ONCE CROSSWISE THROUGH EUROPE – THE JAZZFEST BERLIN 2010

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3.000 years ago an Asian king had a beautiful daughter named “Europa”. The Greek god Zeus fell in love to her. Meanwhile “Europa” had a dream: God’s king Zeus ordered, that she has to leave her home and move to the land across from her. In the meantime Zeus hardly thought about, how he become acquainted with “Europa”. Finally he had an idea: he transformed himself into a bull and get ready touring Asia. Then “Europa” and the bull meet each other the next morning. Zeus was the most beautiful bull, the world ever saw and “Europa” admired him very much. She was sitting on Zeus back and told him laughing: “God knows, where you bring me now, my beautiful bull!” Then Zeus plunged into the waves of the ocean.

On his trip into his land he told “Europa”, who he was in real. As they eventually arrived, “Europa” asked after the name of the land. With proud Zeus said, already again in human form: “This is the island Crete and I am the king of this land. The continent, who held you now, should bear your name for all time: Europe.

This year’s edition of the Jazzfest Berlin (festival start Wednesday, November 3) deals with Europe, not with the goddess, but with the most multilayered continent of the world. Musicians, who are living here, bring in diverse cultural roots. They all plunge into the waves of the connected oceans and search after their musical heritage. In the course of this, artists find a platform and recognize beside diversities common sense and spirit after all.

Over 250 musicians will perform on stage in 21 concerts from November 3 until November 7.
Jazzfest Berlin introduce a new location this year: the legendary Savoy-Hotel in the Berliner
Kantstrasse, a tiny house with old-fashioned leather chairs, a wonderful and perfect location for classic jazz. Some duo and trio sets will take place and maybe jam sessions all through the night will happen here.

At the press conference last Friday, October 29, a lightly bleary-eyed, but as always well-tuned Nils Landgren introduced his programme. He is very glad to present Danish trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg, who perform together with guitarist Terje Rypdal and the Berlin ensemble
“Zeitkratzer”. Their contribution to the Jazzfest Berlin will spotlight the so-called “New Music”, but in a very own manner. “They will shaking the chains of notation, while they set up an accent on the term ‘New’” (quote out of the program flyer)

With the artistic director Nils Landgren, also Berliner Festspiele director Joachim Sartorius and Ulf Drechsel, who represent the German ARD radio broadcasts, stood on the podium. Ulf Drechsel announced, that every single concert will be taped live and most of the performances are broadcast over the German public radio stations nearly every day. At November 4, “Deutschlandradio Kultur” is transmitting from 8pm to 10pm. At November 6 the stations “BR-Klassik”, “RB Nordwestradio”, “rbb Kulturradio”, “SR2” and “WDR3” broadcast simultaneously from 8 pm to 12 o’clock. At November 7, WDR3 and Austrian radio “Ö3” present their “Jazznacht” all through the night between 12 and 6 o’clock. Earlier “Deutschlandradio Kultur” and “rbb Kulturradio” broadcast on the same day from 8pm to 12 o’clock.

Finally Peter Weniger introduced his Berlin jazz institute (JIB). Peter is an extraordinary saxophonist and professor of the University of the Arts Berlin. Since 2005 he is leading the JIB. Their concert hall, the “Georg-Neumann-Saal” is known for the highest technical refinement in concert transference. But not only because of this reason, the “Georg-Neumann-Saal” is again an important location for the Jazzfest Berlin (first time last year 2009).  The JIB will present the works of the two academies “Universität der Künste” and “Hanns Eisler”. Both academies exist far independent from the Berlin music scene in the past, but in the meantime the JIB build up an excellent reputation as one of the most influential institutions not only in Berlin, also for the entire European jazz scene. The lecturers of the JIB are all the way active musicians of the International and Berlin music scene. The “Lange Nacht des JIB” is therefore a duty date for all music lovers during Jazzfest Berlin 2010. On Saturday, November 6 they open the doors of the “Georg-Neumann-Saal” already at 7pm. Here you can easily find the inner Berlin spirit of jazz.

Our JAZZMEDIA editorial office look forward on this year’s edition of the Jazzfest Berlin, wishing wonderful meetings and experiences for all the musicians, music fans and journalists, not to forget the Jazzfest staff.

We recommend also these concerts:

BLEU (from Austria)
Line-Up: Lorenz Raab, trumpet; Ali Angerer, tuba & electric dulcimer; Rainer Deixler, drums & percussion.
When: Friday, November 5 (start 10pm)
Where: Georg-Neumann-Saal at the JIB

BORDERHOPPING (musicians from the Netherlands & Germany)
Line-Up: Paul van Kemenade, alto sax; Eckard Koltermann, bass clarinet & baritone sax; Stevko Busch, piano & compositions; Benjamin Trawinski, bass; Achim Krämer, drums.
ANDERSON-BENNINK-MÖBUS-GLERUM-VAN KEMENADE (musicians from the US, the Netherlands & Germany)
Line-Up: Paul van Kemenade, alto sax; Ray Anderson, trombone; Frank Möbus, guitar; Ernst Glerum, cello; Han Bennink, drums.
When: Saturday, November 6 (start 10:30pm)
Where: Quasimodo Club

ORCHESTRE NATIONAL DE JAZZ | DANIEL YVINEC
Line-Up: Daniel Yvinec – conductor, Karen Lano – vocals, Ian Siegal – vocals, Eve Risser – piano, flutes & sound objects, Vincent Lafont – keyboards & electronics, Antonin-Tri Huong – alto sax, clarinets & piano, Matthieu Metzger – alto, soprano & sopranino sax & electronic treatments, Joce Mieniel – flutes & electronics, Rémi Dumoulin – saxophones & clarinets, Guillaume Poncelet – trumpet, Pierre Perchaud – guitars & banjo, Sylvain Daniel – electric bass, french horn, electronic effects, Yoann Serra – drums.
When: Sunday, November 7 (start 10pm)
Where: Haus der Berliner Festspiele




Note:
New at the Jazzfest is the opportunity to buy tickets as a bundle subscription: the big subscription for 8 concerts costs 120 EUR, the small one for 4 concerts given away for 70 EUR. More informations, the complete programme schedule, the locations etc. you will find under these websites:
www.jazzfest-berlin.de