After the enthusiastic concerts of the Ensemble 2014 on the 9th of November / the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and in 2016 we are proud that the group will once again be heard on two evenings at the jazz club b-flat.
The SPIRIT of LIFE ENSEMBLE is in the great tradition of the freedom fighters Martin Luther King, Nelsen Mandela ... and of course the great jazz icons Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane and Miles Davis ... On the spontaneous request to the band whether they in Berlin "b "Flat" on the occasion of the fall of the Wall, came an e-mail with "of course, a great honor for the SPIRIT of LIFE ENSEMBLE". There could not be a more beautiful musical contribution to the fall of the Berlin Wall than the concert of the 9-member group from the USA.
The band will celebrate a vibrant and energetic JAZZ FAIR on these two concert evenings. Music for the heart, a peaceful world and respect for each other.

Kelvin Sholar presents: XO - Cross Over Late Night Session. Every Saturday, this concert series has a different motto. Various music styles such as jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, pop, rock and electro meet each other.

For almost forty years, Paul Lovens, Evan Parker and Alexander von Schlippenbach have been improvising together - a continuity of common playing practice that is rare in the improvisational scene. Of course, anyone who knows Elf Bagatellen and Physics, the two previous CD's of the Schlippenbach Trio, will discover little new material, hardly any new design tools and game ideas at CompleteCombustion. Schlippenbach's stringent motifs and his exquisite cluster colors, Lovensleichtfingriges percussion, his floating time on the cymbals and deposits with the singing saw, ParkesStakkatissimo cascades on the tenor saxophone, his circular loops on the soprano, to which his fellow musicians respond with springy Perpetuum Mobile rhythms - all this is known and loved for a long time. New is perhaps the openness of the game constellations, the change between solos, different duo constellations and Triopassagen different density and intensity. But it would be wrong standards (those of the occidental aesthetics of the work) to create an improvisational group, expect the Schlippenbach trio from concert to concert and from disk recording to record innovative and unheard. It is precisely the familiar soil on which Schlippenbach, Parker and Lovens - who by the way have long since proven their originality and innovative power - are moving to collectively breathe their way, unfolding arcs together, making CompleteCombustion a fascinating listening experience. Martin Pfleiderer, New Magazine For Music

Murmur is the expression, for a dark sound or whispering. With John Voirol and Franz Hellmüller in his band the young swiss drummer has surrounded himself with two of Switzerland’s long time Jazz giants, along side Australian bass talent Rafael Jerjen – making this debut anything but a whispering statement. Prepare yourself for deep grooving sounds, rock shaking beats and free Jazz antics. Recorded and mastered in old fashioned fully analog tradition and packed in a handmade serigraphic print this recording and this band resembles everything that Jazz was ever about.

the legendary Jam Session with Robin Draganic'

"An Ode To The Light" - a lyrical and tensional musical story.
The drummer Christos Asonitis, born in Athens in 1974, after years of active presence in
the Greek jazz scene, lives and creates in Munich since 2012. With "An Ode To The Light",
which is released by Timezone Records, he presents his own compositions and
arrangements for the first time as a bandleader.
Along with BastienRieser (DE), a promising young trumpeter who participated in the
recording and recently was replaced by Christian Eberhard (DE), the Hungarian Mark
Pusker with the warm and brilliant sound of his saxophone, the multi creative pianist
MaruanSakas (DE) as well as the sought-after bassist Lorenz Heigenhuber (DE).
The listeners experience an electrifying symbiosis of modern jazz and elements inspired
by the composer's personal experiences as well as by historical and mythological events
of his homeland. The spectrum ranges from lyrical-melodic moods with fine Greek folkloric
elements, polyphonic sound images up to rousing rhythms, which form a virtuosic tension.

The quartet plays a mix of the bandleader's own compositions and jazz standards specially arranged for the band. Many of the pieces are from the last album of the band "Patience", 2016,
Finn Wiesner, born 1969 in Berlin.Studium at the Hilversums Conservatorium of the "Amsterdammer Hochschule derKünste", with Ferdinand Povel and others, diploma saxophone Jazz.Spielte u.a. with Vincent Herring, Deborah Brown, Gunther Schuller, Lyambiko, Heinrich Koebberling, Marc Muellbauer,
J.Moods Quartet, Brandicity, Swing Dance Orchestra, New German Art Orchestra.

