The trio »Berlin to Lahore« will make a guest appearance at the Alte Mühle on Saturday 15 October. Inspire with a fusion of musical genres from different worlds.
When sitar master Ashraf Sharif Khan from Lahore / Pakistan and Christoph Reuter, pianist, composer and piano cabaret artist met, it was immediately clear: we are starting a musical project. Drummer Thomas Rüdiger got on board: the trio »Berlin to Lahore« was born. Next Saturday, October 15, at 8 pm, the three masters of their craft will be guests of the Alte Mühle Theater under the motto »World Music: Sitar meets Jazz«. This newspaper spoke with Christoph Reuter about the origins and perspectives of the fascinating trio, which wants to inspire its viewers by blending musical genres from different worlds.
What was the initial spark for your collaboration from »Berlin to Lahore« and how has it developed since then?
First of all, the story of our band »Berlin to Lahore« is that Ashraf (Ashraf Sharif Khan-Sitar) and I met at the World Music Festival in Berlin 15 years ago and have been playing there together every year ever since. As in the case of musicians, people talk about new musical ideas and visions. And then it turned out that we would love to start a trio that combines different musical styles and plays pieces that we have composed. With this new band we wanted to tour Pakistan where Ashraf is very well known. Thomas Rüdiger, our versatile drummer, is also part of the World Music Festival and we hooked him to complete our trio. Said and done. We have played two tours in Pakistan so far and now we are starting to shoot in Germany as well.
What is important to you, your colleagues and the concert from your individual music and life experience?
I think the special thing about the band is that Ashraf comes from traditional Indian music, Thomas comes from pop music and I have my roots in jazz and soul music. Bringing all this together on an instrumental level is a lot of fun.
What are the particularities of your musical style, often summed up in the term »fusion«?
This term “blending” is for many the most common way to combine different styles. There are obviously many different types. Put simply, we play the combination of western and far eastern music. This is what we call fusion.
What are the public waiting for at Alte Mühle on Saturday?
We will play a cross section of our two albums »We Love Traveling« and »Saturday Night in Lahore« and we will also present some new compositions. Ashraf is a brilliant and world-class sitar master and is always unique to play with such a personality on stage. It shouldn’t be missing.
Are you planning other venues for concerts, trips, tours or new musical paths?
Yes, of course, we are already planning the next tour in Pakistan in 2023. And a new album is also planned. So there is a lot to do and we can’t wait.
The musicians
Tommaso Ruediger he studied piano and drums and works as a percussionist and drummer in various bands and theaters, according to the announcement. His art of playing is characterized by a very unusual sound concept: classical drums meet the sounds of world music.
Ashraf Sharif Khan was born in Lahore / Pakistan as the son of South Asian sitar master Ustad Muhammad Sharif Khan Poonchwala. As a musician he has received several awards. In 1992 he represented Pakistan at the International Sound Celebration Festival in Louisville / Kentucky, USA.
Christopher Reuter he studied jazz piano in Berlin and Leipzig and graduated as a student of Prof. Richie Beirach (New York). As a pianist he has given concerts in Germany and in many other countries. In addition to his solo performances, he is the musical director of various singers and bands.
information and tickets
Christoph Reuter is already a guest at the Alte Mühle at 20:00 with his solo program. He will therefore perform with »Berlin to Lahore« next Saturday, October 15, at 20:00 in Bad Vilbel. Tickets for the concerts are available at the ticket office, Klaus-Havenstein-Weg 1, phone 0 61 01/55 94 55, or at kultur-bad-vilbel.de.
