jazzCLUB Rheda-Wiedenbrück e.V. at Abrahams in Rheda, Germany
International & National Jazz Virtuosos
Experience new worlds of sound
The jazz-CLUB Rheda-Wiedenbrück, founded on 9 March 2022, has found its home in the venerable ambience and premises of the former Hagedorn grain distillery with bricks dating back to 1855. Nowadays part of it as Restaurant and event location Abrahams, run by Lars Abraham.
HISTORY of this special location
The ambience, charm and sound experience of the premises in the former Hagedorn grain distillery are due to the old brickwork and wooden ceiling. These warm-toned bricks, combined with the old wooden ceiling, create the perfect look and acoustics. An inviting and atmospheric ambience. An oasis with a feel-good atmosphere, and not just for lighting technicians.
As city historian Dr. Wolfgang Lewe recounted, it is one of two buildings in Rheda that still retain their original bricks. The former brickworks was located on the right-hand side opposite the Eudur company, which is now based there on Herzebrocker Straße. It dates from 1855.
The second building is located nearby at Bahnhofstraße 1. This was the home of the inventive merchant Kretschmann and his delicatessen shop. His grandson has been restoring the property for some time and is impressed by more than just the hardness of the bricks.
Debut concert
Wednesday, 24 August
Emile Parisien & Sextet
The transatlantic French-American ‘Emile Parisien Sextet’, which has earned a top reputation on international stages over the years, kicked off the Wednesday concert series. For all 140 music lovers in attendance – sold out – it was an inspiring musical experience that seemed almost impossible to top.
Tracks from the album ‘Louise - ACT, 2022’
‘Louise’ is a remarkable album in which wild energy contrasts and happily coexists with a much gentler side. Its subtleties and joys become apparent the more you listen to it.
‘Louise’ gives us the most accurate insight yet into the character and creative individuality of one of Europe's leading jazz musicians.
Members of the newly founded jazz club were already able to enjoy samples from the gifted soprano saxophonist Emile and his long-time accompanist on piano, Roberto Negro, the day before, after the presentation of the newly founded club.
Emile Parisien - Louise
CD / Vinyl / digital
Emile Parisien soprano saxophone
Theo Croker trumpet
Roberto Negro piano
Manu Codjia guitar
Joe Martin bass
Nasheet Waits drums
“The best new thing that has happened in European jazz for a long time” (Le Monde), Emile Parisien has formed a top-flight American-European sextet for this album, his seventh as leader or co-leader on ACT. The band will be touring in 2022, the year which also marks the tenth anniversary of Parisien’s first appearance on an ACT album.
The saxophonist developed his strong sense of direction in music remarkably early: he was 10 years old when the news reached his family in Cahors that a new music school would be opening up roughly 200 kilometres away in Marciac. The youngster told his parents that this was the school he wanted to go to as a boarder...and so, with their support and approval, off he went. And it was through the school and the festival in Marciac that he received mentorship from some of the greats of North American jazz: Wynton Marsalis (who appeared as a guest on the album Sfumato Live), Clark Terry, Bobby Hutcherson, Oscar Peterson…
The fact that three of the musicians in the sextet on "Louise or half of the band is American (Theo Croker (trumpet), Joe Martin (bass), and Nasheet Waits (drums) is important for Parisien: “It was time for me to return to the source that gave me the love for this music in the first place,” he explains. The idea of a ‘return to the source’ is especially true of Parisien’s choice to work alongside Theo Croker, the grandson of trumpeter Doc Cheatham (1905-97). Parisien describes their meeting on the “Jazz Animals” tour in 2018 as having been a ‘superrencontre’, and a particularly strong musical connection and a personal friendship have developed since those meetings. On “Louise” Parisien has not only ensured that a huge emotional and stylistic range can be heard in Croker’s trumpet-playing, but has also enjoyed matching and intertwining his own melodic voice with Croker’s. Their interaction is something special, and provides some of the many joyous moments on this wide-ranging yet very coherent album. Parisien has also generously given Croker the chance to have last word on the album, with his solemnly evocative composition, “Prayer for Peace”.
