POSTPONED // Christoph Irniger Trio ft. Van Gelder + Luca Sisera "Roofer"

Christoph Irniger Trio feat. Ben Van Gelder (CH/NL/ISR)

Christoph Irniger (CH) - tenor saxophone, clarinet / Ben Van Gelder (NL) - alto saxophone / Raffaele Bossard (CH) - bass / Ziv Ravitz (ISR) - drums

Christoph Irniger’s trio celebrates the melody without ever being trivial. These musicians offer us poetic pieces that demonstrate that accessible melodies and complex tonal universes do not need to be mutually exclusive and can be fully understood. Christoph Irniger is a master of orchestration, he rejects any form of hierarchy between soloist and rhythm. Instead of using the compositions as springboards for solos, he manages to find interesting ways in which improvisations can emphasize compositional characteristics. “Melody, arrangement, improvisation: the trio merges them all, forming a seductive and closely linked whole,” emphasizes American jazz critic Kevin Whitehead. Currently, the group plays in quartet with Ben van Gelder - a true figure of authority in the field of the alto saxophone; he has notably performed with David Binney, Mark Turner and Ambrose Akinmusire. Together, the group present the album "Open City", released in September 2020 on Intakt Records. The Christoph Irniger Trio was formed in 2012, with Raffaele Bossard on double bass and Ziv Ravitz on percussion. With "Gowanus Canal" (2012) and "Octopus" (2015), they produced two exemplary albums. The trio creates music that unites intelligence and passion, timeless but current.

Luca Sisera "ROOFER" (CH)

Luca Sisera - bass, compositions / Michael Jaeger - tenor saxophone / Maurus Twerenbold - trombone / Yves Theiler - piano / Michi Stulz - drums

With nonchalant ease, this quintet oscillates between avant-garde and awareness of tradition. Their previous albums "Prospect" (2015, Leo Records) and "Moscow Files" (2017, Leo Records) both received high praise in the international press. After numerous tours, festivals and concerts, ROOFER has established itself, beyond borders, as a daring jazz collective, playful, and eager for experimentation. With the release of their third album "Starlex Complex" in 2019, the group began a new chapter. The multitude of concerts once again enriched the language of the group, while the sound universe of the collective has grown wonderfully. Complex rhythms, fast unison parts, latent swing fantasies, and anthemic soundscapes provide a solid foundation upon which musicians can improvise. This gives birth to complex and innovative music, which is as free as it is form conscious, while still being stimulating for musicians and the audience. Thus, it is not surprising that the extreme climbers who call themselves "roofers", and who climb the tallest buildings in the world without a safety system, but only thanks to sophisticated techniques, a recognized know-how, and an unquenchable thirst for adventure, are placed as metaphorical models for this group.

Produced with the support of the Brussels-Capital Region and Visit Brussels.

Concert organized as part of the River Jazz Festival.