Jazz Festival Basel
Where the crème de la crème meets a new self-confidence
The 34th edition of the Basel Jazz Festival features big names, but also looks to the future.
The pianist Michel Camilo, who comes from the Dominican Republic, will close the Basel 2024 Jazz Festival on May 16th.
Image: zvg
When Urs Blindenbacher sits at the microphone, the superlatives don’t take long to arrive. And so, at the press conference on Tuesday morning, the mastermind of the Basel Jazz Festival and the Offbeat Series raves about the “crème de la crème” of international jazz, which he is bringing to the Rhine knee from April 15th to May 16th (supplement in the bz from Monday).
Urs Blindenbacher, the mastermind behind the Basel Jazz Festival and the Offbeat Series.
Bild: Kenneth Nars
In the Jazz Campus, which is filled with press representatives and festival attendees, the Grammys are tumbling by the minute, and Blindenbacher, who celebrates his 71st birthday in the middle of this year’s festival, once again demonstrates his encyclopedic memory of jazz and names.
Focus on the region and on young talent
Sarah Chaksad performs with her 13-member ensemble.
Image: zvg
But it is not Christian McBride, a giant of the double bass, who will present his new quintet in Basel, or the all-star group around Avishai Cohen, peppered with well-known names, with whom Blindenbacher stays the longest. He also only mentioned the celebrated Israeli trio Shalosh, which he was able to engage for the second time after 2021, or Michel Camilo, the piano virtuoso from the Dominican Republic, in passing when presenting his program.
Rather, Blindenbacher focuses on the region and the young talent. On Tuesday he will let three well-known exponents of local music, Sarah Chaksad, Florian Arbenz and Alex Hendriksen, speak at the jazz festival with new projects and albums.
Debate about music funding and streaming
The short discussion moderated by Blindenbacher about the importance of promoting music was exciting, with Hendriksen criticizing the naming of the “tipping initiative” mentioned as misleading and unappreciative. Rather, according to the busy saxophonist, fundamental considerations are necessary as to what type of music one wants to promote. In his eyes, IG Musik shows the “right direction”.
Alex Hendriksen plays in a duo and trio at the jazz festival.
Image: zvg
Chaksad, in turn, defends himself against the demonization of streaming, which is essentially an interesting and useful idea. It’s just that the income distribution key is clearly wrong. Arbenz, on the other hand, recognizes a certain rethinking in the scene in the sense that musicians are no longer waiting for the blessing of a record company, but are implementing their projects themselves with more self-confidence than in previous decades. As an example of this, Blindenbacher cites Arbenz’s London Group, which will be performing in Basel with the guitar veteran Christy Doran.
A look into the future
Florian Arbenz presents his London project.
Image: Roland Schmid
The fact that Blindenbacher invites young members of his team onto the stage at several points in the press conference – including Aline Meyer (born in 1999), who very confidently presents the program items that are intended to reach a new audience – fuels the question in the subsequent round as to whether Blindenbacher preparing his departure. Especially since the Offbeat Series, which runs between festival editions, will celebrate its 50th edition in 2025.
According to Blindenbacher’s answer, he has not yet discovered the medical miracle of eternal youth. Accordingly, they are looking for ideas to make the festival timeless and independent of it. But: “Don’t worry, I won’t give up that easily!”
34th Jazz Festival Basel. Various venues, April 15th to May 16th. www.offbeat-concert.ch.
2024-03-06 04:02:16
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