Drummer Nasheet Waits is a vivid and energising presence throughout the album, and especially in the third part of “Memento”, the most substantial piece on "Louise", which Parisien dedicates to his mother. “I just love Nasheet’s playing, he’s unbelievable. It was a dream to play with him,” says Parisien who first admired.
Waits’ playing on record, before their paths started to cross at festivals. This is the first time they have worked together. Joe Martin is one of the first-call New York bassists; Parisien knows him from their time as fellow members of Yaron Herman’s quartet.
Manu Codjia and Robert Negro are two of Emile Parisien’s very closest musical colleagues. “We have played in so many contexts, explored so much music together,” says Parisien. Guitarist Codjia was one of the very first musicians whom he met when he first moved to Paris nearly two decades ago. “Manu has an amazing ability to be the ‘glue’ that holds a band together and creates a common sound.” Codjia has contributed the composition "Jungle Jig", an energetic piece in which an ideal balance has been struck between chaos and order. Roberto Negro has also played with Parisien regularly as a duo, in Sfumato and other contexts. “European music, classical, jazz, Roberto plays them all so well! He’s such a complete musician,” says Parisien. Roberto Negro’s composition “Il giorno della civetta” (civet) is elegantly paced and has a wonderfully natural flow.
The title track “Louise” is gentle, spacious and meditative. The title refers to the ‘spider’ sculptures of Louise Bourgeois. These sculptures have mostly been seen in public spaces, and that has caused Parisien to reflect on how confinement during lockdown has deprived us all of the joy of being out in the open. Bourgeois’ sculptures are also very strongly connected to themes of motherhood, and to the metaphors of spinning, weaving, caring and protecting. Parisien’s affection for and valuing of the unconditional love of mothers for their children is the emotional background to this evocative track, with its glorious solos from Theo Croker and Manu Codjia.
Two pieces bring to the fore European musicians from earlier generations who have been decisive influences on Parisien: “Jojo” is a happy reference to Joachim Kühn; the track is unmistakably, intentionally, and deeply ‘Ornette-ish’ in its inspiration. “Madagascar” by Weather Report recalls a time when Parisien played in The Syndicate, the band formed in 2007 to carry on Joe Zawinul’s legacy and to perform his music.
“Louise” is a remarkable album in which ferocious energy contrasts and coexists happily with a much softer side. Its subtleties and joys emerge the more one listens. As a result, "Louise" gives us the closest insight yet into the character and the creative individuality of one of Europe’s leading jazz musicians.
Credits:
Recorded by Mathieu Pion at Studio Gil Evans de La Maison de la Culture, Amiens (France), June 2021
Mixed by Mathieu Pion in October 2021
Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann
Produced by Emile Parisien
Executive Producer: Andreas Brandis & Full Rhizome
Wednesday, 26 September 2022
beatwo Jan Jesuthas and Sebastian Gokus
Musical sound experiences with handpan & xylophone
This was followed by a concert of a different kind, less associated with acoustic jazz.
Jan Jesuthasand Sebastian Gokussurprised the audience with relaxed and animated sounds. They created a soundscape that left the audience wanting more, with sound structures characterised by various percussion instruments.
110 interested music fans were transported into the world of beatwo, a young, up-and-coming percussion duo. Instruments such as the handpan, slit drum, djembe, marimba and xylophone formed the core of their musical craft and were enhanced by electronic sounds from synthesizers and drum machines.
The evening session was divided into two 45-minute episodes. The main theme was to be ‘home’.
Jan Jesuthas' home is his music. His parents, who come from Sri Lanka, have a home that was never his. So Jan tries to discover his roots through music. Sebastian has it easier, having spent the first 18 years of his life in Rheda and also been influenced by his father's music. He regularly performs in churches with the organist.
The first part featured a longer ‘intro’ to listen to and get a feel for the various percussion instruments used. ‘Herzstück’ followed. After a drink break, the second session began with pieces such as ‘Yademe’, “Kanabu” and ‘Heimat’. Sound recordings from the train journey with acoustic encounters in Rheda-Wiedenbrück were skilfully and sensitively incorporated into this piece of music.
