ACFNY Fall Jazz Festival: The Austrian Sound of Jazz, 10/19-10/23

During the week of October 19 - 23 a new generation of Austrian jazz musicians will hit the New York scene. For this year's installment of the annual series, the Austrian Cultural Forum has found a new partner in Dizzy's Coca Cola Club. The Festival will showcase Austria's foremost young artists on five consecutive nights, and tap into a unique blend of Austrian and American creativity. This year's Festival kicks off on Tuesday, October 19th at the Austrian Cultural Forum: one of Austria's leading jazz musicians, Wolfgang Puschnig will perform with his American musical partner and free funk bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma. Martin Reiter will also present his new solo program. Join us for some late night jazz sessions at exclusive Jazz Club Dizzy's where Christian Maurer's band Mausi will appear together with Jack Walrath and versatile alto voice Ali Gaggl on Wednesday, October 20th. On Thursday October 21st, the program at Dizzy's continues with young jazz singer Simone Kopmajer, who will perform with talented young musicians from New York. The Austrian-born drummer Gernot Bernroider and his band Oulipians will appear together with the extraordinary vocalist Chanda Rule on Friday the 22nd. The series will conclude with Franz Hackl and his Acoustic Band on Saturday, October 23rd, featuring Kenny Davis and special guest Randy Brecker.

Members of Austria's hip young jazz scene move freely and fluidly among the multifaceted styles in the world of jazz, always intent on finding and refining their own modes of expression. There is no other city in Europe where opportunities for musicians to mingle with each other are as diverse and spontaneous as in Vienna. The spirit of
openness is part of Austria's musical heritage, as is a joy of connecting with musicians from other countries.

All events take place at the ACFNY, 11 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022 and at Dizzy's Coca Cola Club, Frederick P. Rose Hall Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Floor

Program:

Tuesday | October 19 | 2010
Venue | Austrian Cultural Forum

7.30 pm | Martin Reiter | piano

Martin Reiter
He launched his first serious music project in 1999 together with the singer Simone Kopmajer, which lead them amongst other places to the United States where they performed with guests like Turk Mauro and Ira Sullivan. Henceforward Reiters career took off: he encountered many musicians and started several musical projects, his talent got him prestigious scholarships which enabled him to travel all over Europe where he played at major jazz festivals like Montreux and Perugia and move to New York City where he took private lessons with prominent jazzers like Bill Charlap, Bruce Barth or Fred Hersch. In 2006, after the major release of his debut album Chez es Saada he could finally conclude his music studies and was then able to devote himself entirely to his activities as a freelance artist.

9:00 pm | FULSOME
Wolfgang Puschnig |saxophon
Jamaladeen Tacuma | bass
Reinhard Winkler | drums

Wolfgang Puschnig
"Is Wolfgang Puschnig Austria's biggest Jazzmusician since Joes Zawinul? His new album removes any doubts." - Profil
Wolfgang Puschnig (born 1956 in Klagenfurt/ Carinthia), was discovered a couple of decades ago as the alto saxophonist (and flute player) in the Vienna Art Orchestra of which he was one of the founder members. His music transports a cosmopolitan attitude and at the same time bares his regional roots and a strong influence of the Germanic, Slavic and Romanic culture, tradition and language is obvious in his way of performing. From the early 1980ies onwards, this has made him not only an advertisement but a perfect example in the world of European jazz. In addition to the Vienna Art Orchestra, he has been collaborating regularly for many years with various formations, among these are: Big Band de Carla Bley, a free-funk trio along side bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma, a duo with singer Linda Sharrock, the band Red Sun, which unites him with Samul Nori on Korean drums, or a duo with violinist Mark Feldman. 

Jamaaladeen Tacuma
Since his emergence with Ornette Coleman's Prime Time in the mid-'70s, Jamaaladeen Tacuma has been one of the top electric bassists in a style of music that could be called "free funk". Raised in Philadelphia, Tacuma (who before he converted to Islam was known as Rudy McDaniel) played with Charles Earland. The only 19 year old joinEd Coleman in 1975 and his ability to combine together funky rhythms with free jazz helped give Prime Time its distinctive sound. Tacuma's work with Prime Time landed him his most high-profile gig to date: an appearance with the band on Saturday Night Live on April 14, 1979, which Tacuma later cited in Musician magazine as his "best live performance ever". Work with such artists as James "Blood" Ulmer , Walt Dickerson , David Moss , Chuck Hammer <, Kip Hanrahan , and David Murray further heightened his reputation. But also Tacuma's own solo career has been wide ranging. In the 1990s and 2000s, he has maintained a lower profile. His relatively infrequent recordings in these years include CDs of duets with Austrian saxophonist Wolfgang Puschnig (in collaboration with Puschnig: Pieces of the Dream (Amadeo), Mixed Metaphors with Ernst Jandl (Amadeo), Wolfgang Puschnig Roots & Fruits (Amadeo).

Wednesday | October 20 | 2010

Venue | Austrian Cultural Forum

7:30 | Simone Kopmajer & Band

Simone Kopmajer | vocals
John di Martino | piano
Kenny Davis | bass
Reinhardt Winkler | drums

Meet a fresh, young singer from Austria, whose US debut in the year 2000 was hailed as "captivating". J azz legend Ira Sullivan calls her "a great young talent" with a big future in Jazz.

Simone Kopmajer grew up in a family of musicians and started to sing, in her father's band when she was 12. At the same time she studied piano, though singing remained her first love. Early on, she entered and won various talent contests and even made appearances on television in her native land, Austria. As a young performer, she twice toured the Netherlands with the "Euro Big Band" and later appeared in several International Jazz Festivals. Influenced by some of the great American vocalists, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Jon Hendricks, Simone has developed into a true Jazzsinger, a singer who uses a wide variety of rhythms and excels in her very individual style of scatting.

