Audiences of the 20th Jazz Fest Sarajevo will be presented with numerous premiere concerts including a project premiere of British composer and pianist Django Bates, designed specially to mark the anniversary of the festival.
Bates’ ten member ensemble will present a project carried out in cooperation with Jazz Fest and the jazz department of Bern’s Hochschule der Künste, one of Switzerland’s leading art academies which included the program and preparation of the Sarajevo concert in its curriculum, wishing to contribute to an important project involving former and current students of the Academy.
“Our jazz department is internationally acclaimed for its innovative approach to jazz and improvised music, Django Bates has been a valuable member of our collective for years now”, said Valerie Portmann, head of the Department of Jazz, emphasizing that the cooperation of students and Bates, who is one of the most important composers and pianists of his generation, speaks not only about the quality of musicians that finish the Academy in Bern, but also on the standards of this university.
In addition to being a composer and pianist, Django Bates used to be a professor at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory (RMC) in Copenhagen, visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London and he is a professor at the Hochschule der Künste in Bern for five years. At the 20th Jazz Fest, he will give a one-hour lecture titled “How dare you play music in the classroom?”, aimed at teachers, professors and other professionals in the field of music education.
The Django Bates’ concert with the ensemble humanCHain will take place on 5th of November at Bosanski kulturni centar. The ensemble will consist of: Claire Huguenin (vocals), Django Bates (keyboards, vocals), Dimitri Howald (el. guitar), Jeremias Keller (el. bass) Nicolas Wolf (drums), Nicola Habegger (trumpet), Josephine Nagorsnik (trombone), Gabriel Wenger (saxophones), Michael Gilsenan (tenor saxophone) and Loris Knüsel (baritone saxophone).
Tickets for this concert can be purchased at this link or booked at this link. They are valid, except for the concert of Django Bates, for three more programs that will be held on the same evening at Bosanski kulturni centar: the performances of Bojan Z & Nils Wogram, Julien Lourau & Bojan Z and Terje Rypdal Group with special guest Palle Mikkelborg.