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| Jazzfest Berlin 2008 Swedish trombonist Nils Landgren welcomes you as new artistic director of JazzFest Berlin 08. Back in 2001, Landgren directed the festival with great success. He will be shaping the program for the coming three years. His theme for this year is the decision to allow the artists to speak through their own music. Showcased between November 5th and 9th are musicians representing the most diverse stylistic tendencies: jazz greats and newcomers will explore both traditional and experimental pathways. Musicians will be arriving from the USA, from Sweden, from Old Europe in general, and from Berlins own jazz scene: a multifaceted program of 25 concerts, packed with variety but also joined by multidimensional interrelationships, and presented at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, the Konzertsaal der UdK on Bundesallee, and at Quasimodo and A-Trane. At the festival opening on November 5th, attendees will be transported to a now distant jazz era by documentary films on Anita ODay and Chico Hamilton. Both of these artists occupied the stage at the legendary 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, and are hence featured in the first great jazz film, Jazz on a Summers Day, scheduled to be screened at the Delphi. Also present at Newport 50 years ago were trombonist Roswell Rudd and bassist Henry Grimes at JazzFest 08, both can be experienced in live performance. A trombone-heavy brass septet is New Orleans-based Bonerama, who belt out jazz versions of rock classics. But this is not the only ensemble to betray an unapologetically personal note in the program assembled by Landgren as festival director: musical highlights from Sweden include the ever impressive Bobo Stenson Trio and singer Lina Nyberg, scandalously underappreciated in this country to date, and the overpowering and extravagant duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums. Representing Berlins younger jazz scene is bassist Eva Kruse, well-known for transgressing boundaries, who performs at A-Trane with the Arne Jansen Trio, Firomanum, and Soap. Attempting to suspend the boundary separating jazz and classical are Daniel Glatzel and his 20-piece Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra from Berlin. Other guests known for crossing borders include accordion virtuoso Richard Galliano, saxophonist Alan Skidmore, the Avishai Cohen Trio from Israel, and Vince Mendoza, who performs Blauklang (Blue Tone), a work commissioned by the WDR. A point of crystallization is the memory of alto sax legend Hank Crawford, who receives tribute in a concert with Maceo Parker and the WDR Big Band of Cologne in honor of Ray Charles. Also paying homage to Crawford is David Sanborn, who shares the stage with Herbie Hancocks all-star quintet at the final and already sold out concert of JazzFest Berlin 08, to take place at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. Rounding out Landgrens first festival edition are Ronnie Cubers languorous baritone, the Headhunters, and that king of tone color Bennie Maupin. Vlkommen! All concerts will be recorded and some of them broadcast live by ARD and Deutschlandradio. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |