Music is his passion. Grown up in the metropolis of Germany, he has played almost all stages of the country and made such a name when it comes to party, gala or classical jazz / gospel concerts or SOUL MUSIC.
His successes are due to the Afro-American background of not least well-known names such as Cunnie Williams, Scooter, Heiner Pudelko, Rio Reiser, Demis Roussus, Chris Norman, Ines Paulke and many others for whom he worked or was on the stage. He accompanied a number of CD / TV productions and shows with devotion, as well as the gala in favor of Welthungerhilfe with Dieter Thomas Heck or the world-famous musical PorgyandBess, the Berlin Theater of the West under the direction of Götz Friedrich, with this performance several years Great success has been achieved, or the Berlin Wintergarten Varietè with his show Forever Young, under the direction of Georg Strecker and Frank Müller, the CD production Gospel Meets Soul Classics, which was published in 2004 on Edel Records, where he his voice and his musical KnowHow could prove.
Ben Mayson, The Master of Soul And Gospel, was once the title of the renowned Yorckschlösschen Berlin, an entertainer who knows how to entertain and enthuse the audience with his charismatic and soulful singing.

"Courage is a matter of the heart, of the center of the person, so bravely one can boldly say (the French and English word courage is derived from coeur)." (From: Paul Tillich "Courage to Become")
For example, jazz singer Esther Kaiser sees the term courage as a matter of the heart in her new project "Songs of Courage" and would like to combine worlds on her new album, released in August 2018 on the label GLM, to find a common musical language for the themes of our time.
"I was looking for ways to express myself through my medium, the music - even in social issues. And open your mouth - in the truest sense of the word. This is important to me, right now, with the current issues and the mood in society, this sometimes irreconcilable split between people and opinions. Nina Simone once said "An ArtistsDutyistoreflectthetimes" - I see it very similar "- says Esther Kaiser when asked about the motivation for the new album.
And so meet jazz sounds meet oriental sounds, Berlin jazz musicians on refugee musicians from Syria and Iraq.
Also the "Courage" -song material comes from different worlds - peace-moving songs by Pete Seeger and oriental improvisations meet pieces by ChickCorea, Suzanne Vega and Hanns Eisler and combine in the jazzy world music sound idiom of Esther Kaiser and make for a very special CD release ,

The quartet began playing together since the beginning of 2018. The four internationally renowned instrumentalists have a long experience in free improvisation and are able to deliver strong, significant statements with a sophistication and virtuosity that captivate the listener.

The artist Maria Baptist „combines the aesthetics of European tradition with the American jazz ethos“, wrote the DOWNBEAT. With more than 1,000 concerts in over 20 countries, 10 CDs and a private concert for Michael Jackson, the multi-award-winner from New York and Berlin has played her way to the top of Europe’s current jazz scene. Together with alto saxophone sound artist Jan von Klewitz, she presents a duo of the highest quality. On their new album „Poems without Words“, the two musicians create „deep worlds of sound that are seldom heard in Europe today“ (Jazz journalist Cosmo Scharmer).
Grammy winner Maria Schneider judged the inspiring power of Maria Baptist’s music as follows: „Baptist’s music is a gift, infused with all the creativity, power, emotion, generosity and warmth that she exudes in life“.

the legendary Jam Session with Robin Draganic'

The Schönfeld Quartet, founded in 2011, is musically determined by Schönfeld's compositions. The music moves in the field of jazz tradition in the broadest sense and free forms of improvisation, tamed by the predetermined material in which each of the quartet's well-known soloists, his musical freedom is given, and through which the music develops its own broad musical spectrum.

- Old North American songs -
The tenor saxophonist DIRK ENGELHARDT is dedicated to this project in a "classic" quartet cast of his favorite pieces of the Great American Songbook. Against the background of wide-ranging experiences with numerous modern jazz, pop and avant-garde ensembles and musicians such as Albert Mangelsdorff, Rene Urtreger, Marianne Rosenberg, Hannes Zerbe or Christian Burchard from the group Embryo, Dirk Engelhardt presents himself in the traditional sense with SKETCHES OF JAZZ , expressive, at the same time lyrical and compact swinging.
From concert to concert, the great compositions of e.g. Cole Porter, Victor Young or Jerome Kern from the quartet, each time completely spontaneously, almost like a jam session, retold.

