Comment from the award jury: “SC’ÖÖF creates imaginative soundscapes with a conglomerate of sounds traversing between computer generated pulses and acoustic bursts of expression, all meticulously orchestrated into an original sound. Their musical stories are rooted in the industrial realm, but yet the group produce an overall organic, human-like fluent feel. The outcome is a percussive, rhythmically spastic, melodically compelling experimental jazz-dub-d’n’b-breakbeat-hiphop-noise perforated set that exuded great musicianship, boldly taking on the freedom of expression.

With their fresh, eclectic and captivating approach SC’ÖÖF can build bridges between jazz fans and audiences of different genres and has a potential to bring the needed generational refreshment of jazz festivals. Thus, the jury believes the band’s future on Europe’s festival and club stages is bright and it is proud to present the Zenith Award to SC’ÖÖF.”

The Zenith Award jury for this year was composed by: Christoph Huber (Porgy & Bess, Austria), Martyna Markowska (Katowice JazzArt Festival, Poland), Ragnhild Menes (Kongsberg jazzfestival, Norway), Tina Lešničar (Ljubljana Jazz festival/Cankarjev dom, Slovenia), Max von Pretz (Südtirol Jazzfestival Alto Adige, Italy), Kenneth Killeen (12 Points/Improvised Music Company, Ireland).

"Of the fifteen people I spoke to, most said yours was their favorite gig of the night. Which, to be honest, I really didn't expect. I thought you would have been the oddballs."
— crazy music curator from Den Haag

Sc’ööf are a Lucerne-based quartet made up of drums & laptop, electric guitar, and two saxophones with electronics. They create acoustic glitch music using extended techniques on their instruments, weaving atonal melodies into tight, complex rhythms, and mixing a wide range of musical ideas within a single piece. Their sound blends jazz, rock, metal, punk, and experimental music into something truly their own.

Their performances are technically impressive, built on strong individual musicianship and years of playing together. They’re hypnotic, thanks to long-form, repetitive, highly rhythmic structures — and intense, thanks to the physical energy of their playing. (press release)

With friendly support from EJN Europe Jazz Network