Jazzdor Berlin 2025

By Paul Acquaro

One of the most compelling aspects of the Jazzdor festival in Berlin lies in its discovery potential. Each year, the program includes several well-established artists while simultaneously introducing less familiar talent - at least outside of French circles. The end result is usually a small collection of newly acquired CDs and a list of new names—evidence of the festival’s capacity to surprise and inspire through its curation. In fact, this year, it seems that the festival went even further in this direction, offering nearly a full program of 'premieres,' and in several cases, full on festival 'creations.'

 

For example, on the third night, three such 'premiers/creations' took place, pairing French and with Polish musicians who had never played together as part of an initiative between curators Philippe Occhem from the Strasbourg, France based Jazzdor and Karolina Juzwa, from the Adam Mickiewicz Institute based in Warsaw, Poland.

 

Jazzdor has, of course, engaged in other cross European collaborations in recent years, notably in Hungary with the Budapest Music Center (BMC), which has resulted in festivals in Budapest and CD releases across both organizations' record labels. What was a bit different is that this time musicians were paired and given a few days to organize and develop their program before performing in the third night of the festival. Before we get to ahead of ourselves, let's circle back to the beginning.

Tuesday, June 3rd

Tuesday's opening began with a passing of the torch. Jazz journalist, festival programmer and organizer of the Paris Jazz Club initiative, Vincent Bessières is taking over from Occhem, who has directed Jazzdor for the past 36 years. The announcement was heartfelt and short, and then led quickly to the opening concert of the festival, guitarist David Chevallier's Time Machine.

 

David Chevallier - The Time Machine 

 

The Time Machine. Photo by  Ulla C.Binder

 

An absolutely unique concept to kick off the festival in which the set of French musicians each played a 17th-century ancestor of their modern instrument. Thus, guitarist David Chevallier played theorbo, trombonist Rose Dehors played the tenor sackbut, pianist Etienne Manchon was on harpsichord and cellist Atsushi Sakaï played the bass viol. Each instrument had characteristics of their current versions, but often with a dryer tone (except the bass viol, with six strings sounded like several string instruments at the same time). The contemporary composition followed the plot of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine from 1895, a first in the dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction genre, and the music captured both the idle and the dark conflict in the work. Delivered on the renaissance era instruments, the metaphor extended from the conceptual to the perceptual. Maybe most striking is that the old instruments often lack the sensitivity of their modern equivalents, thus entirely contemporary classical passages, as well as the rockier ones, were enveloped in the sounds of antiquity. It was quite a striking concept.

Sleeping Animals

Sleeping Animals. Photo by  Ulla C.Binder

Billed as a 'creation' on the Jazzdor website, the quartet of Sleeping Animals was comprised of Sarah Murcia on double bass, Bruno Ducret on cello, Christophe Lavergne drums with violist Mat Maneri. The description of the project, written before the actual creation of the group, said that the project blends micro-tonality, polyrhythms, and influences from free jazz to punk rock, blurring boundaries between written composition and improvisation. The group's general 'chamber jazz' approach was supported by compositions that stretched often in opposite directions, melody and countermelody creating strong musical tensions. Sometimes, there was a tentativeness to the parts, which however dissipated entirely during the solo spots. Murcia was a standout, and with a musican like Maneri sitting 5 feet away, this is quite a feat. Hopefully, we will be hearing more from this group.

 

Wednesday, June 4th

Outside, along the cobblestone street that runs through he middle of the former brewery complex, a cover band was doing a yeoman's job of entertaining a small crowd at an open air beer garden. Inside the large metal doors to the Kulturebrauerei's Kesselhaus space, a larger crowd had filled-in the seats. The room is large and unadorned, the venue itself is fine example of "raw industrial charm," which throughout the year hosts dance parties and musical events.

Grégory Dargent - Soleil D’hiver 

 

Grégory Dargent. Photo by  Ulla C.Binder

 

The evening began with a solo oud set incorporating electronics and video to tell an impressionistic story of a journey through nostalgia and culture. Oudist Grégory Dargent's journey starts in Algiers, which his father had left in 1962. Beginning on a boat, he then travels over land, through the city and far beyond. He is also tracing the culture of the Oud and his travels then take him through northern Africa to the Middle East. Between the grainy video and the full sound of oud, enhanced through electronics and effects, Dargent presents a pathos laden journey that is in a sense timeless - yes, there are indicators of time like the automobiles or such, but that is hardly the focus, rather it is people, buildings, landscapes, the very things that remain embedded hazily in memory. The playing was at times melancholic as well as urgent and violent. An extended section of just electronics provided an interlude of sorts, before returning to an intense ending with images of lovely sunset. The overall effect is a story that is somewhat unresolved and questioning.

 

Orchestre National De Jazz - With Carla

 

ONJ. Photo by Ulla C.Binder

 

Every year of the festival, the Orchestre National de Jazz, a jazz big band supported by the French government, has presented a new program, along with new members and often a guest musician. Last year, American saxophonist Steve Lehman presented Ex machina, a gripping combination of the orchestra with artificial intelligence processing. This year, the program was much more organic, and under the musical direction of flutist Sylvaine Hélary, presented arrangements from the late composer Carla Bley. The selection had a tilt towards Bley's more cabaret and carnivalesque pieces, drawing pieces from early works across, such as Tropic Appetites, Musique Mecanique and European Tour '77, to some later pieces. The group's sound is powerful, and each member had a chance to contribute to the expansive, cinematic work. The first solo of the night came from Hélary, a beautiful contrast between the low strings and her clear, crisp flute. Generally, the arrangements exuded a lot of motion and energy, however they also felt slightly rigid at times. At the encore, half the band left the stage, leaving mostly the strings and Hélary playing a lithe, romantic piece that then segued back to the full band performing the campy, but crowd pleasing, 'Very Very Simple' from I Hate to Sing. (You can hear a broadcast of the performance on Deutschlandfunk Kultur radio here.)