The quintet around the Berlin pianist Tal Balshai plays his own pieces inspired by the hard-bop tradition. This two-horned instrumentation offers a distinctive sound and melodic possibilities that invite soloing as well as interplay in the band. In combination with electric bass and electric keyboard, the music gains a modern, groovy sound.
Tal Balshai, pianist, composer and arranger, born in 1969 in Jerusalem, Israel, lives with his wife and three children in Berlin.
As a song accompanist, he is on international stages with renowned artists, from the Salzburg Festival over the Staatsoper from Berlin and Hamburg to the Scala Milan as well as in the Berliner Ensemble, German Theater and other prominent venues. He is particularly interested in the Jewish artists expelled from Germany in 1933, to whom he lends extraordinary arrangements.
With and for the opera star Angela Denoke emerged a Kurt Weill evening "Two Lives to live", the program "From Babelsberg to Beverly Hills", and the evening "city dwellers". With the actress Dagmar Manzel he interprets chansons and cinema hits by Werner Richard Heymann and a Hanns Eisler evening "Oh, they say, the red moon sight". The Weill and Heymann programs are also published on CD.
Own projects are u.a. The piano duo "PianoPrism" and his piano cycle "The Book of Ellipses". The CD "Half Life", a cross-section of Balshai's work with singers, was published by Honigtee Music in 2014. As a silent film accompanist, he played in Finland, Austria, and in many cities in Germany, among others. in the silent film festival Regensburg.

The young jazz band plays modern, contemporary jazz. The musicians find inspiration for their energetic, groovy and sometimes melancholic self-compositions in the field of contemporary jazz, but also in pop and electronic music. The result is a highly interesting mix of driving grooves, spherical sound surfaces, combined with virtuoso brass passages and daring solos. Always searching for the common essence of their ideas, elements of rock, modern jazz and avant-garde merge and combine into their own language and sound aesthetics. Since its founding in 2015, the band has played over 40 joint concerts on three tours at home and abroad. The band members study jazz at the conservatories in Mainz, Cologne and Dresden.

The four young musicians study jazz at the Hochschule für Musik Köln. Their interaction is sometimes extroverted energetic - sometimes melancholic minimalistic! Simon Below's compositions allow a high degree of freedom of action. In March 2017, the quartet won a scholarship from Werner Richard - Dr. Ing. Carl Dörken - Foundation. Their debut CD, which they have recorded in the Loft in Cologne, is already in the box (Release: May 2018 at "Double Moon Records Jazz Thing Next Generation"). In addition, the band was forwarded to the final of the competition "Tremplin Jazz D'Avignon", which will take place on 02. + 03.08.2018.
Stylistically, the quartet moves in modern jazz. Open compositions guarantee excitement both in the audience and again and again in the musicians themselves. "Not capturing everything from A to Z in a composition is fundamental to the band's sound, and processes of improvisation and communication should not be overstated It may well happen that phased free improvisations come about, parts of the theme can appear in different places of the take, duo passages are always conceivable, the focus is on spontaneous interaction and creating exciting music.

Anticipative interplay and stylistic openness characterize the sound of this trio, which draws inspiration from various sources such as singer-songwriter Elliot Smith, classical composer Olivier Messiaen and contemporary jazz.
The three musicians aim for a broad musical palette and use effects to enhance the traditional sound of a trio. Sparse soundscapes merge into rich, glowing harmonies.

"The" Vandojam "known from Paris and New York now also takes place in the B-Flat.
Supported by Vandoren / Paris. "Under the direction of Robin Draganic and Reiner Witzel

The Berlin-based Italian bassist Roberto Badoglio has formed the German-Icelandic guitarist Bjössi Klütsch, the saxophonist Tobias Rellenberg and the American David Haynes on drums to a quartet.
Roberto Badoglio was born in 1984 and began to play bass after studying piano. At 16, he took private lessons in France with Dominique Di Piazza and in New York with Matthew Garrison and Skuli Sverrisson. A graduate of Boston's Berklee College of Music, he had the opportunity to play with trombonist Hal Crook and renowned pianist Joanne Brackeen in their ensemble. After studying in Berklee, he moved to NY City, joined the band of pop singer Adama, and continued to play in the city and on international tours with many of the great New York musicians, such as Louis Cato, Marko Djordjevic, Brad, and Eliot Mason. Hara Garacci. and many others. During this time he recorded his first solo album "Re-Evaluation Time" and released it in 2010. Roberto's bass playing features a unique four-finger technique that he sees as a mixture of Dominique Di Piazza, Matthew Garrison and Gary Willis

LUCIA FODDE belongs to the generation of Italian jazz artists who combine innovative sounds with traditional rhythms.
Jazz legend Sheila Jordan praised her as a beautiful voice with a profound feeling and we immediately understand what Jordan is talking about: her spirited, unforgettable voice is characterized by a breathtaking sense of musicality and precision and so poignant that she craves more ( and more).

