In the afternoon the German Jazz Union invites visitors to celebrate its 50th anniversary and the award of the Albert Mangelsdorff Prize 2023 in the Kassenhalle, followed by an artists' talk with Joyce Moreno and others in the Upper Foyer. Meanwhile at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, “Ghosted” makes the interior of the church pulse with twitchy, hypnotic grooves and psychedelic textures as the trio of Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin makes its German debut.
At Festspielhaus the concert night begins with the European premiere of a duo featuring the influential drummer Andrew Cyrille with the Barcelona-based saxophonist Bill McHenry, while French pianist Eve Risser brings her Red Desert Orchestra, an ensemble fueled by the rhythms and textures of West Africa. The main stage action continues with the winner of this year’s Albert Mangelsdorff prize Conny Bauer in a trio with Hamid Drake and William Parker. Finally, the veteran Brazilian jazz-bossa singer Joyce Moreno presents music spanning her long career in the main stage of Festspielhaus, ending the night in the Schaperstraße before the late night programme continues.
A-Trane hosts a beguiling double bill that opens a door on the future of improvised music, beginning with this year’s edition of Melting Pot. The quintet features five of Europe’s best young improvisers from five different cities – including Berlin based Argentinian saxophonist Camila Nebbia – finding common ground in real-time. They’re followed by Omawi, an Amsterdam-based improvising trio built around the multi-layered playing of pianist Marta Warelis with veteran bassist Wilbert de Joode and the excellent drummer Onno Govaert. The fest finally reaches its raucous, celebratory conclusion with a Quasimodo performance by the Andreas Røysum Ensemble, an 12-member juggernaut from Norway making its debut in Germany.