The Festival, the Zurich thinks otherwise

How small was the Unheard Festival, as it was held in November 2002, for the first Time. It is music was on a Saturday from 16 PM in the Zurich Red factory; the concerts were in a modest program brochure space. Today, in 2019, it needs for the program, an 80-page booklet. The now nine-day jazz festival, is playing at a dozen locations in the city of Zurich, Winterthur and Uster.

musicians such as Dieter Ulrich or Omri Ziegele, or the operator of the Zurich Intact - plate company, Patrik Landolt and Florian Keller, the Festival on the legs. They don't just put their music; the name is moving Stars. Always contemporary, perhaps even to difficult music. Also in the ears of critical musician has stock that comes from the Unknown. Always, the aim is also to present Swiss and international instrumentalists. It's about the Water of a local cultural Humus.

1. Youtube-clicks, you are not

each operator does not want to mostly full rooms? You can make it, as it is the former Festival Director of the Montreux Jazz the Festival has done: Claude Nobs was able to leave without any aesthetic qualms for a concert by the jazz pianist Herbie Hancock on the classical pianist Lang Lang to meet. On the poster in the run-up to the concert, it was naturally strong; musically, however, the evening resulted in rather little sense.

Such a striking concerts were Unheard of-not a creators dream of. "Our Festival is a one-year, intensive planning process will be preceded in each case – we will try to find out what is at the Moment, the Central tendencies in the music," says Florian Keller from the event team. Patrik Landolt adds: "We travel a lot, listen to music at international Festivals. We are also in Switzerland to a lot of concerts. We don't want to shop for the Festival Agency only offers and are not oriented to us on Youtube-clicks."

Shabaka Hutchings rocks usually with The Comet Is Coming the big stages. At the Unheard Festival played Hutchings last year, a solo concert at the rote Fabrik. Video: BBC

but It may also be that the Festival is committed to a Big Star like last year, the British saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings. "He fills in with the Band The Comet Is Coming, actually, giant halls, we wanted to present it but in a different way: We knew what a strong musician he is – and so we asked him if he wanted the solo to occur," says Keller.

2. Zurich and the world

The Unheard of-started the Festival as a Zurich of the occasion. Locally strong-rooted musicians wanted to present their music. Still, the local Create has its important place at the Festival: bassist Florian Kolb, E-bassist Martina Berther, the Trio Heinz Herbert, writer Melinda Nadj Abonji, pianist Simone Keller, trombonist Michael Flury, pianist Vera Kappeler, saxophonist Christoph Irniger, E-Bassist Herbie Kopf, Pianist Nik Bärtsch, E-guitarist Dave Gisler – they all play at this year's Festival. And they come from Zurich. It is always at the Festival but also to get the vast jazz world to Zurich.

lovers, The Zurich Trio Heinz Herbert with his sound, techno music – here is a recording of Radio 3. Video: 3x

"Zurich is a very exciting scene. We want to show our musicians in an international context," says Patrik Landolt. "In the best case, we can combine local musicians with international musicians and kick-off for new cooperation," says Florian Keller. Of course, according to question, however, with whom the musicians want to usefully play. This year, this leads to appearance of the trio Heinz Herbert, joins the Polish pianist Joanna Duda.

3. Close

The festival organizers prefer smaller rooms, which allow a close proximity of the audience and the artists. Has not attained the live concert at all a new relevance in these digital days? In the Unheard-of-program booklet, the author Melinda Nadj Abonji speaks, significantly, of a "knock heart, the noticeable next to me".

Landolt emphasized that innovative music need smaller or medium-sized rooms. "You come in close contact with the music." Such concerts, says Keller, in its immediacy cannot be replaced by Youtube Videos.

4. Mediation

For many years, the Unheard-makers are trying the sparks of their music also in the Canton of schools in the greater Zurich area as a whole. In particular, saxophonist Omri Ziegele has initiated a lot of. This year there are such events in Zurich Canton schools, with Melinda Nadj Abonji, designed with Simone Keller and Michael Flury, a musical program. Several Hundred 18 - and 19-year-old pupils in the Canton school it will Stadelhofen hear.

Patrik Landolt mentions the Festival six years ago: "When the saxophone legend Archie Shepp came, celebrated the young him as a pop musician. They felt Shepp's personality. They heard his great Saxofonton!" This successful placement has also an effect on the audience that has rejuvenated in the last few years.

In this Arte documentary, you can feel a lot of the Charisma of Archie Shepp, which aired in 2013 on the Zurich students. Video: Arte

5. Squatting

Until today, has remained the Red factory, the mother house of the Unheard of, here for the Festival the most representative concerts. But soon after the Festival was founded, the Unheard-of have-maker cleverly set in some of Zurich's cultural institutions. You will benefit from the infrastructure and advertising opportunities. Again, enliven and enrich the institutions with their carefully curated sounds. The politics of creative "home occupations" has led to a unique decentralized profile of the Unheard.

she tried to think of Zurich a little different, says Keller: "After the type, it's only twenty minutes. Our Festival follows a logic of integration: If you tear something in common "" can't – why?" Also in New York, the jazz scene is today in Manhattan at home, says Landolt: "The most interesting Clubs in Brooklyn. In Zurich, there is an extension to the outside. The we to life."

a nine-day Festival is not too long? Keller disagrees: "In nine days at the same place, the votes would be. But we have the wonderful Situation to be able to every night go somewhere else. And each house has its own Ambiance, its own audience."

6. Almost everything today can Jazz be

In the early days, the Unheard of was quite insider table. With the opening of new places of the human expansion in the organization team, the General pluralization of Jazz in the train of the time the Festival opened. Today, it stands for all the wealth of Jazz: you can hear this year at the Unheard of the free Jazz of the Chicago trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith as well as the Popjazz of the US piano trio The Bad Plus.

With a new pianist at the Unheard-of: The iconic Pop-Jazz Trio The Bad Plus. Video: KNKX Public Radio

Jazz, so the creators emphasize a zig-zag line: today is "Different than I used to make styles of today, no separations between jazz. The Jazz has developed into many forms", says Patrik Landolt. One example of the many jazz forms of the various solo piano concerts at this year's Festival to be. "But everything is running under the term Jazz: This is Crazy."

The Zurich Unheard Festival kicks off on Saturday, 23.11., in the jazz club Uster with a Duo of Florian Kolb & Norbert Möslang, as well as concerts by Martina Berther, and The Bad Plus. All the info: www.unerhoert.ch

Created: 21.11.2019, 13:08 PM