Rolf Zielke Trio meets Peter Weniger Four top - class musicians from the international jazz scene meet here: Rolf Zielke - piano, composition Guilherme Castro - bass Tobias Backhaus - drums Peter Weniger - sax "The listener experiences Piano Jazz in the Champions League" (jazz podium). "The man from Berlin presents himself as a pianist who creates fresh tunes in the crowded trio genre." (Jazz thing) The rapid, virtuoso performance and unrestrained joy of improvisation of the musicians convey a refreshing and exuberant listening experience: breathtaking grooves, far more rhythmic Make jazz clichés powerful and rousing. Peter Weniger will bring the concert to an unforgettable pleasure with his unique saxophone playing. The program consists mainly of compositions by the pianist Rolf Zielke and his spectacular arrangements of operatic arias by George Frideric Handel: "Handel himself probably would not have done it any differently today and would certainly have been impressed by his interpreters and interpretations of his works." (Göttinger Tageblatt 06/09) "As long as there are musicians like Rolf Zielke and Herbie Hancock who have such foresight in their concepts, you do not need to be worried about the necessary innovations in jazz." (Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung)

Nils Wograms Hammond organ trio "Nostalgia" plays compositions of the album "Nature" which was awarded the Echo in 2016.
All songs are inspired by places, creatures and events in nature. The title of this program could be "Power and Poetry." The concept of Nostalgia has always put jazz in direct contact with the tradition of German romanticism. More than ever, in "Nature" a heartfelt, undisguised pathos can be heard, without the music would ever crash in Heimattümelei. Quotation Nils Wogram: "Jazz is often about who can play better and who has hip ideas. I just wanted to do an album without all this, because I just wanted to do it. "It will be interesting to see what the three musicians make of this idea live as well: Text from the press release on" Nature "by Wolf Kampmann

Born in 1959 in Oristano (Italy). In 1975 he made his first appearance as a professional musician and started to play with his trio all over Italy. Later, he toured Europe with various groups and moved to Berlin in 1983, where he made contacts with musicians from all over the world. His melodies are determined by a moving phrasing and a surprisingly clean playing technique, characterized by a gentle touch. In 1986 he stays for two years in England where he actively participates in the London Jazzscene. Meanwhile, he dedicates himself more and more to his trio formation with double bass and drums. His music is associated with the romantic atmosphere of Bill Evans and the soft sound of Wes Montgomery, always influenced by the warmth of the Mediterranean culture. Over the years, the tours in various European and non-European countries are increasing: Portugal, France, Austria, Holland, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina and of course Italy, Germany and England. In the late 80's he toured with Joe Pass in a quartet with two guitars for two years. An important time when Crobu shows himself to be an ideal partner, a good soloist, an inspired balladur and a fine harmonizer. In 2000 he started working closely with various projects at the La Scala theater. In addition to the many concerts, he gives workshops throughout Europe. Since 1993 he is a teacher of jazz guitar at the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler in Berlin, where he still lives today.

"A deep bass pumping bass, tender, almost vulnerable, the guitarist 's stroking string plays the first chord, the tenor saxophone picks up the theme, while the drummer spins the fine oscillating rhythm in the background, subtle and passionate Swiss guitarist Samuel Leipold with "Three Short Pieces # 2." Inspired by the great Swiss composer Arthur Honegger and his playful pieces for solo piano, Samuel Leipold, with great maturity, impressive virtuosity and infinite imagination, presents Honegger's music from a completely new perspective In doing so, he manages to free himself from clichés that jazz musicians like to use for such arrangements, and to create his own approach to sound - risk-seeking, energetic and colorful - a discovery for European jazz.

the legendary Jam Session with Robin Draganic'

The Trio Organism was founded in 2013. His music ranges from "swinging modern mainstream" to contemporary jazz. The heart of the concert is the Hammond organ, which was in the 60s u. a. became a cult by musicians like Jimmy Smith. This tradition forms the musical basis for the band, into which they integrate the newer trends. The result is a swinging music with lots of blues and gospel, whose pulsating drive is hard to elude.
Sponsors: National Cultural Fund of Hungary - Hangfoglaló Program and CHB - Collegium Hungaricum Berlin.