The Sardinian jazz singer and songwriter Lucia Fodde is one of the Italian jazz artists who brings innovative sounds into the power of traditional rhythms. Her performances have a haunting quality that makes you want more and her intricate improvisations seem to be as effortless as breathing, her birth is always warm and personal. As a passionate songwriter and singer, Lucia moved to Berlin in 2013, where she definitely performs in the local jazz scene and performs in the best jazz clubs in the city and in Germany. This year their album "Freedom" was released at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2018.
She is pleased to present her project "My Homage to Billie Holiday" accompanied by Reggie Moore (piano), Carmelo Leotta (bass), Michael Kersting (drums), and TBA (sax).

Kelvin Sholar presents: XO - Cross Over Late Night Session. Every Saturday, this concert series has a different motto. Various music styles such as jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, pop, rock and electro meet each other.

NE:X:T by David Laborier
One does not have to be a true jazz aficionado to realize that David Laborier’s albums are real musical treasure troves. They are as multi-faceted as jazz music is at its essence. A fixture of the Luxembourg jazz scene since over fifteen years, David has earned a solid reputation as a musician, both in and outside of his home country. His musical activity extends beyond being a guitarist. As a composer and arranger, David has contributed 2 albums to the Orchestre National de Jazz Luxembourg, which were both released on the WPR Jazz record label. His composition “Fast and Furious” from the album “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Band” won the 2010 International Songwriting Competition in the jazz category. Three of David’s arrangements were featured on the album “Sings” by Beninese diva AngéliqueKidjo with the OrchestrePhilharmonique Luxembourg conducted by Gast Waltzing. The album won a Grammy in 2016 in the category “Best World Music Album”.
What’s next? David Laborier, a passionate jazz composer who’s at home in both large and small ensemble settings, releases his fifth album as a leader. NE:X:T features the medium sized sextet format and showcases a musical melting pot of jazz, pop, rock and experimental elements. It is a homogenous co-existence of musical styles resulting in highly accessible colors and atmospheres, rather than giving the listener the impression of an overdone and intellectual arrangement of notes. NE:X:T takes the audience to the stylistic edge of jazz music, even crossing all the boundaries of a classic instrumentation made out of Luxembourg native drummer Niels Engel, German bassist Sebastian ‘Schlapbe’ Flach, French saxophonist Pierre Cocq-Amman, Dutch trumpeter Marc Huynen and Dutch trombonist Tim Daemen. Jazz, rock and hip-hop influences open a new musical path to a colorful world of sounds. Each of the players’ individual styles and instrumental approaches shine through David Laborier’s extravagant compositions. The opener “Wes We Can” pays tribute to jazz guitar legend Wes Wontgomery in a cool and relaxed manner, followed up by “Step Right Up!”, a funky up tempo tune featuring some high energy trumpet, trombone and saxophone improvisations. The ballad “The Wait Is Over” explores the band’s acoustic sound, whereas in “Best Served Cold”, the listener is taken to a soundscape made of distorted sounds, the purity of horns and drums combined with electronic loops. “Pendulum” is a contrapuntal construct between the guitar, trumpet, trombone and saxophone, featuring extended solos by Daemen and Cocq-Amman. “Closeness” is a heartfelt ballad conjuring warm and intimate feelings. Hip-hop inspired “Baked Goods” takes a groovy path down acoustic and electronic elements, via oriental flavors, and ending in the openness of the spirit of jazz.
The melodies of the tunes from NE:X:T sure have a contagious quality to them and will surely find an audience beyond the hardcore jazz aficionados.

The trombonist Conny Bauer, the bassist Matthias Bauer and the drummer Dag Magnus Narvesen have already improvised with each other in different instrumentations. Now they have formed a trio to explore new forms of dialogue with their own unique sounds. Three generations and three different musical biographies meet here, uniting their curiosity and the joy of interaction.

