Projects

INTERSONANZEN: Adventures in free music space

Märkische Allgemeine, May 9th 2011 - Matthias Müller

POTSDAM - Whoever was committed to the familiar "Free Jazz" of the long gone
seventies in the GDR, appreciated the trombonist Conrad Bauer, the pianist and inspirator
Hermann Keller and the late baritone saxophone player Manfred Schulze. Today, young musicians
have moved up, united by the creative momentum of musical togetherness at the opening concert
of the 11th Festival Intersonanzen.

Former founding father Hermann Keller performed at Nikolaisaalfoyer on Friday evening together with
young instrumentalists - Antje Messerschmidt, a magnificent violinist, an extremely creatively confident
clarinetist embodied by Jürgen Kupke, and the high-class trumpeter Uli Weber formed the Hermann Keller
Quartet. With clearly structured improvisations, all four created an adventure in free music space, making it a
highly inspired evening. Already, the opening had its own persuasive power. Keller was the first to take stage, not
going to his own instrument, the piano, but to a number of exotic percussion instruments to set a few rhythmic
successions. The violinist joined in with a virtuoso improvisation alongside the rhythms. The clarinetist took over
from the violinist, who in turn played the percussion instruments. The clarinetist followed as soon as the trumpeter
appeared, while Hermann Keller proceeded to the piano. With the quartet being complete, the improvisation art
exceeded all limitations. On the basis of plain jazz harmonies, modern things and fantasy existed next to each
other while the scare of "free-style" many had in the past vanished.

The second part of the concert formed a "memorial" of Manfred Schulze. Keller's use of his self- produced
didgeridoo, having a D flat as its deepest note just like the baritone sax, even led the sound of the concert to the
Australian aborigines. A highly virtuoso piece called "Perpetuum mobile" finalized this evening so
rich in content. Obviously, contemporary music is not always straining, but rather spirited, full of
surprises and highly creative.