"Simone is an excellent musician, with soulful and hip improvising. She digs in and isn't afraid to take risks with the music". - Laurie Antonioli
Extra: Watch Simone Kopmajer performing "Didn´t you say" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOfNOD8xWRA

Wednesday | October 20 | 2010
Venue | Dizzy's Coca Cola Club

11:00 pm | Mausi Quartet feat. Ali Gaggl & Jack Walrath

Mausi
Christian Maurer (A) | saxophone
Primus Sitter (A) | guitar
Marc Abrams (USA)| bass
Herbert Pirker (A) | drums

Special guests
Ali Gaggl | vocals
Jack Walrath | trumpet

The Austrian Cultural Forum New York presents six internationally experienced musicians embarking together on an uncharted course in a cooperative, yet individual way. The musical collaboration between Christian Maurer and Primus Sitter began about 15 years ago, and Primus Sitter has played in Christian Maurer's Upper Austrian Jazz Orchestra since 2005. Soon the idea was born to combine their musical worlds in the more flexible quartet constellation. Since they both also compose, this was an essential point on the musicians' path towards establishing an unmistakable unified identity. Mausi is formed by the addition of Marc Abrams and Herbert Pirker, and is able to effortlessly cover the scope of styles between traditional and modern in a personal way. Jack Walrath has worked regularly with the Upper Austrian Jazz Orchestra and Christian Maurer since 1999. The CDs , You got my wife but I got your dog (2002), and Umatschaka (2008), are fruit of this collaboration.

Ali Gaggl studied in Klagenfurt/Carinthia and Graz, and started her collaboration with the Upper Austrian Jazz Orchestra for a program with Kenny Wheeler in 1995. Gaggl is a vocalist and a teacher of jazz and popular music. Gaggl has sung numerous Austrian jazz concerts and contemporary music projects, as well as completed a tour of Europe and Canada with the Upper Austrian Jazz Orchestra and Kenny Wheeler, and a tour of Mexico with MINIMAL T.R.I.O. ( Uli Scherer, piano and Emil Kristof, percussion). Her artistic profile is also marked by her work with other European and Asian groups, as well as the saxophone player Wolfgang Puschnig.

Jack Walrath was an ideal choice to extend the quartet with to a quintet. Walrath has composed for Charles Mingus, the WDR, NDR, and UMO big-bands, as well as the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra.
Foto: Press pic

Thursday | October 21 | 2010
Venue | Austrian Cultural Forum

7:30 pm | Mausi Quartet feat. Ali Gaggl

Mausi
Christian Maurer (A) | saxophone
Primus Sitter (A) | guitar
Marc Abrams (USA)| bass
Herbert Pirker (A) | drums

Special guests
Ali Gaggl | vocals

Thursday | October 21 | 2010

Venue | Dizzy's Coca Cola Club

11:00 pm | Simone Kopmajer & Band
Special Guest: Wolfgang Puschnig

Simone Kopmajer | vocals
Wolfgang Puschnig | saxophon
John di Martino | piano
Kenny Davis | bass
Reinhardt Winkler | drums

Friday | October 22 | 2010
Venue: Dizzy's Coca Cola Club

11:30 pm | The Oulipians

Chanda Rule | vocals
Gernot Bernroider | drums
Jesse Lewis | guitar
Ike Sturm | bass

Chanda Rule | Vocals, Arranger
With a voice described as "liquid clear" and "bound to fill your spirit to its rim with musical serenity," Chanda has appeared in several Off-Broadway productions, received artist grants from Harlem Stages and The Apollo, opened for Regina Belle & The Whispers, India.Arie, Angela Bofill, and Amel Larrieux, and has performed as a featured vocalist in the US and abroad as a solo artist and with The Golden Gospel Singer at venues such as Birdland, Tchaikovsky Hall, The Apollo, Trumpets, The Kitchen, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Symphony Space, Harlem Stage, Le-Club Moscow, Hard Rock Café, WBAI, and the Jazz Standard.

Gernot Bernroider, Band Leader, Composer, Arranger, Drums
Austrian born drummer, Gernot Bernroider, created The Oulipians out of a love for world music, rhythm, and international culture. He has performed with top ranking musicians throughout Europe and the United States, sharing the concert stage with renowned artists such as Dr. Billy Taylor, Benny Powell, Ingrid Jensen, Donnie McCaslin, Gil Cogans, Dick Oatts, Phillip Harper and Manny Duran; the African percussion ensemble Sankofa Root 2 in Ghana; and has appeared on Austrian national television and radio

Saturday | October 23 | 2010
Venue: Dizzy's Coca Cola Club

11.30 pm | Franz Hackl & Acoustic Band
Special Guest | Randy Brecker

Franz Hackl | trumpet
Kenny Davis | bass
Chris Brown | drums
Daniel Kelly | piano
Randy Brecker| trumpet

Franz Hackl
Franz Hackl- Trumpeter, Composer, Producer, Artistic Director was commissioned to write new works for numerous international festivals and ensembles . Founder and artistic director of the ‘Outreach Festival' and ‘Outreach Academy'. He leads his own group: Franz Hackl's IDO , which tours internationally and just finished a sold out tour in Europe. Franz collaborated with actor Tobias Moretti and the baroque orchestra „modern_times 1800" on the project „ Freiheit-brennende Liebe" as a trumpet soloist and composer. Two of his orchestral works were premiered at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna/Austria.