Elbjazz

The vibraphonist Wolfgang Schlüter was a legend of the first post-war generation of German jazz artists. With his final album »For You«, the ECHO Jazz Award winner fulfilled a long-held dream at the age of 85. The album was recorded with his quartet, whose line-up had remained the same for more than a decade, and conductor and arranger Wolf Kerschek prepared arrangements for strings of his favourite compositions for this collection.

The planned world premiere of this project at the Elbphilharmonie as part of the »Elbjazz« would without doubt have been a very special highlight in Schlüter’s musical career. Sadly, however, Schlüter died suddenly of a stroke on 12 November 2018. »I treasure the dark,« says Melanie De Biasio. »It allows me to set my imagination free.« The power of this exceptional artist is rooted in darkness. As a child she danced ballet, played the flute in a youth orchestra and let off steam in a rock and punk band.

But the singer from Charleroi, Belgium, only found her true voice with her critically acclaimed album »No Deal« in 2013. After injuring his left hand in 2017, British pianist and organist Kit Downes performed piano pieces for only the right hand for a while, but he is now back on stage as a – two-handed – organist. No wonder then that his latest album »Obsidian« is focused entirely around his solo organ works. At »Elbjazz« Downes demonstrates his mastery of the organ at the Elbphilharmonie.