Let's talk about Jazz... and Music & Structures
Over the past few months, we have repeatedly spilled the beans here with little tidbits of information - but now it's time to get down to business. Or to put it another way: after long days, weeks and months of patient waiting, a bubbling rumor mill, small water level reports and highlights, we can now announce: The 49th Leipzig Jazz Days are just around the corner.
And so, of course, this edition of the jazz calendar also revolves around the major festival in eastern Germany. This year's motto is "Mapping Music", which is to be understood in its two-dimensional complexity: on the one hand, the title addresses the question of how music is made tangible by means of structures - for example through various forms of notation and visualization. On the other hand, structures within the world can sometimes be experienced through music in the first place - be it in the form of the thematization of cultural affiliation, social and political spaces, personal experiences or memories.
And of course - how could it be otherwise? - the thematic breadth in the musical diversity of the Leipziger Jazztage finds an adequate counterpart again this year. Whether the feedback-based guitar loops of the Norwegian string wizard Stian Westerhus in the Völkerschlachtdenkmal or the electronic avant-prog jazz complex of Jelena Kuljić - whether the retro-futuristic-folkloristic electro-pop tunes of GANNA or the elegant, timeless-classical jazz tunes of scene greats such as Dave Holland and Bobo Stenson: Once again, the Jazz Days sketch out an idea of what jazz was, is and will be, as well as what it could and should be. And you, dear audience, are, as always, a multi-weighted voice in this complex discourse.
We are also particularly pleased to once again be able to look beyond the classical concert stage with alternative formats: For example, the film documentary "Being Hipp", which focuses on the eventful life of Leipzig jazz pianist Jutta Hipp - and celebrates its premiere at our festival. In addition, Leipzig-based illustrator Stefan Ibrahim - whose work, incidentally, plays a not insignificant role in the success of the monthly jazz calendar - will give a lecture on the cultural history of cartography. DJ ALLYNX, who is virulent in Berlin's club culture, will close the festival with a brilliant set on the turntables.
You can read about what will happen before, in between and after on the following pages. But all of this will remain theoretical and thus intellectual - in the end, however, the musical experience is a practice characterized by presence and encounter. And so we at Jazzclub Leipzig are already looking forward to seeing you all again at the small and large, niche and well-known venues of the Leipzig Jazz Days. But for now, we wish you happy reading!
See you soon,
Luca
Jazzkalender Editorial office