The current incarnation of the Ed Partyka Jazz Orchestra was formed in 2007 and is made up of a mix of diverse musical personalities, from veterans of the European big band establishment to newcomers from the young Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna, Graz and Prague scenes. The Orchestra is proudly international, with musicians from The USA, Germany, Austria, Holland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic coming together regularly to perform, with each member contributing their own unique artistic voice to create music that is much more than the sum of it’s individual parts. The music is an eclectic mix of original compositions, jazz standards and pop songs, all arranged in the distinctive style of the EPJO by bandleader Ed Partyka.

The current incarnation of the Ed Partyka Jazz Orchestra was formed in 2007 and is made up of a mix of diverse musical personalities, from veterans of the European big band establishment to newcomers from the young Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna, Graz and Prague scenes. The Orchestra is proudly international, with musicians from The USA, Germany, Austria, Holland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic coming together regularly to perform, with each member contributing their own unique artistic voice to create music that is much more than the sum of it’s individual parts. The music is an eclectic mix of original compositions, jazz standards and pop songs, all arranged in the distinctive style of the EPJO by bandleader Ed Partyka.

"There is always a story behind each of my songs," says Randi Tytingvåg, "something I've experienced and what really moved me. I call it the 'emotional trigger point' that causes me to make something out of it. Then I try to work out something very personal, but without becoming private - a very important difference. "
And so her inspired compositions move fluently and freely between the most diverse genres, using virtuoso elements of jazz, folk and pop. With the Singer / Songwriter tradition, jazz, rock, folk and chamber music, Tytingvåg herself describes her manifold influences. Her music is a great emotional cinema, but pure and with extraordinary courage for the reduction in magical, withdrawn instrumentation of predominantly acoustic instruments of her exceedingly empathetic quartet. In poetic lightness, her lyrics, full of delicate elegance, move her unique voice, yet powerful yet sensitive and fragile.
Randi Tytingvåg is considered one of the great promises of the music wonderland Norway.
In 2001 she finished her jazz studies in London and debuted in the same year at the Mai Jazz Festival in Norway. In 2004 she was named artist of the year in her Norwegian hometown Stavanger. Shortly thereafter, she released her debut album "Heavenly Attack." Meanwhile, she has recorded four of her own productions, and the critics have become more enthusiastic from album to album, literally overflowing with enthusiasm.
Randi Tytingvåg and the band surpassed expectations - better than good - just terrific, Randi Tytingvåg and her four tour-musicians made for an extra-ordinary evening. "

ARQ returns to the club after their successful debut last June with a sell-out crowd and as part of their Spring 2018 tour. Described by the Guardian as “spirited, eloquent and graceful” and by the Observer as “purposeful, full-toned and melodic, a beautifully integrated band”, ARQ’s music is awash with infectious grooves, lyrical melodies and a music founded in jazz but with folk, rock, classical and world music influences. ARQ’s profile has risen rapidly in the past four years, with extensive touring and critical acclaim for their second album, ‘A Magic Life’. The group have built a substantial and wide-ranging audience across the UK, receiving national and international radio play and four and five star reviews in jazz and national press.
“Sir Bradley Quartett“:
The quartet plays "raw blues, crude constructions, lyrical, fragile, but also brilliant satin roove". The sound is based on contemporary jazz, the themes are inspired by new music, jazz or pop with an always strong emotional expression, with passion and great enthusiasm.

We are really excited to be working on our debut album as a band. It will be recorded in 2017 and released on a label near you in spring 2018! Currently we are writing new material and busy rehearsing the days away....
We will also shortly be launching a crowd-funding campaign to help fund the production so watch this space for more information.
We will be launching a crowd-funding campaign in June 2017 for our debut album. Recording is going to happen in September 2017 in Berlin and we will be giving listeners the chance to pre-order the album, or to make a donation. We then use these orders and donations to help fund the production, and there will be other special offers available in return, such as private lessons and concert opportunities...

the legendary Jam Session with Robin Draganic'

Traditional Egyptian and Coptic melodies combine with contemporary Western styles to create a unique soundscape full of depth and sensuality. At the center of the band's sound is the voice of the singer Nasser Kilada, flanked by guitar (or oud or dobro) and trumpet and carried by bass and percussion, which, starting from their context, approximate the Coptic-Egyptian sound culture, without referring to it to lose one's own roots. This creates a highly independent sound, traditionally anchored and at the same time open, developing, pulsating and lively. In any case an extraordinary pleasure.
RANIN is the Arabic word for "sound", - the sound of two worlds, which unfolds the cultures not only side by side, but in togetherness to a new beauty.

