First encounter between the young scenes of Leipzig and Paris.

Music often begins where certainties end. For when routines are absent, space opens up for curiosity and dialogue. It was from this perspective that the German-French collaborative project “unknown to both of us” was born, created specifically for this year’s Leipzig Jazz Festival.

This is the first time that musicians from the young jazz scenes in Leipzig and Paris have come together in this configuration. The focus is not so much on getting to know or conveying each other’s distinct musical cultures. Rather, the central idea is to develop a third, shared space: a “Common Ground” in which unique forms of communication emerge only through making music together. Without established routines, this encounter thus becomes the starting point for an artistic exploration whose course and outcome are deliberately left open. 

In addition to three wind instruments and percussion, the lineup of “unknown to both of us” features a dual bass foundation: electric bass meets double bass. An unusual—and precisely because of that, particularly exciting—combination that, through constant friction and shifts, encourages a mutual exchange of perspectives. In this way, a melody becomes texture, rhythm becomes resonance, and accompaniment ultimately becomes a voice in its own right.

Here, composition is understood not as a fixed work, but as an open-ended process that continually evolves through musical exchange. The project’s influences are wide-ranging, extending from non-European musical traditions to spectral concepts of sound. Through collaboration, these influences become the starting point for a collective exploration of sound, in which musical form is constantly being renegotiated.