Always on the lookout for new rhythms and sounds, Jan and Sebastian use everyday objects and various instruments from the world of percussion in a new musical context. The aim of their self-written music is to invite the listener to enter a rhythmic world of sound that encourages them to linger, fantasise and join in.
It also worked perfectly in Rheda. The audience was not disappointed and felt transported to a new world. In this world, they were invited to close their eyes and let the impressions sink in. A percussive experience ranging from popular and classical to Latin sounds, which inspired with their high musical standards.
Wednesday, 23rd November
Pulsar Trio when Sitar meets Piano
According to music critics, the Pulsar Trio – winners of the Global Music Contest CREOLE 2014 – are reminiscent of progressive jazz trios such as the British GoGo Penguin or the German Michael Wollny Trio.
Matyas Wolter and Beate Wein met musically in the spring of 2007. They got to know each other better in Kolkata during Wolter's annual visit to India.
In Potsdam, they made their first attempts to combine the sitar and the piano. Aaron Christ joined them not long after, and the trio was complete. What united them was a desire to experiment, a joy in playing and a spirit of daring. The unique line-up of Matyas Wolter on sitar and surbahar, Aaron Christ on drums and Beate Wein on grand piano and Bassnovation creates a completely unique texture and sound aesthetic that is unparalleled.
Everyone can look forward to singles from the new Pulsar Trio studio album, which is scheduled for release in 2023. ‘We smell in Stereo’ is the first track on the CD. It freely translates the diverse interactions and close bonds within a group of hunting sharks into music.
Everyone can look forward to singles from the new Pulsar Trio studio album, which is scheduled for release in 2023. ‘We smell in Stereo’ is the first track on the CD. It freely translates the diverse interactions and close bonds within a group of hunting sharks into music.
Mi., 15. März 2023, 20:00
Jazz music of a tremendously elegant quality, the kind that does not linger in the classical realm, but rather unfolds many interesting interconnections to other styles. Purple is the Color sets sail to special musical shores, to shores on which the dignified sound of jazz can develop its full radiance free of conventional constraints. The aim of Simon Raab (piano), Stepán Flagar (saxophone), Martin Kocián (bass) and Michal Wierzgon (drums) is to touch the audience with their music, release deep-rooted feelings and trigger emotions. Purple is the Color have been selected as NASOM “New Austrian Sound of Music” act 2020-21.
An elegant and captivating kind of jazz. That is precisely what the Czech-Austrian quartet Purple is the Color served up on their debut album “Unmasked” (Freifeld Tonträger). Their latest album “EPIC” was released on the Viennese label Session Work Records in 2021.
Mi., 19. April 2023, 20:00
Mi., 20. September 2023, 20:00
Mi., 19. April 2023, 20:00
Mi., 20. September 2023, 20:00
Mi., 8. November 2023, 20:00
Mi., 14. Februar 2024, 20:00
Di., 18. Juni 2024, 20:00
Mi., 25. September 2024, 20:00
Peter Somuah Group
Trombonist Peter Somuah ventures into distant realms of jazz. Somuah hails from Ghana. He absorbed the rhythms of his homeland and learned them before studying in Amsterdam, where he made his mark. And he was successful: in 2021, he received the Erasmus Jazz Award for young jazz artists, and in 2022, he received the Dutch Edison Jazz Award. for his second album, ‘Outer Space’. His latest work is even called ‘Letter to the Universe’. Somuah has arrived musically in the realms of Welltall, which is very fitting for his highly idiosyncratic mix of jazz, funk, soul and traditional Ghanaian music.
As a migrant musician in Amsterdam, he is now on the road with colleagues from his second home. The result is a fascinating combo, enriched with keyboard as a second melody instrument and a diverse groove section of bass, drums and percussion, and a sharp pinch of electronic music. Between ecstasy and melancholy, sometimes rhythmic, sometimes warm – this is how Somuah presents himself today, full of power and passion.
