Alexandra Ivanova presents her debut album “Beauty in Chaos” released on Double Moon Records in the series “Jazz thing Next Generation” vol. 99
“Ivanova is a fluent, inventive pianist and Lukassen and Ott, constantly juggling time and improvisation, provide splendid rhythmic support.” (All About Jazz)
“In every sense of the word, a musician out of the ordinary” (Jazz thing)

Sensitivity and captivating rhythms characterize the sound of the Berlin-based Alexandra Ivanova Trio led by the Austrian pianist and composer of Bulgarian roots who has experienced a range of cultural influences, giving her an “unorthodox approach to her compositions” (All About Jazz). With Niklas Lukassen on double bass and András Dés on percussion, the trio navigates between Jazz, influences of Maqam, Arabic classical music, odd meters from the Balkan and Afro-Cuban claves. Alexandra's compositions stem from a deep journey into the self. Her arrangements of Arabic and Azeri standards or Icelandic folklore invite the listener to look at the world from different points of view: from the East, the West or from somewhere in between.
The trio has toured Saudi Arabia and Europe and is set to open the renowned Cairo Jazz Festival this year featuring special guest vocalist Lynn Adib (FR/SYR) with whom they collaborated for the album’s title track.“Beauty in Chaos is an engaging album which often has a mysterious feel, perhaps born out of the mix of cultural elements. There are moments of beauty in every track, and enough turns and changes in the arrangements to keep listeners entertained throughout.” (All About Jazz)

Alexandra Ivanova
Alexandra Ivanova is a Berlin-based pianist and composer, born in Austria with Bulgarian roots, and having called France, the Middle East and the Gulf her home. She was classically trained at the piano as a child and is primarily self-taught in jazz, performing with her jazz trios since the age of 16 before finding a mentor in Tarek Yamani. Alexandra’s interest lies in polyrhythms, Bulgarian and Maqam-based music in conversation with jazz harmony and Afrocuban claves which she further deepened with Arturo O’Farrill Ruy Lopez-Nussa, Alexis Bosch und Salman Gambarov.
Alexandra has received various jazz scholarships (Musikfonds, Berlin Senate) for her composition work, as well as grants (Goethe Institut, Musikfonds) for her collaborations and projects. In her young career, she has performed at the Reykjavik Jazz Festival, the Stockwerk Graz, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Programme at UNESCO International Jazz Day 2020, as well as on international stages in Saudi Arabia, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

Niklas Lukassen
Niklas Lukassen's picturesque sense of instrumental lyricism and innovative playing style are equally impressive on the double bass as on the bass guitar. His collaborators have included Mike Stern, Jorge Rossy and Joe Lovano. An essential part of his career has been based in New York, where he completed his Master's studies on full scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music under Ron Carter. Now living in Berlin and London, he is becoming an increasingly indispensable part of the jazz scene, while also exuding enormous bandleader potential. He demonstrates this in a multi-faceted way on his forthcoming album ‘Still Waters Run Deep’ with his band featuring Ben Van Gelder, Kit Downes, Francesco Ciniglio and guests such as Kurt Rosenwinkel and Wanja Slavin.

András Dés
András Dés is a Vienna based percussionist and composer. Although András considers himself as a contemporary improvisative musician he started his studies of classical percussion at the age of seven. Later his interests turned towards the instruments used in different sorts of folk music and finally he graduated from the Jazz Faculty of Ferenc Liszt Music Academy in 2005. Over the past years, Dés has developed his own percussion set: with his right hand he plays like a drummer and with his left hand like a percussionist. As a member of numerous successful jazz bands he has been touring all around the world and has played at many important venues such as Carnegie Hall, Covent Garden, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Damascus Opera House, the Jerusalem Theatre, the Cairo Jazz Festival or the Shanghai World Expo. As a percussionist, he has contributed to more than 100 albums, four out of them (“Unquiet Stillness” 2009, “Tourist No 1” 2014, “The Worst Singer In The World” 2017, “einschließlich” 2020) as a leader. He has also composed several film and theatre scores. Throughout his career, Dés has been crossing borders between genres. Some major stages were playing in the bands of great Hungarian folk singers (Ági Szalóki, Bea Palya, Mitsoura, Miklós Both), being the member of the popular group Jazz+Az and working with the outstanding contemporary composer, Péter Eötvös. As a jazz musician he has worked with performers such as Miklós Lukács, Elemér Balázs, Zsolt Kaltenecker, Palle Mikkelborg, Frank London, Charlie Mariano, Theodossii Spassov, Ferenc Snétberger, Jack DeJohnette, Gerard Presencer, Kornél Fekete-Kovács, Eivind Aarset, Mihály Borbély, Golnar Shahyar, Mahan Mirarab, Andrej Prozorov, Eric Truffaz and Chris Potter. And of course he has been working a lot with his father, the composer and saxophone player, László Dés. His openness to diverse forms of art is not limited to music. Apart from collaborations with writers and poets, he is also the author and performer of the solo theatre piece “Unblinking”.