With his own concert program, saxophonist and clarinetist Julius Gawlik, who at the age of 23 joined the NDR Big Band in August 2021 as the youngest musician in its history, is now celebrating his official debut. In doing so, he also demonstrates extraordinary imagination as a composer.
Gawlik was born in Landau in the Palatinate, played in the Rhineland-Palatinate State Youth Jazz Orchestra since 2012 and in the Federal Jazz Orchestra in 2016/17. He studied saxophone and clarinet at the Jazz Institute in Berlin. His musical versatility is reflected in the multitude of exceptional projects with which Gawlik has attracted attention as a soloist and sideman in recent years, winning numerous awards. Through his personal, expressive playing and his unconventional compositions, Gawlik quickly advanced to become one of the most exciting personalities on the German jazz scene.
As if under water, the music appears in different hues, sometimes muted and sometimes quite clear, in a trance and as if turned upside down. Warm, open sounds mix with clashing dissonance. His idea of the sound of this project is closely linked to the playing of the Greek-born vibraphonist Evi Filippou. In the extraordinary balance between brilliance and warmth that is the vibraphone for Gawlik, he finds exactly the sound he needs to make this extraordinary music resonate. Percussionist Jim Black, a trusted member of the NDR Big Band for many years, guarantees expressivity, colorfulness and kinetic energy.<br>
Performers: <br>
Julius Gawlik (reeds/ comp)<br>
Evi Filippou (vib)<br>
Jim Black (dr)<br>
Geir Lysne (cond/ arr)<br>
NDR Bigband<br>