Symposium For Jazzcats: The Core Trio with Matthew Shipp (Free Bass Productions 2014)

Symposium for Jazzcats: What does free mean in the context of Jazz?

As the doors open once again for another year of the Symposium for Jazzcats, we welcome you for a new series of listening sessions.

Throughout this year, we want to investigate with you the word free within jazz, offering listeners the opportunity to experience how different artists interpret and manifest this elusive concept. The sessions will not only celebrate musical innovation and adventurous listening but also encourage an open dialogue about the evolving musical language of jazz.

Reflecting on the last listening session, where composed and improvised music intertwined, this season is focused to explore a concept that has long been central to jazz: “freedom”. With the question in mind, what does “free” truly mean in this context? Is it merely the absence of form, or does it signify a deeper liberation—one that transcends the physical boundaries of space and time?  Let us explore some of its perspectives and visions to seek an understanding of its complexity.  

To begin with, we will listen to a recording of The Core Trio, a Houston-based Trio, consisting of Thomas Helton on double bass, Seth Paynter on saxophone, and Joe Hertenstein on drums. This session is further enriched by the presence of pianist Matthew Shipp, whose name resonates within the avant-garde, free and improvised jazz community. His appearance with The Core Trio promises a synthesis of perspectives, merging his expansive harmonic language with the trio’s dynamic interplay. 

We also warmly welcome Joe Hertenstein for the first session. A familiar face to those immersed in Berlin’s buzzing free and improvised music scene, if so you may have heard him performing alongside musicians like Alexander von Schlippenbach, Floros Floridis, or bassist Matthias Bauer. His expressive approach to drumming and his desire to break free from repetitive movements can be seen and heard in the way he rearranges his drum kit and incorporates an additional table filled with percussive objects—ranging from cans and bells to wooden pieces and anything else that helps him create a vast soundscape. This textured foundation allows his band members to explore the depths of collective improvisation with him, weaving an intricate carpet of sound as they venture into new musical directions.

https://www.joehertenstein.com/

Join us on this journey, one that seeks not only to listen but to understand, question, and redefine the boundaries of jazz

Stay curious! 

This recording is a 42-minute free improvisation piece.

✨The bar opens at 6:30 PM. Needle drop at 8:30 PM.
✨ Table charge of 5€ p.P.
✨ We ask for silent listening during the length of the main record.
✨ Come early and/or stay late for a chat and a drink!