Bass meetsHarp, describes the encounter of Bulgarian harpist Miroslava Stareychinska and bassist Lisa Wulff, which took place on a tour with Nils Landgren in March 2016. After the musicians had decided to found a duo, after a short time a versatile program of own compositions of both band members as well as specially arranged jazz standards for this lineup was created. The sound of the harp, which is not usually found in jazz, opens up completely new possibilities for the bass playing and creates a colorful program of spherical sounds, polyphonic melodies and percussive grooves.
LISA WULFF and her quartet won the Jazz Baltica Award in 2016 and released their first album "Encounters". In 2017, the debut album "Encounters" was nominated for the ECHO Jazz. In addition to her own bands and projects, Lisa Wulff is regularly heard on electric bass as well as on double bass at the NDR Big Band or on stage with musicians like Nils Landgren, Wolfgang Haffner, Christof Lauer and Rolf Kühn. The latest project of the busy bassist from Hamburg is BASS MEETS HARP, which celebrates in Berlin's b-flat Primäre.

the legendary jam session with Robin Draganic

True to the motto "Good things take a while", the Niko Leopold Quartet celebrates its 7th anniversary in 2018. The Wiener Ensemble will be launching its anniversary tour in Vienna's Brick 5 with brand-new compositions as well as classics. Further stations are in Austria: Salzburg, in Germany: Berlin and Schwerin, and in Poland: Rzeszow, Kielce, Krakow, Bielsko-Biala, Kalisz and Warsaw , This is followed by a studio visit with production of the long-awaited first record, which does not miss the legendary special guests of the young Austrian jazz scene. One can be happy!
Already during the first tour in the end of 2011, which took her through some European countries, it became clear that the members of the Niko Leopold Quartet are strong personalities who communicate excellently and can inspire each other. This resulted in musical goals, which proved to be ideal for further joint work. Since then you have been a guest on Austrian stages as well as abroad. Special successes are appearances at renowned festivals such as: u.a. Salzburg Festival and the Bregenz Jazz Festival. The main focus of the young musicians from Austria is the targeted development of a diversified repertoire, which is not only based on traditional jazz and does not ignore the innovative aspect. Leopold's compositions and arrangements are influenced by modern jazz, pop as well as classical music. The idea of ​​combining through-composed structures of classical music with improvisational ones of jazz allows him to develop his own style, which is quite lyrical, spontaneous and expressive.

The Toughest Tenors. This band will blow you over. The hip-hop would-be thugs, who deliver furious rhyme duels, can only smile tiredly from the Toughest Tenors. The five heavy jazz guys, steeled and trained in the club battlefields of Berlin and New York, do not hesitate long. They show what the "hard" in the "hardbop" means, how much muscle mass the blues have, and make it clear where the so-called "battles" of rap really come from. And from the spirit of the noble competition, the genius tenor saxophonists of the 50s and 60s, legends like Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray, Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, maintained. The Toughest Tenors have made it their mission to bring the long tradition of "saxophone battles" back to life. With original arrangements, but without false nostalgia. Currently, but without trend doping. With concentrated energy, unbridled joy of playing, quick-witted humor. And with the heart of a boxer. In live, the quintet led by the two independent tenor character heads Bernd Suchland and Patrick Braun has already triumphantly won countless battles for the public's favor. Now the Toughest Tenors start the big eavesdropping with their debut CD "What's happening?" A fair affair. Full on the Twelve. And in the middle of the soul

The world-renowned bassist and composer Kenneth Dahl Knudsen is rooted in Scandinavian heritage. The native Dane has been living in the jazz capital of Europe Berlin for several years. Since then he has been mixing up the scene enormously and playing in a variety of constellations right up to the big band. The cosmopolitan Knudsen has its feelers on all continents and the four cardinal directions.
After his award-winning debut album (2010), bassist Kenneth Dahl Knudsen played and plays all over the world. This is his source of inspiration which he skilfully and easily combines with musical impressions from Asia, South America, Africa and Europe.

Kelvin Sholar presents: XO - Cross Over Late Night Session. Every Saturday, this concert series has a different motto. Various music styles such as jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, pop, rock and electro meet each other.

Celebrating the release of his debut album “A Painted Beginning” drummer and composer Lasse Jacobsen presents an outstanding group of internationally acclaimed musicians.
Drawing inspiration from modern minimalism and with the roots firmlyplanted in the Nordic jazz tradition, theband takes the listener on a journey to aworld of cinematic evocative compositions. The music is lyrical and melodic andexists in the borderlands between composition and improvisation. Between thesimple and the complex. With profound interplay and a strongly image-creating
character, the foundation is laid for a musical experience of the highest caliber.

