A band of superlatives: European and American jazz legends Alex von Schlippenbach and Barry Altschul come together in a new quartet and form a musical summit together with bass clarinetist Rudi Mahall and bassist Joe Fonda. The program consists of free improvisation, own compositions and special arrangements of jazz classics.

After a successful performance of the trio Alex v. Schlippenbach, Barry Altschul and Joe Fonda at the Free Jazz Festival in Saarbrücken 2022, the idea of a further collaboration was born.

Alex v. Schlippenbach is considered one of the founders of the European free jazz scene, the initiator and leader of the Globe Unity Orchestra with members such as Peter Brötzmann, Manfred Schoof, Jaki Liebezeit, Mani Neumeier, Toshinori Kondo, Paul Lovens and others, as well as the Schlippenbach Trio. A student of avant-garde composer Bernd Alois Zimmermann, who never completely broke with musical tradition, Schlippenbach also repeatedly references the jazz tradition or twelve-tone music in his works.

Barry Altschul is a New York drummer who was part of the Paul Bley Trio for years, formed the band Circle with Chick Corea, Dave Holland, and Anthony Braxton, and toured worldwide in countless projects with Sam Rivers and Billy Bang, among others. It would be difficult to make a complete list of his concerts, tours and recordings.

Rudi Mahall is one of those bass clarinetists who fearlessly break new ground on the instrument and became known throughout Europe, among other things, for his recording of the complete works of Thelonius Monk under the title Monk's Casino. His wit and humor while remaining serious about composition is a true delight.

And last but not least: Joe Fonda on bass. He is considered a busy jack-of-all-trades on the bass who has not only played in jazz formations with Anthony Braxton, Barry Altschul, Archie Shepp or in his own formations, but also works interdisciplinary with dance and music and collaborates with dance ensembles.

Creative jazz at the very highest level! (press release)