FREEMAN-WEBER-KÄNZIG

Chico Freemans Exotica Trio

At first glance: a classic trio.

Yet it looked and sounded quite different, because the percussionist changed everything. Without Reto Weber, Chico Freemans Exotica Trio would not have been so exotic at the Lehártheater Bad Ischl on October 10.

Weber, “the man who plays with water,” delighted the audience with his gift for experimentation, stopping at nothing in his pursuit of new sonic experiences. Whether he was tapping his own head, playing the Hang—a musical instrument made of two hemispherical segments of Pang glued together—or playing gourds floating in water, Reto Weber’s improvisational artistry and joy in playing knew no bounds.

Bassist Heiri Känzig made his presence felt with expressive playing and delighted the audience with a masterful solo in the second part.

Saxophonist Chico Freeman—a living legend of modern jazz from Chicago—refined his fellow musicians’ sonic impulses with a highly melodic, dreamy style.

All in all: a wonderful atmosphere in the hall and sheer delight among the audience.

Transatlantic excellence in jazz from Freeman, Känzig, and Weber!

Somehow, it seems that cultural life in Bad Ischl is unimaginable without the vibrant impetus the Jazzfreunde have provided for decades! At least, that is how I see it—and how I write about it.

An organizer’s instinct, grounded in experience and a broad perspective, is the foundation for a masterfully successful event such as the performance by Chico Freeman and his Swiss “backing rhythm team.”

And so, in the venerable Lehar, a jazz and world-music display of fireworks and celebration was “set off.” Fire regulations were observed, while the mood-dampening doubts of the many guests fell away.

After just a few numbers, the “spark” had caught. Many were quick and happy to join the transatlantic “musical fun club” of Freeman, Känzig, and, above all, Weber.

Here, great skill, sensitivity to the listeners, immense enjoyment for everyone involved, ease, and abundant charm met an audience that soon forgot all its Central European inhibitions about having fun.

The American jazz charmer Freeman simply knows his craft. The American school of jazz, trained and “hardened” by the immense competition in the United States, meets the effortless precision of “two premium Swiss rhythm watches.”

As with extraordinarily expensive luxury watches, Känzig and Weber lay the foundations and, when necessary, increase the clockwork’s beat rate.

You can always rely on fine Swiss engineering. Freeman, that “old sax veteran,” knows this only too well. And so he has—and takes—every freedom to develop and deepen a truly great and exhilarating jazz performance, with a clear openness to every form of world music.

This is, of course, based on a post-Coltrane approach to playing, maintaining connections to the various “schools of thought” within this quintessentially American musical tradition.

Quality, fun, precision, and a deep love of the instruments—these are the ingredients of a formidable concert.

Everyone went home thoroughly relaxed; many had gained a deeper musical sensitivity, and the night was euphoric.

One person is sure of that—me.

Roland Holzwarth