In 2022, Peter Somuah won the prestigious Edison Jazz Award in the Netherlands with his debut album ‘Outer Space’. In April 2023, he released his first album ‘Letter to the Universe’ on ACT Music.
A few weeks after the concert at Abrahams, the Peter Somuah Group's new album ‘High Life’ will be released on ACT Music on 1 November. It is an ode to the Ghanaian tradition of highlife music featuring the legends of the genre.
The line-up:
Peter Somuah, trumpet
Anton De Bruin, keyboards
Marijn van der Ven, bass
Danny Rombout, percussion
Jens Meijer, drums
Mi., 23. Oktober 2024, 20:00
Caris Hermes – Local Hero
Caris Hermes born 1 December 1991 in Geseke is a German jazz musician (double bass, composition). Hermes received her first violin at the age of three, later adding the cello; at 14, she began playing the double bass.
For 15 years now, bassist Caris Hermes has been unleashing her luminous world of sound full of references, ramifications and sensitive moods. Everything seems possible for her in the field of tension between swing, groove, straight ahead and subtle modern jazz.
„I feel particularly at home – and also most comfortable – in modern jazz and straight ahead. That’s simply the music my heart beats for.“
Caris Herms has long since established herself as a highly esteemed, virtuoso sidewoman who impresses both her fellow musicians and the audience with her rhythmic and melodic diversity. In fact, her double bass has a voice all of its own: whether singing or humming sensitively, grooving soulfully or walking exuberantly, Caris Hermes celebrates the immense range of her instrument with delicate sophistication. Her ability to transform the complex musical visions of changing bandleaders makes her the preferred choice in her category in Germany.
Mi., 5. Februar 2025, 20:00
Camille Bertault (FR)
Camille was born on 28 July 1986 in Paris and spent her childhood between Normandy and the Paris region. She studied music at the conservatory and worked on the piano with her father, a sound engineer. She then moved to Nice, where her family settled. In the early 2010s, she studied jazz at the Paris Conservatory. In 2015, she sang on a video posted on YouTube to John Coltrane's Giant Steps before improvising on the saxophone to her voice. The video has been viewed more than 730,000 times on the singer's Facebook account, where she was discovered by jazz enthusiasts, then by British radio station Classic FM and France Musique.
A label asked her to make a first album, which was released in April 2016 and included six of her own compositions, all lyrics and standards by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Duke Ellington. She is accompanied by a trio led by pianist Olivier Hutman. A second album was released in January 2018. She was accompanied by a dozen musicians, including accordionist Daniel Mille, pianist Dan Tepfer and trumpeter and keyboardist Michael Leonhart, who shared the arrangements with her.
In the animated film Voyage to the Moon, released on Netflix in France on 23 October 2020, she performed the song M'envoler for the film's credits and as a promo for the film.
Mi., 2. April 2025, 20:00
Mi., 17. September 2025, 20:00
Nicole Johänntgen with the Ensemble Robin
‘Robin, these are rhythms and improvisations based on playable melodies’ – this sentence from a Zurich concert announcement in 2016 says it all. We can confirm this since we experienced the concert at Jazz Baltica in July 2024.
Perhaps more information than emotion? Robin is a band project by saxophonistNicole Johänntgen that began in New York in 2016. During an extended stay in the USA, the Saarland native met excellent musicians from the local scene, developed the programme with them in the studio, recorded it and went on tour with it.
Nine years later, Nicole is on tour with outstanding musicians from her adopted home of Switzerland and sets the concert venues ‘on fire’ with her enthusiasm for playing. No wonder, because the quintet is driven by two percussionists.
The five Swiss musicians live out on stage what is part of their leader's brand essence: ‘The fusion of different cultures in musical form is their greatest strength and the greatest joy for all people.’
We will see that this is not just advertising talk at the start of the season with Robin and the versatile Nicole Johänntgen.
