PABLO HELD TRIO / Germany

Held's music has a mysterious and introverted quality, but at the same time it manages to sweep over the listener with great tension. The almost instinctive certainty of playing with Robert Landfermann and Jonas Burgwinkel only enhances this effect.
One renowned American magazine describes them as a world-class trio with extraordinary talent. Held says, "Playing with Robert and Jonas is still incredibly close and familiar. And at the same time, always as exciting as the first time."
 
Born in 1986 in Hagen, Germany, his father played the piano and introduced him to the music of Federico Mompa. Held was also influenced and taught by pianist John Taylor. Studying jazz piano in Cologne was a ticket to a new world. He won the WDR prize for improvisation in 2011. Parts of a concert with guitarist John Scofield in Cologne in January 2014 were released as The Trio Meets John Scofield. Held's album Recondita Armonia was reviewed by Down Beat: "Held gives a typical ballad album an individual character by drawing on all the classic themes.
 Since 2017, he has been the curator of the "Pablo Held Meets" concert series at LOFT in Cologne. He invites international greats like Norma Winstone, Ben Monder, Gary Husband, Jeff Ballard. Each time a new line-up and new repertoire is presented.
 A similarly rewarding change is teaching: 2011 to 2020 at IFM Osnabrück, from early 2020 as an assistant professor at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz plus workshops around the world.
 
 
The Pablo Held Trio project
 The Pablo Held Trio is one of the most lively and significant formations on the contemporary European jazz scene. In their concerts they transcend the boundaries between composition and improvisation by relinquishing the idea of ​​a set list and premeditated arrangements. The risk of radical spontaneity has enthused them for some years now and it inspired an aesthetic model that is exceptional among contemporary musicians. The cohesion of the Pablo Held Trio is based on friendship and on the creative desire to constantly enter unknown territories. The artistic impact and the autonomy of the three outstanding musicians are attracting a growing circle of congenial musicians from Europe and America who often join the trio.
 
Pablo Held (piano)
Robert Landfermann (double bass)
Jonas Burgwinkel (percussion)