Program Saturday July 28th 2018
Saturday July 28th – 11:00pm
Kupferschmiede Langnau
Bokanté
Malika Tirolien voc, Michael League g/voc, Chris McQueen g/voc, Bob Lanzetti g, Roosevelt Collier steel guitar, Ben Zwerin b, Jamey Haddad perc, Keita Ogawa perc, André Ferrari perc
For the newly-formed international music ensemble Bokanté, connection is the foundation upon which all things are built. Among the members themselves, the connections span almost two decades. But outwardly, the band’s formation was born in the desire to connect with society and the problems most urgently facing it. Rich in the sound of both delta and desert, the unusual but evocative instrumentation blends musical worlds to convey an urgent message of social awareness against the rising tide of exclusion and human indifference.
The word bokanté means “exchange” in Creole, the language of vocalist Malika Tirolien’s youth growing up on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Now living in Montreal, she stands among 8 musicians from 4 continents, each one accomplished in their own right and well versed in music far beyond that of their point of origin. Two-time Grammy award-winning guitarists Michael League, Chris McQueen, and Bob Lanzetti (all from Snarky Puppy), percussion legend Jamey Haddad (Paul Simon, Sting), pedal and lap steel virtuoso Roosevelt Collier (Lee Boys, Karl Denson), and unplaceable percussionists André Ferrari (Väsen) and Keita Ogawa (Banda Magda, Yo-Yo Ma) come together to create a diverse ensemble rich in groove, melody, and soul.
An experiment conceived by Snarky Puppy founder and GroundUP Music creator Michael League (who has traded his bass in for a baritone guitar in this group), the process of formation was all but conventional. The music and some of the melodies were written by League, demoed while on tour with other bands, and then sent to Tirolien with lyrical concepts attached. Tirolien then wrote lyrics and melodies, demoing and ping-ponging the new content back to Michael. Many of the musicians had never even met until the first day of recording. By the end of the week-long session in upstate New York’s legendary Dreamland Studios, the band felt abnormally cohesive. “Unity was paramount in the formation of this group,” observed League. “Though the ensemble is multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and multi-generational, we all feel connected as musicians and people. And in combining our different accents I feel that there is a strangely common and poignant sound, one that can reach and relate to listeners around the world.”
The band’s debut album, “Strange Circles,” goes from Zeppelin-esque blues stomp to folkloric Caribbean kaladja over the course its ten tracks, blending the extensive and varied knowledge of the individual players with a strong, yet empathetic, lyrical approach. Singing in both Creole and French, Tirolien’s words draw nuanced pictures of the struggles we face in our world today- racism, the refugee crisis, a dying planet, apathy towards human suffering- and offer words of thankfulness for those things which unify us, as well as hope for the future of our race. Through it all, Bokanté is a vibrant image of what it wishes to see in the world: connection, unity, and love- through exchange.
Saturday, July 28th – 09:30pm
Kupferschmiede Langnau
Endangered Blood - Black/Speed/Noriega/Dunn
Jim Black dr/electronics, Chris Speed ts, Oscar Noriega clarinet, Trevor Dunn b
The four members of Endangered Blood are some of the most influential jazz musicians of their generation. Jim Black should need no introduction to listeners of creative music, having established himself as one of the most inventive drummers of his generation, and is currently leading his own trio as well as postrock/
jazz group Alas No Axis. Bassist Trevor Dunn has been touring the world with various Mike Patton and John Zorn projects as well as entering the Guinness Book of World Records by playing fifty gigs in fifty states in fifty days as a member of the Melvins Lite. Oscar Noriega is fast becoming one of the rising stars of creative music as a member of Tim Berne’s acclaimed Snake Oil quartet. Chris Speed continues to be one of the most highly respected jazz saxophonists and clarinetists working today, currently playing with Craig Taborn, Dave King, Uri Caine and John Hollenbeck’s long running Claudia Quintet.
Saturday, July 28th – 08:30pm
Kupferschmiede Langnau
International Jazz Piano Competition - Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
This competition is being announced internationally for the third time. All piano students enrolled at a jazz academy are eligible to participate. The total prize money amounts to CHF 2'500. Member of the jury is Aaron Goldberg, head of this year's Master Class for Jazz Piano, which will also be held in cooperation with the HSLU for the fifth year.
Short-List
- Yuri Storione
- Svetlana Marinchenko
- Hue Blanes
Good luck to everyone!
Saturday, July 28th – 05:00pm
Reformierte Kirche Langnau
Judy Niemack Project
Judy Niemack voc, Ohad Talmor sax, Vic Juris g, Jay Anderson b
"...one of the most versatile and provocative singers...with a keen jazz sensitivity."
John. S. Wilson, New York Times
Throughout her career, Judy Niemack has accomplished a great deal as a singer, educator, lyricist, composer, and inspiration to younger jazz vocalists. Due to her beautiful voice, fearless improvising, impressive musicianship and versatility, Judy Niemack has since worked with many of the who’s who of jazz including pianists Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, Cedar Walton, Kenny Barron, Jim McNeely, Steve Kuhn, Kirk Lightsey and Kirk Nurock, saxophonists Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano and James Moody, flugelhornist Clark Terry, bassists Ray Drummond and Eddie Gomez, drummers Billy Higgins, Joey Baron, Billy Hart and Adam Nussbaum, the New York Voices and the WDR Big Band.