Danube’s Banks
Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)
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!