NACHT DER THÜRINGER JAZZMEILE 2024

Five Thuringian bands in five bars on one night

The Kunstfest Weimar is once again taking up an old idea from the era of Nike Wagner and celebrates with its artists, guests and visitors with a jazz evening in five pubs in the city. Curated and organized for Kunstfest Weimar by the head of the Thüringer Jazzmeile, Holger Gonska.

PRO ART – DAS BESTE AUS JAZZ, ROCK, FUNK UND SOULJAZZ

Founded in the summer of 1973 by musicians from Ilmenau, the band ‘pro art’ has stood for the best handmade music for 51 years now. Initially more jazz-rock oriented, the band was one of the most popular blues formations on the East German scene in the 1980s, but later turned more and more to funk and soul jazz. Although none of the founding members have been around for a long time, the band is still going strong.r.

For over 20 years, the sound has been char- acterized above all by Andi Geyer's Hammond organ and a four-part horn section. In addition to some classics, there are a number of original compositions, the music thrives on some groove as well as fresh and sometimes exuberant im- provisations.

VIOLA MICHAELIS UND ALL HUES – »WE LOVE STANDARDS«

We love Standards. But we also love composing. This is particularly true of the pianist Florian Zeller, who puts his own stamp on the quartet ‘All Hues’ with his through-composed arrangements. He knows what it means to adapt the motifs and themes of a jazz song. The results are classical – maybe psychedelic? – but swinging.

Rock influences from his youth manifest them- selves from time to time, but it is also possible that the odd jazz fugue will find its way into the arrangement. The set list also includes his own compositions, with lyrics provided by the vocalist Viola Michaelis.

SILKE GONSKA & FRIEDER W. BERGNER – »OUR FAVORITE SONGS«

The duo of Silke Gonska (vocals) and Frieder W. Bergner (trombone, tuba) released their debut album ‘Entdeckung der Langsamkeit’ in 1996. With this first recording, the Thuringians presented themselves as two soloists who planned to leave their footprints a long way off the beaten musical path. The combination they have used in the 10 CDs they have produced together – vocals, loops and a range of brass instruments – offers the audience something entirely different from other well-known jazz and pop duos. But do they make music for a special audience? No, never! On the contrary, anyone open to doing so will experience new sounds along with well-known and familiar ones in ways they have never heard before. Old songs are thoroughly refreshed.

BEHLE

With the band Behle, Isabelle and Christian Schieblich realise their vision of soulful and authentic jazz. The couple possesses a deep musical connection that enables them to understand and enhance each other’s music intuitively. Isabelle impresses with her vocal interpretations, while Christian’s guitar sounds are skilfully yet sensitively arranged. For this evening, Thuringian saxophonist Robert Fränzel com- pletes the trio. In recent years he has strengthened the Norwegian band ‘Midnight Choir’ as well as the ‘Jazzmeile Big Band Thüringen’, with whom he has performed concerts together with Nils Landgren, Pe Werner, Lee Konitz and Kenny Wheeler, amongst others.

DOGMA'N – BLUES IS ON FIRE
Chicago, Texas & Avantgarde Blues in the spirit of Albert Collins, Freddie King, Luther Allison, Buddy Guy and Frank Zappa. Four seasoned musicians celebrate the blues in its most varied aspects. Here the rolling and stamping Chicago sound meets earthy, roughneck Texas blues – with the avantgarde influence of Frank Zappa thrown in. This crazy mix makes up the typical sound of Dogma'n. The Weimar-Gotha project founded by Michael Rötsch, who acts as singer and guitarist, is completed by Robert Boddin on bass, Andreas Saul on guitar and the blues harp and the young percussionist Marius Baum, who shares this job with Lin Dittmann.