LET’S TALK AJAZZKALENDER #257 November 2015
While most of the paintings these days hang in frames from a Swedish furniture store, the 39th Leipziger Jazztage had a distinctly Norwegian flavor. And how! The Norske Blåseensemble’s “Nosferatu,” featuring Michael Wollny and Eric Schaefer, opened the festival, while electro-jazz pioneer Nils Petter Molvær brought the 10-day “Cinematic Jazz” event to a close. Both concerts were certainly among the absolute highlights of the Jazztage, not just this year. And no, we certainly don’t want to overlook the spectacular performances by Omer Klein and The Micronaut! Nor those by Brad Mehldau, Schnellertollermeier, the Sons of Elam, and… a huge thank you also to you all: shortfilmlivemusic, Echtzeit, LU:V, Wayne Karntz, Nahtanoi, Burnt Friedman & Daniel Dodd-Ellis, An On Bast & Maciej Fortuna, Renaud García-Fons, Klima Kalima, Sex Mob, Johanna Borchert, Trio Schmetterling, and the Evgeny Ring Quartet!
Many thanks also to you, dear colleagues at Schauspiel, UT, Passage Kino, Telegraph, Horns, Conne Island, St. Georg, naTo, Moritzbastei, Schaubühne, Philippus- and Thomaskirche!
Thank you also to you, our dear patrons, sponsors, and supporters of the “ Leipziger Jazztage,” especially the City of Leipzig’s Cultural Office, the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony, the BMW Leipzig branch, and the Köstritzer Schwarzbier Brewery!
A huge thank you also to all of you who tore off tickets, picked up bands, hauled and set up equipment and instruments, and to you, dear audience—you all made this a fantastic festival for our musicians!
It’s hard to believe, but the Jazz Days are over. So what now? No time to catch our breath! Concerts are still happening: twice a week, “ Jazzclub ” presents live performances by such illustrious names as Aaron Goldberg and The Bad Plus, as well as promising bands from Leipzig in a club-like atmosphere. With “Flashback,” there’s a brand-new series on the horizon. So the wait for the 40th “ Leipziger Jazztage ” will be entertaining—but you can go ahead and mark September 29 through October 8, 2016, on your calendar!
Climbing the ladder again (someone has to paint the leaves)
Your Jazzkalender editorial team