The B Flat Jazz Orchestra stands in the tradition of the great New York jazz clubs such as Village Vanguard and the Jazz Standard with their own big bands, which are always performing on Mondays.

The members of the B - Flat Jazz Orchestra reflect Berlin's extremely lively jazz scene in a special way. The program includes the great American pioneers of big-band jazz as well as current European and American big-band compositions by Gil Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, Maria Schneider and music by director Maria Baptist. 
Pianist, orchestra composer and multi-award-winner Maria Baptist from New York and Berlin has played her way to the top of Europe's current jazz scene. She has worked with numerous international acclaimed bigbands such as the Budapest Jazz Orchestra, Reykjavik Bigband or hrBigband.

The three musicians met on their travels through the music cultures of the world. The musical backgrounds and experiences of the three musicians are combined in a wonderful way in their unique chamber music sound aesthetics. The trio is a cross-cultural jazz project of high authenticity. The interaction of the three very different musicians surprised. Atmospheric, lyrical compositions meet the joy of experimentation, interaction and improvisation. Dynamic contemporary jazz beyond the usual, with Mediterranean colors and oriental fragrances.

"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

Larry Porter, Andreas Lang and Joe Smith have been working together for five years now and have covered a lot of ground during this time. Interpreting standards is one area they've particularly developed. Many of the performances on this CD feature a more collective approach. Instead of one solo after another, the three musicians enter into a dialogue where each can contribute and respond as he wishes. While this idea may not be new, its realization has remained fairly elusive. Therefore the band is excited about being able to present the results of its efforts to you!

An evening around the music of Cole Porter, filled with longing jazz and swinging bossa Nata Natascha Roth has been enjoying a varied career as a singer, composer, lyricist and lecturer for several years. As a young singer, Natascha began her professional singing career with a commitment at the Stuttgart State Theater in the production of Brecht's "Baal". Afterwards, Natascha Musical studied at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna and received a masters degree in jazz singing from the University of Music Graz, Austria. Even before her studies, Natascha developed a close connection to the music scene in South Africa through personal contacts. The country then in the midst of political change became Natasha's second home. After studying in Austria, years in South Africa were interrupted by lectureships in Europe and engagements in the USA. Apart from an artistic career, Natasha's second passion is the promotion of young vocal talents. Especially in South Africa at the annual National Youth Jazz Festival and several years of teaching at the universities in Cape Town, the "Lemmensinstituut Leuven" and the "Royal Conservatory" Antwerp in Belgium. Natascha commutes with her husband to jazz guitarist James Scholfield and her daughter between Germany, the USA and South Africa. Since 2011 she is a lecturer in singing at the Hochschule der Populäre Künste (Hdpk) in Berlin.

John Marshall was born in Wantagh, NY in 1952. From 1971 to 1991, he worked and recorded with a long list of jazz greats. Buddy Rich, Mel Lewis, Lionel Hampton, Gerry Mulligan, Ornette Coleman, George Coleman, Buck Clayton, Mario Bauza and Dizzy Gillespie, to name only a few. Along the way, he constantly worked at perfecting his craft, studying with the great brass teacher Carmine Caruso as well as jazz trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer. He also led the Jazz quintet “The Bopera House” from 1987 to 1991, and stayed very busy as an in-demand studio player.
From 1992 to 2017 John was an important soloist in the West DeutscherRundfunk Big Band, based in Cologne, Germany, recording many CDs and performing internationally. Concurrently, he toured and recorded in New York and around the world with his quartet and quintet. He has released twelve CDs as a leader and many more as a featured guest. In 2016 and 2017, he toured Russia six times with the Classic Jazz Trio. Their new CD will be out shortly. In recent years Marshall has developed into a convincing vocalist, alongside his masterful trumpet and flugelhorn playing.
Having completed his contract with WDR, he is now available full-time on a freelance basis.
Since 1996, John has released eight CDs as a leader or co-leader and several more as a specially featured guest. Meanwhile, his reputation has continued to grow through the many concerts and CDs of the WDR Big Band.

Kelvin Sholar presents: XO - Cross Over Late Night Session. Every Saturday, this concert series has a different motto. Various music styles such as jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, pop, rock and electro meet each other.

