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Event Description
Leading the new wave of young European improvising trumpeters, Airelle Besson is a formidable, compelling and, frankly, astonishing talent. Sometimes embracing a baroque sense of form and lyricism, she can turn on a sixpence and send forth grooves that mark her out as a fine jazz presence and a thoughtful and articulate composer. With the elegant and lucid playing of pianist Sebastian Sternal and drummer Jonas Burgwinkel bringing his classic jazz and avant garde sensibilities to the table, this is a trio whose music is both considered and free, communicative and compelling. Listening to each other and to the moment, they build an architecture of eloquent and clean sound, without clutter, but with masses of heart.
Airelle Besson - trumpet
Sebastian Sternal - piano, fender Rhodes
Jonas Burgwinkel - drums
Promoted by Triskel Arts Centre at Guinness Cork Jazz Festival
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
2015 and 2016 were exceptional years for Airelle Besson; awarded twice, as Best French Musician of the Year by the French Django Reinhardt Award Academy and as Jazz Revelation of the Year at the French Award ceremony “Les Victoires du Jazz”. At the 2015 festival ‘Jazz sous les Pommiers’ in Coutances, where she was artist in residence for three years, Airelle caught the public’s attention with her brand new project – a quartet with Isabel Sörling on vocals, Benjamin Moussay on piano, fender Rhodes & bass synth and Fabrice Moreau on drums. Their new album Radio One was released in May 2016 on label Naïve and concerts in France and worldwide followed the release.
Airelle has an impressive track-record. She trained with Wynton Marsalis, Pierre Gillet and Kato Havas (Yehudi Menuhin‘s disciple) in Oxford, graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.
This multi-talented trumpet player shines on the European scene with her projects, (the Airelle Besson Quartet and duo with Nelson Veras), as a much sought sidewoman (with François Jeanneau, Riccardo Del Fra, Didier Levallet, Laurent Cugny…) and as a composer/arranger (Metronomy, Orchestre National de Lyon). She has performed with Charlie Haden and Carla Bley, Michel Portal, Youn Sun Nah, Manu Katché, Philip Catherine, Billy Hart, Rhoda Scott, Daniel Humair, Baptiste Trotignon, Henri Texier, Tom Harrell, Avishai Cohen, Greg Hutchinson and José James.
Sebastian Sternal has worked with jazz greats like Dee Dee Bridgewater, David Binney and John Riley. Concerts and tours have led him to the USA, to Namibia, South Africa, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Poland, Bulgaria und Albania. Recent accolades include multiple ECHO jazz awards (2018, 2016, 2013), and Jahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics’ Award) in 2015. Sebastian is a long-time member and teacher at the National Youth Jazz Orchestra ‘BuJazzO’ (under Peter Herbolzheimer).
With his trio he released two albums, Eins (2009) and Paris (2010), and he plays in the quartet Die Verwandlung of trumpet player Frederik Köster and in duo with saxophone players Claudius Valk and Will Vinson (New York). His project ‘Sternal Symphonic Society’ (Traumton Records 2012) brings together outstanding young musicians from both classical and jazz backgrounds in an 11-piece ‘symphonic combo’.
2017 saw the release of his highly acclaimed trio album Home with Larry Grenadier and Jonas Burgwinkel. Sebastian holds a professorship for jazz piano at Hochschule für Musik in Mainz and teaches jazz theory at Hochschule für Musik in Cologne.
Jonas Burgwinkel is an outstanding jazz drummer, internationally sought after for his unique style of playing. He innovatively blends classic jazz with avant-garde improvisation. He has received numerous jazz awards, including from Südwestrundfunk and Westdeutscher Rundfunk, and the ECHO Best Soloist Award at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2012. There are over 50 CDs and countless radio and television recordings which document the success of his musical work. He is one of the leading young percussion players of the European Jazzscene.
Jonas studied drums at music colleges in Cologne, Boston and Maastricht with Michael Küttner, Ralph Peterson and Jamey Haddad. He performs worldwide, with jazz greats such as John Scofield, Chris Potter, Uri Caine, Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz or John Taylor. A particularly intense musical collaboration exists with the internationally present Pablo Held Trio. In 2011, Jonas Burgwinkel followed a call as professor of jazz drums at the Cologne University of Music and Dance.
In addition to his concert career Jonas Burgwinkel is involved as a co-founder of the Cologne jazz collective KLAENG as a concert promoter, with intensive networking and its own label.
Location of event
Venue Information - The Mermaid Arts Centre
Since their launch in August 2002, Mermaid Arts Centre has made a splash in the artistic and cultural life of County Wicklow. Presenting an ambitious programme of performances including innovative dance, spellbinding theatre, cutting edge music and art-house cinema.