Yazz Ahmed Quartet – A Paradise in The Hold

pianist and composer franz von chossy revives ancient wisdom in his project mirror 9. thios nine-part suite explores the nine enneagram personalities: the perfectionist, the giver, the achiever, the individualist, the investigator, the skeptic, the enthusiast, the challenger and the peacemaker. the suite invites self-discovery and deepens the understanding of the various ways we think, feel and act. this project features top players in dutch jazz, who are known for their open approach. franz von chossy grew up in munich, where he learned to play piano at a very young age and came to know classical music through his mother. his ukrainian grandmother encouraged him to play folk music on the accordion. at conservatorium van amsterdam he studied jazz piano with several teachers including rob madna, and in new york he continued his studies with kenny barron, among others, and studied film composition as well. ‘lyrical and sparkling playing’ (de volkskrant on franz von chossy). ‘with him, magic on the keyboard is pure alchemy and a mix of the most different sounds. he can subtly create a delicate balance between orient and occident, between jazz, classical music and pop, light and darkness’ (jazzthetik).

together with the members of her trio, pianist joanna duda fuses acoustic with electronic elements—effects, samplers, sequencers—into an organic whole full of contrasts and dynamism. their album fumitsuke combines influences from minimalism to classical and modern and the club sounds that shaped her formative years. double bassist at this concert is jort terwijn, who has performed on our stage various times, for example with his own band Önder. joanna duda is active in several guises. as a solo artist, she created the album keen, on which she used piano, synthesizers, harpsichord and programming. under the moniker nightwarrior she recorded a track for the british label byrd out, who will also release her latest album. she has exhibited as a multidisciplinary artist. and she has made film music for netflix. her trio has performed at prestigious jazz venues all over the world. better live is a collaborative project of eleven european partners from the world of jazz and improvised music. their goal is reducing the carbon footprint of live music events resulting from the mobility of artists and audiences. another goal is supporting the circulation of international artists and increasing musical diversity across europe.

with his six-piece band (exit) knarr, ingebrigt håker flaten continues to develop his eclectic musical world. the recent (exit) knarr album breezy is dedicated to trumpeter jaimie branch, who passed away in 2022. ‘breezy’ was her nickname and håker flaten became friends with her when he moved to chicago. the album is a celebration of what she represented—exciting new music that dares to take chances, and has fun diving into the unknown. ingebrigt håker flaten made name playing bass in the norwegian/swedish trio the thing, which linked avant-jazz to punk and garage rock. his current band (exit) knarr was named after a viking ship, as a metaphor for his traveling lifestyle. his first compositions for (exit) knarr were tributes to places he has strong connections to, for example chicago and austin, where he lived, but amsterdam as well. since 2020 he has been living in his native norway.