelling the world – both literally and metaphorically. And all this is spiced up with irony straight from Gombrowicz’ novels. There was no better companion Michał Żak could invite to join him in the concert than Piotr Damasiewicz, who also blazes new trails for the folk-free-jazz current in his own band, Into the Roots. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 70 minutes

JazzKLUB / Fire, heat, wildness

When the cicadas start their evening concert, the world is filled with sound, and so it is with the British band. They are masters of arranging space, centred around bass guitar, drums and keyboards combined with electronics, creators of a dense but not overpowering sound, enthusiasts of musical ideas from which fire, heat, and, as they claim, wildness emanate. They are said to be the new wave of jazz-rock as they return to Jamaican rhythms, electronic soundscapes, the groove of hip-hop and the danceable beat of the drums. At times, Cykada can be raw, but on the other hand, it combines dance with the improvisation and freedom typical of jazz. It is a fusion unique in its league, balancing on the edge of genres. Maria Wilczek-Krupa Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

28. Boogie Woogie Congress in concert

The Boogie Woogie Congress in Concert series brings the best boogie-woogie musicians to Essen's Philharmonie. The 28th concert features Ladyva, the Queen of Boogie Woogie, alongside piano virtuoso Jo Schumacher, drummer Dirk Engelmeyer, and host Jörg Hegemann, promising a high-energy show.

JazzKLUB / Wonderfully swinging / Kresten Osgood Quintet

It is difficult to overestimate Kresten Osgood’s significance for the Danish scene. There is nothing he would not play, no challenge he would not accept. And even when he wants to pay tribute to the jazz tradition in the iconic formula of a quintet with the trumpet and the saxophone, he does it on his own terms – alongside the immortal standards by Monk and Dolphy, he reaches for contemporary musicians (such as Kirk Knuffke), ones who have not found a wide recognition (such as Elmo Hope and Randy Weston) and those who have found some, but only in their own country (such as the Austrian Harry Pepl or the Danish Leo Mathisen). For reasons unknown, returns to jazz classics are best done by musicians who have tried their hand at numerous avant-garde ventures. Osgood’s quintet performs the wonderfully swinging pieces in a slightly frolicsome manner, as it would have been put years ago, or totally chilled out, as it would be put today. They smile, find joy in their playing and never miss any chance to have fun with the material to be performed. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes