5 Million Pesos is the monthly concert series of young jazz in and from Austria, a presentation of Radiokulturhaus Vienna and the Ö1 jazz department.
HAEZZ
Martin Eberle – trumpet
Štěpán Flagar – tenor saxophone
Tobias Vedovelli – bass
Tobias Vedovelli, the 30-year-old bassist from Hohenems, has made a name for himself in recent years with a wide range of musical activities, including as a (co-)bandleader of Kühle Wampe, Pol.D, and his own large ensemble, and as a co-producer of the onQ Festival.
Now, after years of musical and organizational involvement with large projects, he’s pursuing a desire for focus and reduction. Vedovelli’s new, stripped-down project HAEZZ (pronounced “hɛːs”) is a trio with two other Vienna transplants: Czech saxophone virtuoso Štěpán Flagar and the Dornbirn-born trumpeter Martin Eberle.
It seems reasonable to call this an “all-star trio” from the Austrian jazz scene: HAEZZ luxuriates in their mature, compact compositions – these are clearly experienced musicians who have outgrown the need to prove themselves and know exactly what they’re doing. Warm, intimate chorales share space with artfully woven contrapuntal lines of lyric urgency; these give way to grooving intensity, with all three instruments trading off rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic roles. A polyphonic, cool-jazz aesthetic is combined with refined rhythmic complexity and a Mitteleuropean melodic sense. A truly impressive virtuosity shines through it all – but it’s a means to an end for this acoustic, tonally rich, artisanal chamber jazz. Music that pairs passion with challenging inventiveness, music that touches the heart and stimulates the head. A feast for the ears!
Concert: Saturday, May 25, 8 p.m. @ Radiokulturhaus Studio 3
Airdate: Night of July 6/7 on the Ö1 Jazznacht, hosted by Katharina Osztovics