Under the new artistic direction of Nadin Deventer, Jazzfest Berlin is putting together a programme full of creative border crossings and collective visions. From 1 to 4 November, roughly 200 musicians from all over the world will occupy the festival in various formations and open up spaces for encounters.
On 1 November, the “Haus of Jazz” celebrates the festival’s Grand Opening with ten acts and many German premieres on all levels of the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. Nicole Mitchell and the Black Earth Ensemble open the evening on the big stage. But even before that, the Berlin KIM Collective plays its Carte Blanche to create the “Un(ter)ort”—a musical echo of what is happening above ground. The interludes on four stages open parallel musical universes—from free improvisation, experimental noise to solo piano, modern jazz and electro-acoustic sounds. The house is thus transformed into a free space of movement. Rob Mazurek concludes the evening with his “Exploding Star International: Chicago–Berlin”, in which musicians and the audience gather on the big stage.
Thematically, the Jazzfest Berlin navigates the polyphony of young European artists with their dynamic spheres of activity. The festival presents new collaborations featuring artists like Théo Ceccaldi “Freaks”, the WorldService Project, Nubya Garcia, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Elias Stemmeseder and Tin Men and the Telephone. Chicago as an evolved place of creative exchange and collective interaction is represented by the legendary Art Ensemble of Chicago, Roscoe Mitchell, Rob Mazurek and younger artists such as Jaimie Branch. With the audiovisual commissioned work “James Reese Europe & the Absence of Ruin”, pianist Jason Moran and filmmaker Bradford Young reflect on the life and work of the African-American musician and soldier whose musical and political influence shaped the arrival of jazz in Europe. Moor Mother and the Irreversible Entanglements and Nicole Mitchell present today’s African-American historiography, which is reflected in the cultural aesthetics and concept of Afrofuturism in its many variations. Guitarist Mary Halvorson from New York appears as Artist in Residence in various formations and demonstrates her striking playing and her extraordinary effect. In addition, new cooperations and formats open the festival for other arts. With installations, neighbourhood concerts, exhibition visits and performances, they create new spaces of experience inside and outside the Haus der Berliner Festspiele.
More info: https://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/en/aktuell/festivals/jazzfest/ueber_festival_jazz/aktuell_jazz/start.php