BAJAZZO turns 40. After 4 decades, the band can now be enjoyed like a well matured wine on summer evening or a glass of wine by the fireplace. Just as intoxicating, but also invigorating and quite pleasant in the aftereffect. The story begins in the fall of 1978, when the then still students of music around Jürgen Heckel took the recently announced jazz rock in the sights. Inspired by the fast-paced and never-ending enthusiasm of legendary forerunners such as John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock and Joe Zawinul's Weather Report, the quartet at the time was busy. That was well received and has become virtually the fuel for a long journey over the years. BAJAZZO had not coincidentally considered the word jazz when naming, in the sense of: to use the possibilities of jazz! The concept should remain open, but also independent, as measured by the explosion of musical styles in recent decades. To put it in a nutshell, this means being as simple as it is contentious - making good music across all styles, and thus inspiring the audience. Currently Bajazzo presents itself with a concentrated view of the instrumental event, which sends the listener on a journey in large harmonious arcs. The thematic, melodic compositions leave plenty of room for the untroubled enthusiasm of the team and there is plenty to do - after all, the band is bound by the expectation of being musically rich. It's up to the listener to relax and enjoy the music as a musical challenge. Maybe a good glass of choice ...

BAJAZZO turns 40. After 4 decades, the band can now be enjoyed like a well matured wine on summer evening or a glass of wine by the fireplace. Just as intoxicating, but also invigorating and quite pleasant in the aftereffect. The story begins in the fall of 1978, when the then still students of music around Jürgen Heckel took the recently announced jazz rock in the sights. Inspired by the fast-paced and never-ending enthusiasm of legendary forerunners such as John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock and Joe Zawinul's Weather Report, the quartet at the time was busy. That was well received and has become virtually the fuel for a long journey over the years. BAJAZZO had not coincidentally considered the word jazz when naming, in the sense of: to use the possibilities of jazz! The concept should remain open, but also independent, as measured by the explosion of musical styles in recent decades. To put it in a nutshell, this means being as simple as it is contentious - making good music across all styles, and thus inspiring the audience. Currently Bajazzo presents itself with a concentrated view of the instrumental event, which sends the listener on a journey in large harmonious arcs. The thematic, melodic compositions leave plenty of room for the untroubled enthusiasm of the team and there is plenty to do - after all, the band is bound by the expectation of being musically rich. It's up to the listener to relax and enjoy the music as a musical challenge. Maybe a good glass of choice ...

Julia Hülsmann and her trio have become indispensable to German jazz: this formation has existed for 17 years and has left an impression. And shaped the contemporary jazz of this country. The enormous range of the trio around the pianist, Marc Muellbauer (bass) and Heinrich Köbberling (drums) is impressive, and yet his style is unmistakable: essential, condensed and wonderfully open. After the great success of "The End Of A Summer" (ECM, 2008), the trio released the next CD three years later: "Imprint" (ECM, 2011) manifests the character of the trio and shows great intensity and clarity. The sounds sing and sit, just like that and no different; and the music is relaxed to its essence, without giving up intense and driving grooves. With her sixth ECM album "Sooner And Later", released in February 2017, Julia Hülsmann returns to the trio format with her quartet and quintet after interim releases. But Julia Hülsmann points out that her two longstanding partners in the trio, bassist Marc Muellbauer and drummer Heinrich Köbberling, were involved in most of these activities. In addition, the Julia Hülsmann Trio always traveled extensively in between - to the USA, Canada, Peru, Central Asia and China - "something has changed here. When traveling, one often gains new perspectives anyway, and even among long-time confidants one experiences each other differently again. That helped us to get to a new level musically. "
Sooner And Later was recorded at the Rainbow Studio in Oslo in September 2016 and produced by Manfred Eicher.