John Marshall was born in Wantagh, NY in 1952. From 1971 to 1991, he worked and recorded with a long list of jazz greats. Buddy Rich, Mel Lewis, Lionel Hampton, Gerry Mulligan, Ornette Coleman, George Coleman, Buck Clayton, Mario Bauza and Dizzy Gillespie, to name only a few. Along the way, he constantly worked at perfecting his craft, studying with the great brass teacher Carmine Caruso as well as jazz trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer. He also led the Jazz quintet “The Bopera House” from 1987 to 1991, and stayed very busy as an in-demand studio player.
From 1992 to 2017 John was an important soloist in the West DeutscherRundfunk Big Band, based in Cologne, Germany, recording many CDs and performing internationally. Concurrently, he toured and recorded in New York and around the world with his quartet and quintet. He has released twelve CDs as a leader and many more as a featured guest. In 2016 and 2017, he toured Russia six times with the Classic Jazz Trio. Their new CD will be out shortly. In recent years Marshall has developed into a convincing vocalist, alongside his masterful trumpet and flugelhorn playing.
Having completed his contract with WDR, he is now available full-time on a freelance basis.
Since 1996, John has released eight CDs as a leader or co-leader and several more as a specially featured guest. Meanwhile, his reputation has continued to grow through the many concerts and CDs of the WDR Big Band.

The traditional Christmas concert of Kompania, after the Motte: Every year again ...
Rembetico meets Jazz.
Zoto's Kompania was founded in 1990, and deals extensively with Rembetiko, Greek music in general, and traditions from Asia Minor. The group soon became famous for the virtuosity of the musical craft, but above all for the ability to dialogue between national elements, traditional instrumentation (Bouzouki, Saz) and modern jazzy interpretation (violin, viola, clarinet).
From the motifs of Greek folk music, instruments from the Balkans and the Orient, and European music structures, Rembetico music emerged around 1900 in the dim light of shady entertainment districts.
The six musicians of ZOTOS KOMPANIA take up the old musical traditions of the Mediterranean region and impress with a virtuoso show, sometimes wistful-soft, sometimes wild-jazzy. An evening for connoisseurs and lovers of world music and jazz, an evening for people who still want to sit back and listen.

The quintet, consisting of prominent Berlin musicians, works in the field of tension between free forms and linear group improvisations. The minimalist originals make groove and soul right, create room for melodies and inspirations from all over the world. Organically, dynamic border areas and the smallest musical details are explored. Big-time tennis is offered by all players in mixed doubles and singles. A breathtaking jazz concept of experiment and lucid sound; like tennis, it's about the virtuoso delivery of musical sound balls, with the incredible explosive power of psychedelic soundtracks.

As a trumpeter played Ralf Hesse u.a. in the big bands of WDR, HR, SWR and RIAS Berlin, in Peter Herbolzheimer's RC & B, Bob Brookmeyer's New Art Orchestra, Albert Mangelsdorff's German-French jazz ensemble or in the orchestra Pepe Lienhard.
He also worked as a composer and arranger for the SWR, NDR, the Montreux Jazz Festival, Udo Jürgens, Götz Alsmann or the pianist Lang Lang.
His Berlin Edition is filled with the best musicians you can get in Berlin for Big Band Jazz. At this concert, the ear canals in Spätadvent once again spoiled with guaranteed Christmas-free sounds.
For three years now, trumpeter, composer and arranger Ralf Hesse has been gathering the crème de la crème of the Berlin jazz and big band scene for appearances in the BFlat. This time, the hand-picked band invites you to a "Big Band Après Noël" for those who need a change of heart after weeks of listening to Christmas music.

At the end of the year, Pascal von Wroblewsky, Jürgen Heckel, Peter Mikhailov and Max Hughes come up with the big Latin songs and lots of other songs that you would not expect in Latin rhythms. Pascal makes you the Christmas angel and brings as guest the South American keyboardist Carly Quiros. Let yourself be surprised and practice diligently standard dances for it!

Kelvin Sholar presents: XO - Cross Over Late Night Session. Every Saturday, this concert series has a different motto. Various music styles such as jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, pop, rock and electro meet each other.

BROOKLYN BRIDGE is the city's hottest soul / funk party band.
Consisting of international musicians of European and American repertoire, the band performs well-known pieces from the fields of soul, motown, R & B, jazz and pop from the 70s to the present day. With their grooving sound you give new life to old pieces and show that even new songs can come along soulful and ensure that it does not last long on the chairs.