This concert is conceptually based on two of Volker Meitz’s artistic projects: first, his album Nine Duos, released on Trouble In The East Records; and second, the festival Berlin Solo Impro, which he curates and organizes, featuring solo performances followed by an ensemble finale.
As a synthesis of both ideas, this evening presents Meitz and his colleagues performing duos in all three possible constellations, concluding with a trio performance. This unique format highlights the sonic possibilities of each instrumental pairing while showcasing the combined vocabulary and interaction of all three musicians....
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This concert is conceptually based on two of Volker Meitz’s artistic projects: first, his album Nine Duos, released on Trouble In The East Records; and second, the festival Berlin Solo Impro, which he curates and organizes, featuring solo performances followed by an ensemble finale.
As a synthesis of both ideas, this evening presents Meitz and his colleagues performing duos in all three possible constellations, concluding with a trio performance. This unique format highlights the sonic possibilities of each instrumental pairing while showcasing the combined vocabulary and interaction of all three musicians.
Volker Meitz is a Berlin-based pianist and keyboardist active in a wide range of projects loosely rooted in jazz, with a focus that has shifted over the years toward free improvisation and experimental music. Alongside being a versatile composer and performer, he curates the Berlin Solo Impro festival. He has collaborated with jazz artists such as Eric Schaefer, Taiko Saito, Silke Eberhard, Kalle Kalima, and Tom Arthurs, as well as experimental musicians including Matthias MĂĽller, Almut KĂĽhne, Tony Buck, Olaf Rupp, and Lucy Railton; vocalists Lisa Bassenge, Astrid North, and Peter Fessler; and electronic/club projects such as Jazzanova and Analogue Freestyle. His performance career spans Europe, New York, Beijing, and Johannesburg.
Kellen Mills is a bassist and composer, and the leader of his large-ensemble project TRYON, founded in Berlin in 2020 (with Rieko Okuda, Erik Leuthäuser, Kiki Manders, Jasper Stadhouders, Taiko Saito, Eliad Wagner, Edith Steyer, Jonathon Lindhorst, Dovydas Stalmokas, Omri Abramov, and Quentin Cholet). He also co-leads a newly formed trio with Edith Steyer and Vojta Drnek, as well as the Xcountry Bungalow ensemble with Joe Hertenstein and Eliad Wagner. Mills performs regularly in both the jazz and Echtzeitmusik scenes in Berlin and internationally. His playing explores bass textures, rock, noise, and electronic elements—using a “punk ethos” to carve out new sonic territories.
Christian Marien studied music in Amsterdam and Berlin, where he has lived since 2000. An active figure in the Berlin jazz and improvised music community, he co-leads ensembles such as Superimpose (with Matthias Müller), I Am Three (with Silke Eberhard and Nikolaus Neuser), the Insomnia Brass Band (with Almut Schlichting and Anke Lucks), and C’mon C’mon (with Jasper Stadhouders). In 2022, he founded his first own ensemble, the Christian Marien Quartet (with Tobias Delius, Jasper Stadhouders, and Antonio Borghini). In recent years, he has increasingly focused on solo work, releasing his first solo album in 2022 on his own label, MarMade Records.
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