The renowned KICK JAZZ FESTIVAL that is hosted in collaboration with Porgy & Bess took place in an altered form in late December of last year. That we are all looking forward to a future of live events is undeniable. However, the circumstance allowed us to focus on the professional capturing of an artists performance with all of them dealing with this challenging situation gracefully. We hope to see you again for a lively Kick Jazz 2021 – until then we would like to give you a glimpse on the performing talent this year.
1. Jelena Poprzan
Jelena Popržan doesn’t need to be introduced to anyone who knows the Austrian world music and jazz scene. The musician was born in Serbia and has lived in Vienna for many years. She was part of the successful duo Catch-Pop String-Strong, is a member of the no less successful band Madame Baheux and also plays a role in the world music trio Sormeh and many other formations. What distinguishes the charismatic violist and vocalist is her immense musical openness paired with a good dose of artistic idiosyncrasy and a willingness to experiment. With only a few musicians, the sentence: “She does what she wants” is as true as it is with her.
2. DUO 4675
Unconventional, unclassical and uncategorizable are the three most suitable adjectives with which one can best describe the sound of the Duo 4675. The siblings Astrid and Beate Wiesinger audibly leave the beaten musical path and create a refreshing and unprecedented jazz sound with bass and saxophone. Stylistically, the musicians from Upper Austria, who have made the zip code of their home town their band name, draw the line in a wonderfully weird way from jazz to blues to pop. It is a constant, high-contrast back and forth between the opposites, which the duo makes their program and which ultimately also ensures the tension-laden musical arc they are known for.
3. Moritz Weiß Klezmer Trio
Moritz Weiß Klezmer Trio continues the story of Klezmer and re-creates it in a wonderful musical language. The trio, founded in 2015, bridges the gap from the past to the present – and honours the Jewish music tradition by connecting it with various styles from other epochs. Klezmer is interwoven in artistic and multi-layered art with elements from jazz and classical music, ranging from fully structured to highly energetic pieces. The result is a sound that is emotional, stimulating and opens doors into new spheres of the musical experience.
4. Florian Klinger Quartet
As an orchestral musician, the vibraphonist and percussionist Florian Klinger is mainly active in classical music. In his solo project, however, the native of Lower Austria shows that his musical interests are not limited to classical music, but also extend far into other genres. With his quartet he creates a sound that is nourished by different musical directions. In his compositions, jazz is combined with classical music and elements from various popular musical trends. This harmonious fusion enables a very complex and at the same time engaging, warm and elegant sound.
Florian Klinger: vibraphone / Lorenz Raab: trumpet / Raphael Preuschl: bass / Andreas Lettner: drums
5. Lukas Lauermann
Lukas Lauermann is without a doubt one of the most versatile musicians in Austria. The cellist feels – as his involvement in various projects in the past shows – at home in the most varied of sound environments. Regardless of genre, whether in pop, world music or jazz, Lauermann always succeeds in putting his unmistakable stamp on his endeavours. In his solo project, the Viennese expanded his musical field of activity to the point of the unconventional experiment. With new playing techniques, he explores the sound of his instrument, which he also uses as a resonance body and pick-up for the piano, but also as a tuning fork and synthesizer. What Lauermann creates in his music is a sound that breaks with the ordinary and in turn creates a fascinating atmosphere.
Lukas Lauermann: cello
6. VOGEL/WAELTI/PROWAZNIK TRIO ‘TREE
Re-interpreting jazz in a classical jazz line-up: this is the best way to get to the heart of what Georg Vogel, Andreas Waelti and Michael Prowaznik perform. The three instrumentalists have come together to go on a roller coaster ride through the wide world of jazz, where they obviously cross the worlds of many other genres. The Austrian-Swiss trio interweaves musical currents that, at first glance, don’t really seem to go together, but then do so in a wonderful way. The melodies are incorporated into tricky as well as wonderfully catchy rhythmic forms and structures, the three participants experiment courageously in the sense of a multi-faceted overall sound. The intensities and moods change every second, from elegantly reserved to uncommonly dynamic, from casual to lively and completely open, from spherically dense to idiosyncratically skewed.
Georg Vogel: piano / Andreas Waelti: bass / Michael Prowaznik: drums
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