The Killing Popes | Angelika Niescier & Alexander Hawkins
Philipp Gropper tenor sax, Keisuke Matsuno gitaar, Dan Nicholls synthesizer, Justus Rayem synthesizer, Oliver Steidle drums
Angelika Niescier alto sax, Alexander Hawkins piano
Germany has always been a haven for experimental music. After the war, the city of Cologne became a center for the avant-garde, with composer Karlheinz Stockhausen and the band Can. Berlin developed into a hub for international avant-jazz. In a new concert series, we present adventurous jazz from Cologne and Berlin. This first edition features Berlin-based group The Killing Popes, preceded by the duo of Angelika Niescier and Alexander Hawkins.
Alexander Hawkins and Angelika Niescier share not only fire and devotion but also a whole range of obsessions and mindtrips. British pianist Hawkins has proven himself on our stage in various formations, playing everything from ethio-jazz with Mulatu Astatke, and South-African jazz with Louis Moholo-Moholo, to hardcore improv with Han Bennink. Cologne-based alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier is equally versatile, composing for film and theatre, and playing with singular artists such as Sylvie Courvoisier, Tyshawn Sorey and Kris Davis.
The Killing Popes is a flagship of the Berlin avant-garde, featuring members of bands such as Philm, Der Rote Bereich, and Hyperactive Kid. Moving with near telepathic understanding through their songs and grooves, they integrate various elements from jazz, improvised and electronic music into indescribable and futuristic collages. Band leader Oliver Steidle won the Deutscher Jazzpreis 2022 as Drummer of the Year. Their atmospheric new music is the collaborative brainchild of Steidle and producer/keyboardist Dan Nicholls. The band is rounded out by tenor saxophonist Philipp Gropper, guitarist Keisuke Matsuno and keyboardist Justus Rayern.