Let's talk about jazz... New York & Wurzen
"They flourish in the unknown and find beauty in improvisation," Herbie Hancock once aptly summarized the common denominator between jazz and the US metropolis. To this day, it seems impossible to grasp the two phenomena separately. Jazz is New York is jazz. A possibly oversimplified equation, but one that feels true.
Anyone who doubts its validity can be convinced otherwise in February: the Dan Weiss Quartet from NYC will be performing on February 5 as part of our "Jazzclub series at the Kulturhof Gohlis. For many years, its bandleader has been at the forefront of international jazz. A glance at the high-caliber lineup makes it clear that his fellow musicians are in no way inferior to him. Anyone who saw the group's vibraphonist, Patricia Brennan, at the last Leipzig Jazz Days will know what I'm talking about.
Speaking of Jazz Days: the documentary "Being Hipp – First Lady of European Jazz" also celebrated its premiere there. The film sheds light on the life and work of Leipzig-born pianist Jutta Hipp, who later became the first German jazz musician to make a career in the USA. More specifically, in New York, of course. Now, after a long wait, the documentary is finally available to the general public: it can be viewed in the arte media library from January 27.
A few years before Hipp, the composer Kurt Weill, who was persecuted by the Nazis, had also moved to the US metropolis. To this day, he is considered a groundbreaking innovator and pioneer who crossed the boundaries between serious and popular music. The fact that his work continues to have an impact today is evidenced not least by the Kurt Weill Festival held in his hometown of Dessau, which will take place this year from February 28 to March 16.
The festival once again highlights the fact that great art can often be experienced in small places. Saxophonist Manfred Hering, for example, never moved to New York. Instead, he lived in Wurzen, where, according to the renowned Jazz Rough Guide, he became one of the "most renowned free improvisers in the former GDR." Hering remained musically active until the end. He passed away at the age of 86 at the end of November. In his honor, LeipJAZZig e.V. is organizing a memorial concert with former companions at the Theaterhaus Schille on February 1, which we highly recommend attending.
You can find all other recommendations for February on the following pages. There you will also find the obligatory "Album of the Month," which may not come from New York, but certainly sounds like it. But read for yourself!
See you soon,
Luca
Jazzkalender-Editorial office