The line-up:
Nicole Johänntgen (sax)
Sonja Brossard (bs)
Manon Mullener (p)
David Stauffacher (perc)
Roberto Hacaturyan (perc)
Roberto 'Robbie' Hacaturyan is an ethnomusicologist and a musician. A cross-genre multi-percussionist, a polyglot in the language of rhythm, oscillating between tradition and innovation.
The son of an Armenian father and a Sicilian mother, he came into contact with rhythms at an early age. Robbie's curiosity about percussion languages led him to study in Accra, Havana, New York, Salvador Bahia and several cities in the Middle East. This allowed him to constantly expand his stylistic repertoire and collaborate with artists from different genres and countries. Over the years, he has participated in numerous live and studio productions.
He works as an expert at Artlink, the Swiss centre of competence for music from Africa, Asia & Latin America, which collaborates with artists from these regions who are active in Switzerland.
Hacaturyan is also a renowned percussionist who has performed with numerous artists on stage and in recordings such as Raul Midón, Shakira, Carles Benavent, Kofi Kinaata, Lariba and Mario Batkovic.
29.10.2025, 20.00 Uhr
Abrahams | Rheda-Wiedenbrück
Phillip Brämswig grew up in Lohne, as did drummer Frank Arends from Friesoythe in Lower Saxony. Bassist Frank Ryzinkowski was born in Saxony. Together they won the New German Jazz Prize in Mannheim in 2017.
Now it's time for Philipp Brämswig, a contemporary jazz guitarist, composer and bandleader, to come to Abrahams. Electric bass and drums cooperate with the guitar here. Improvisation and variation characterise the evenings of the trio, which has been playing together for more than ten years and is currently creating a new musical narrative through overdubs of vocals and guitar, presenting ‘branching narratives of spaces of possibility’ (JazzThing). A work "full of colourful guitar solos. Beautiful sound and coherent playing by the entire ensemble" (jazz-fun) can be experienced.
The line-up:
Philipp Brämswig (guitar/composition)
Florian Rynkowski (electric bass)
Fabian Arends (drums)
Outlook for future Jazz Adventures in Rheda
Especially in turbulent and eventful times like these, we can consider ourselves fortunate to be able to participate in such cultural happenings again. While elsewhere people are fighting not only to preserve their culture, but also their homes, their future, their lives.
In addition to music, our cultural diversity also offers visual arts, readings, theatre and performances of all kinds. However, in the land of poets, this is no longer affordable for every citizen.
Young people in particular are rare and hardly ever seen at the jazzCLUB Rheda-Wiedenbrück. And there are reasons for this. People on low incomes cannot afford the luxury of a €30 ticket, let alone expensive drinks. It is therefore hardly surprising that the majority of visitors are grey-haired and belong to the baby boomer age group. At present, it is unfortunately still an elitist event for the well-heeled.
As a reminder
JAZZ HAS ITS ROOTS IN THE POOR SOUTH OF THE USA
It originated in miserable, gloomy dive bars, dubious dance halls, and disreputable dens of vice and crime in the “deep south” of the USA. Without slavery in the USA, there would be no jazz.
Jazz:
"This remarkable word means something like life, power, energy, effervescence of the spirit, fun, verve, attraction, vigour, masculinity, courage, happiness.
The first musical evidence of the word jazz can be found in the Chicago Daily Tribune of 11 July 1915 in connection with a syncopated rag by Art Hickman.
It is virtually impossible to categorise different jazz styles and assign them to specific periods. The boundaries between the styles of hot and old-time jazz are fluid, and the time of their emergence is usually impossible to define with certainty. In many cases, it is also virtually impossible to speak of the dominance of one style during a particular period. The following list therefore offers only a few rough guidelines:
Sidney Bechet
1900: New Orleans jazz
1910: Dixieland
1920: Chicago jazz
1940s: Revival of New Orleans jazz and Dixieland in the USA, later also in Europe
The courage to explore new avenues of financing
If the usual support from companies, foundations and sponsorships is not sufficient to enable affordable admission prices, then new avenues must be explored.
Crowdfunding
Grandparents invite their grandchildren
Sponsorships for low-income earners
Apply for funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia