›The Auld Triangle‹ – Begegnung mit Irland – Musiker 2023

Jakob Bänsch wuchs bei Pforzheim auf und fing als Kind von klassischen Berufsmusikern mit acht Jahren an, Trompete zu spielen. In seiner zunächst klassischen Laufbahn gewann er unter anderem den 1. Bundespreis bei Jugend Musiziert und spielte im Landesjugendorchester. Bereits seit seiner frühen Jugend etablierte sich Bänsch gleichzeitig als Jazzmusiker in der deutschen Szene. 2018 absolvierte er ein Jungstudium in Jazztrompete an der HMdK Stuttgart bei Bastian Stein und wurde Mitglied im baden-württembergischen Landesjugendjazzorchester. 

2020 wurde er eines der jüngsten Mitglieder des Bundesjazzorchesters seit Gründung. Seit 2021 studiert er Jazztrompete an der HfMT Köln und ist Mitglied des WDR Young Composers Fellowship Programms sowie des Gutenberg Jazz Collective. Im ersten Jahr der Elbphilharmonie Jazz-Academy in Hamburg wurde Jakob Bänsch neben einer kleinen Auswahl an weiteren jungen Talenten aus ganz Europa als Stipendiat ausgewählt, arbeitete mit internationalen Größen wie Melissa Aldana und Theo Croker und präsentierte seine eigene Musik im großen Saal der Elbphilharmonie. 

Des Weiteren spielte er bereits in den Bands von Musikergrößen wie Emil Mangelsdorff, Wolfgang Haffner oder Nils Landgren. Sein neustes Projekt, das Jakob Bänsch Quartett, existiert seit 2022. Die klassischen Wurzeln sind in seinen Kompositionen unverkennbar und kreieren einen sehr persönlichen Sound. Im November 2022 belegte er mit dieser Band beim Münchner Jazzpreis den 2. Platz, während der Bandleader selbst den Solistenpreis gewann. Am 28.04. erscheint Bänschs Debütalbum „Opening“ beim Label „Jazzline“ (DELTA Music), mit dem er in den darauffolgenden Monaten auf Deutschlandtour geht.

Matthew Halpin is a saxophonist and composer born in Dublin, Ireland. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2013 (BA) and is currently based in Ireland and Germany. Matthew began studying saxophone at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin from 2000 - 2007. In 2008 he took part in the Banff Centre’s workshop in jazz and creative music directed by Dave Douglas and again in 2017 under the direction of Vijay Iyer. Matthew commenced his bachelor degree studies at Berklee College of Music in 2009 as one of two international presidential scholars of that year. In 2010 he was chosen to be educated through the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, a highly concentrated two year music performance program headed by pianist Danilo Perez. He graduated from Berklee in 2013. He has studied with George Garzone, Joe Lovano, Ben Street, John Patitucci, Danilo Perez, Jamie Oehlers, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Vijay Iyer, Tyshawn Sorey, Andrew Cyrille, Gary Bartz, Terri-Lynn Carrington, Julian Lage, Dave Liebman and Hal Crook.

Matthew leads and co-leads several bands, these include "Matthew Halpin Group", "Last Chance Dance", "The Owl Ones", "Cats Out of the Bag", "Earwax Control", "Spilt Milk", "Gamerz", "Modern Men" and "Roamer". Currently he plays as a sideman with Hendrika Entzian, Mike Nielsen and Maximilian Stadtfeld. He also works with larger ensembles such as the RTE National Concert Orchestra, the Dublin City Jazz Orchestra and the Irish Youth Jazz Ensemble. Matthew is a regular member of faculty at the Sligo Jazz Project in Ireland and has taught masterclasses around Europe, USA and Central America. Matthew has performed at the Blue Note and Dizzy’s Jazz Club in New York, the Panama Jazz Festival, the Monterrey Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival, the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival, the National Concert Hall of Ireland, the Sligo Jazz Project, the Galway Jazz Festival, Merkin Concert Hall in New York, the Berklee Performance Center and the Kennedy Center. He performs more frequently in small, smelly, bars, pubs and jazz clubs.

Since 2013, Matthew has been composing on a regular basis for many of his own projects. His composition style is unique, distinctive and often braggadocios. Past releases which feature his compositions are: "Shadow Loves the Sun" by The Owl Ones and "Last Chance Dance" by Last Chance Dance trio. His compositions are also featured with the groups Gamerz, Modern Men, Roamer and Spilt Milk. Halpin's debut album "Agreements" released in 2021 on Frutex Tracks featuring the four fantastic musicians Kit Downes, Hanno Busch, Sean Carpio and Sergio Martinez.

Wolfgang Schmidtke, geb. 1956 in Lüdenscheid, Musikstudium im Hauptfach Saxophon, seit den 80-er Jahren in div. Bereichen zeitgenössischer Musik tätig. Konzerte und CD Veröffentlichungen u.a.mit Ginger Baker, Horace Parlan, Peter Kowald, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Tom Mega, Peter Brötzmann, Randy Brecker

Zahlreiche Produktionen als Komponist/Arrangeur für den WDR, u.a. mit dem Auryn Quartett, Lisa Bassenge, Hans Reichel, Mechthild Georg, Claudio Puntin, der WDR Big Band; Komponiert häufig Bühnenmusiken; Künstlerischer Leiter der Konzertreihe „Nachtfoyer“ am Wuppertaler Schauspielhaus; Künstlerischer Leiter des Musikfests „Die 3. ART“; Vorsitzender der Peter Kowald Gesellschaft; Unterrichtet Saxophon und Improvisation am Fachbereich Wuppertal der MHS Köln

Graduated with Summa Cum Laude and received a B.A in Performance from the world-renowned Berklee College of Music (Boston, USA)

Received various Merit Scholarships at Berklee such as Composition and Performance Scholarships (before entering the college) and as well as an Increase in Scholarship while already studying at Berklee 

Graduated with 1st Class Honours and received a B.A. in Jazz Performance from Newpark Music Centre (Dublin, Ireland)

Obtained Distinction in both the grade 7 and 8 of Classical Guitar examinations at London College of Music

Received the 2014 MLK (Martin Luther King) Artistry Award through co-writing and performing a song entitled “We Declare Peace”

International session musician for high-profile recordings and live events since 2006. 

Guitarist for Seabourn Cruise Line Ltd from 2012 to 2015

Guitarist for Holland America Cruise Line Ltd from January to March 2020 (until being sent home due to Covid-19)

Guitar and Music Theory Instructor at The Music Institute Music School (Dublin, Ireland) since 2015

Guitar and Music Theory Instructor at Music Temple since 2020

www.scott-kohlmann.com

Tobias Hoffmanns einzigartige Klangwelt ist ein dichtes Extrakt verschiedenster Komponenten. Jazz, Blues, Surf und Elektronische Sounds treffen aufeinander. Wie durch ein Kaleidoskop schaut man auf verschiedene Dekaden der elektrischen Gitarre, sieht deren Zusammenhänge, Entwicklungen und Überschneidungen.

Tobias Hoffmann ist ein gefragter Musiker in Deutschland und darüber hinaus. Er absolvierte diverse nationale und internationale Tourneen, wirkte bei Radioproduktionen für alle großen deutschen Sender mit und ist auf diversen CD Veröffentlichungen zu hören.

2010 erhält Tobias das Horst und Gretl Will Stipendium (für Jazz und Improvisierte Musik) der Stadt Köln. 2009 und 2013 gewinnt Tobias Hoffmann den Neuen Deutschen Jazzpreis (mit dem Frederik Köster Quartetts und Max Andrzejewski‘s Hütte). 2015 erhält er einen ECHO Jazz in der Kategorie Gitarrist National. 2016 erhält Tobias Hoffmann den WDR Jazzpreis in der Sparte Improvisation.

Wolf Kampmann (Jazz Journalist des Jahres 2015, Autor des Reclam Jazzlexikon) schreibt im Juni 2015: „Der derzeit wahrscheinlich beste Jazzgitarrist Deutschlands“.

plays guitar, composes music and lives in Düsseldorf.

studied Jazzguitar, Composition and Audio Engineering at Robert Schumann Conservatory (Düsseldorf), University of Applied Sciences (Düsseldorf), Berklee
College of Music (Boston) and Folkwang University of the Arts (Essen)

mainly active in two projects: “Just a Glimpse” Quintet, “Blind Spot” Trio

various sideman gigs in areas such as Rock, Alternative / Indie, Acoustic; including live performances in radio and television

compositions and arrangements for various musical settings including Symphonic Orchestra and Big Band (work samples)

released two records as a composer, guitarist and bandleader: Just a Glimpse and Blind Spot - Frontmirror

teaches guitar at School of Rock (Düsseldorf) and Musikschule Neuss

A guitarist, electric bassist, composer, and educator, Simon Jermyn is an NYC/Berlin based musician originally from Ireland. Simon is busy with a variety of projects and bands, including Jim Black's Smash and Grab, Wood River, the Marc Hannaford Trio, Roamer, and Sooner, as well as his own band Obsany and solo performances.

As a sideman and collaborator, Simon has worked with Jim Black, Chris Speed, John Zorn, Gerald Cleaver, Mat Maneri, Anna Webber, Tom Rainey, Chris Lightcap, Ingrid Laubrock, Mark Ferber, Michaël Attias, Tony Malaby, Ben Goldberg, Jeff Davis, Allison Miller, Nate Wood, Simon Nabatov, Loren Stillman, Satoshi Takeishi, Caleb Burhans, and many others. He has performed at the Village Vanguard, The Stone, Winter Jazz Fest, Joe's Pub, and many other clubs, festivals and performance spaces around the world.

Simon holds a PhD in Music from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. He has given workshops and masterclasses at renowned institutions around the world, including The Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation Department at The Sydney Conservatorium, Australia; The Brisbane Conservatorium, Australia; University of Ghent, Belgium; Ulster University, Northern Ireland; Dublin City University, Ireland; and the Hochschule der Kunste, Bern, Switzerland.

www.simonjermynmusic.com

Born in the rugged, rural landscape of County Donegal Ireland, Conor began his musical journey at a young age through various different instruments in Irish traditional music like the Fiddle, Guitar, and Tin Whistle before finding the Double Bass at age eleven. In 2013, at the Sligo Jazz Project, Conor and his brother Micheal met Irish Jazz Drummer David Lyttle who they have had the honour of working with and being mentored since then. This June he is touring with David and his brother for a month around Ireland as a trio.

Since moving to Glasgow in 2015, Conor have had a vast array of performing experience in many of Glasgow’s jazz clubs and venues alongside well recognised musicians such as Pete Johnstone (Tommy Smith, Square One, SNJO) and Tom Gibbs (Will Vinson), and have this year been working extensively over Ireland with drummer David Lyttle playing in Bennigans Jazz Clubs, Sligo Jazz Project and also in rural and island communities like Tory and Aranmore Island. With the Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra, they have performed in the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, The Playhouse Theatre in Edinburgh and many other venues.

This Year Conor was also a finalist in Young Scottish Jazz Musician 2018, he is also a current RCS Scholarship Holder, Grade 8 Trinity in Classical Double Bass, Double bassist in the Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra and was awarded a place on the Erasmus Program Sep 2017 to Feb 2018, to study at the Music and Arts Conservatoire of Vienna (MUK). As well being a performer Conor has also been involved in many Jazz education workshops around Ireland and Scotland and also private tuition.

Konzerte und Tourneen mit folgenden Musikern: Uli Beckerhoff, Gunnar Plümer, Hugo Read, Zbigeniew Namyslowski, Matthias Haus, Rainer Witzel, Werner Neumann, Gerd Dudek, Ed Kröger, Hendrik Soll, Benny Bailey, Norbert Gottschalk, Jarek Smietana, Peter Brötzmann, Norma Winstone, Bob Degen, Matthias Nadolny, Al Grey, Michael Küttner, Achim Kaufmann, Reiner Winterschladen, Christof Lauer, Frank Wunsch, Hal Singer, Andrew White, Tata Din Din, Glen Moore, Isla Eckinger, Manfred Schoof, Frederik Köster, Charlie Mariano, Randy Brecker, Terumasa Hino, Itaru Oki, James Moody, Piotr Wojtasik, Christopher Dell, Dieter Manderscheid, Matthias Schriefl, Pablo Held, Wolfgang Schmidtke, Hans Reichel, Conny Bauer, Rhani Krija, Arkadi Shil­klopper, Tobias Weindorf, Wolfgang Engstfeld u.a.

Gastspielländer: Holland, Belgien, Luxemburg, Österreich, Polen, Italien, Frankreich, Namibia, Kuwait, Japan, Russland, Jugoslawien, Spanien, Schweiz, Australien, China, Südafrika, Tschechien, Brasilien, Großbritannien, Portugal, Litauen

Aktuelles Projekt »The Good View« mit Ryan Carniaux (tp), Kristina Brodersen (as), Sebastian A. Sternal (p) und Hendrika Entzian (b)

www.weisspeter.com