Thursday 

Karolina Juzwa and Philippe Occhem. Photo by Ulla C.Binder

Thursday was the aforementioned collaboration between French and Polish musicians, and an absolute highlight of the festival. The 'Soiree Franco-Polonaise' night recognized Poland's leadership of the European Union this year as well as the burgeoning music scene in Poland. 

 

Dominik Wania & Christophe Monniot Duo

 

Wania and Monniot.  Photo by Ulla C.Binder

The concerts began with two consummate musicians, pianist Dominik Wania from Poland and saxophonist Christophe Monniot from France. Wania's discograpy is slim, but features an album on ECM and Monniot is a celebrated player who has released numerous albums featuring across variety of styles. Together, they delivered a powerful set that was both ruminative and powerful. They began with an interpretation of a composition from the 16th century. Romantic and gentle, Minniot's melody was sharp but not harsh, angular but still gentle. Wania provided disciplined accompaniment, filled with subtle harmony and light unsettled chords. The second piece provided a stark contrast, much more intense pulsating energy from both musicians, quick melodic runs from the sax and rhythmic jolts from the piano. The two pushed each other until the ending, which took a fragile, questioning turn. The music was not all convincing, some more saccharine passages crept up in a later, but one such tune was rescued with the mash-up into Bill Frisell's 'Strange Meeting.' This set was a pleasant meeting, by all means!

 

Äether

 

 Äether. Photo by Ulla C.Binder

 

This string quartet was the surprise of the festival. Another 'creation' of the curators, the group was the collective of violinists Amalia Umeda and Aleksandra Kryńska, violist Maëlle Desbrosses and cellist Adèle Viret. The young musicians began with barely a sound at all. They scratched at the strings and produced incidental notes, as their playing slowly gained traction. Each were lobbing staccato knots of sound at the others, slowly cohering, finding a common voice. Soon, striking intervals were slicing the air. The next piece had an airier feel with a folksy component that swirled to a climax. Following pieces featured droning backgrounds ethereal vocalizations that formed haunting clouds of sound. Elements of New Music were interwoven with classical counterpoint, culminating in a final piece—a spirited burst of free jazz that had several members rising from their seats as they bowed with fervor. 

 

Ciechelski, Dabrowski, Drabek, Ber

 

Ciechelski, Dabrowski, Drabek, Ber. Photo by Ulla C.Binder

 

The last group of the evening was the very promising premiere/creation of a quartet featuring saxophonist Léa Ciechelski, trumpeter Tomasz Dabrowski, bassist Kamila Drabek and drummer Samuel Ber. The group rumbled to life in the form a welcome 'classic' free-jazz ensemble, with the always exciting set up of sax and trumpet on the front line and a piano-less rhythm section. Dabrowski and Ciechelski exchanged small melodic snippets, while Drabek and Ber provided a lively, driving rhythmic pulse. More composed pieces followed, each member of the group contributing to the writing, and each tune offered an exciting contrast to the last. While the playing was excellent, it felt like the total energy slipped a bit as evening grew late.

Friday, June 6th

Samuel Ber - Eggs, Stairs & Shells

 

Eggs, Stairs & Shells. Photo by Ulla C.Binder

 

Although I was not able to attend the final night of the festival, I did have eyes and ears on the ground. However, even those eyes and ears were not able to be at the first set of the night, so I cannot speak with any certainty to Eggs, Stairs & Shells from drummer Samuel Ber, saxophonist Bo Van Der Werf, bassist Felix Henkelhausen and keyboardist Elias Stemeseder on what was their German premier. My initial thought, looking at the list of names, is that it would be a good show. I hope that indeed was the case. 

 

Hélène Labarrière - Puzzle

 

Hélène Labarrière's Puzzle. Photo by Ulla C.Binder

My source caught most of French bassist Hélène Labarrière's project Puzzle, with clarinetist Catherine Delaunay, saxophonist Robin Fincker, guitarist Stéphane Bartelt and drummer Simon Goubert. The report was that the combination of composed sections and explosive improvisations worked very well, each musician adding a distinctive voice to the group. This set also happened to be a release concert for the album of the same name, and surprisingly was the only group of the whole program with a directly related recording - quite an unusual circumstance, but one that attests to the adventerous spirit of the festival this year. 

 

Pascal Niggenkemper - The Ocean Within Us

 

The Ocean Within Us. Photo by Ulla C.Binder

 

The festival closed with a concert by bassist and this past year's Jazzdor artist-in-residence, Pascal Niggenkemper. The bassist, known for his creative compositions and free playing, created a group that combined German, American and French players entitled The Ocean Within Us. On stage, the group, drummer Gerald Cleaver, keyboardist Liz Kosack, and saxophonist Sakina Abdou, along with Niggenkemper, took their time building the suspense, from snippets of spoken word and samples and some unusual instrumental tools - Niggenkemper deployed his industrial metal light bulb covers and Kozak had a keytar! - to a finally reaching a riveting climax of sound and tension. You can see a short video that captures their spirit here.