NU BAND ( USA )

Thomas Heberer tp

Kenny Wessel g

Joe Fonda bass

Lou Grassi dr

Musik, die mehr nach einem Gespräch denn nach einer Performance klingt. So beschrieb einst James Hale Coda den Stil der Nu Band, die am 8. Feber Januar in Villach gastiert. Wer das Quartett 2011 im Jahr 2017 im Kulturhof erlebt hat, weiß: Das stimmt. Die hochkarätigen Musiker „besprechen“ auf der Bühne alte Jazz-Traditionen, BeBop, Soul und Gospel. Und wie es sich für eine gute Konversation gehört, sind nur die Themen vorgegeben.

Der Gesprächsverlauf ist feinster Impro-Jazz, bei dem man merkt: Die vier wissen, wovon sie da reden. Da stimuliert der swingende Drive der Percussion die Trompete zu lautstarken, pointierten Äußerungen. Dort antwortet ein Bass-Solo rhythmisch perfekt kontrolliert auf offene Fragen der selbstbewusst gespielten Gitarre. Die Stimmung wird mal schwer, mal ausgelassen, wie es an einem Abend mit guten Freunden nun mal so ist.

Die Band gründete sich 1999, brachte seitdem zehn Alben heraus und tourte mehrmals mit großem Erfolg durch die Jazzclubs der Welt. 2014 starb Roy Campbell, seine Nachfolge trat der Deutsche Thomas Heberer an. 2021 musste das Ensemble einen weiteren Verlust verkraften: Der Ausnahme-Saxophonist Mark Whitecage verstarb unerwartet kurz vor der Jubiläumstour der Band.

The Nu Band heute, das sind Joe Fonda am Bass, Lou Grassi am Schlagzeug (beide Gründungsmitglieder), Thomas Heberer an der Trompete und Kenny Wessel an der Gitarre. Alle Mitglieder des Ensembles steuern eigene Kompositionen bei und geben damit dem gesamten Jazz-Gespräch einen frischen, individuellen Touch. Die Musiker sind Bandleader verschiedenster Formationen und haben in ihren Lebensläufen lange Listen an Weltklassejazzern, mit denen sie zusammengearbeitet haben. Am 28. Januar im Bechersaal.

The Nu Band ist ein dynamisches Jazz Ensemble aus New York City, zu dem einige der originellsten und einflussreichsten Persönlichkeiten der aktuellen kreativen Musik gehören. Die Gruppe blickt seit Ihrer Gründung 1999 auf 10 CD-Veröffentlichungen, 9 europäische Tourneen sowie zahllose Konzerte in den USA zurück, bei denen Ihre kontinuierlich vorwärtsschauende, expressive Musik sowohl von der Kritik, als auch vom Publikum begeistert aufgenommen wurde.

The Nu Band The Nu Band is a dynamic jazz ensemble from New York City, featuring some of the most unique, compelling and in-demand voices in creative music today. The band was formed in 1999, and since then has released 10 recordings, completed 9 European and several US tours, bringing forward-leaning, provocative and evocative music to the world. The Nu Band is Joe Fonda on bass, Lou Grassi on drums (both founding members of the group), Thomas Heberer on trumpet and Kenny Wessel on guitar. Each member of the ensemble composes and brings a fresh and individual take on dealing with improvised music, combining structure and freedom. The artists, all of whom lead their own groups, play and record with a variety of world-class musicians. The ensemble has found a voice together, collectively, reflecting years of experience and collaboration. The band has an illustrious musical lineage and history. Past members of the Nu Band include saxophonist Mark Whitecage and trumpet player Roy Campbell Jr. The current edition of the Nu Band retains the core of the group’s concept, while forging ahead musically into the future. Lou Grassi is internationally known for his work in both the traditional and avant-garde jazz worlds. From the 1970s to the present, Lou has performed and/or recorded with a great variety of outstanding artists, including Marshall Allen, Borah Bergman, Rob Brown, Charles Gayle, Urbie Green, Gunter Hampel, Johnny Hartman, Sheila Jordan, William Parker, Perry Robinson, Roswell Rudd, John Tchicai and many others. Lou is the leader of the Lou Grassi PoBand which has released five CDs and received critical acclaim worldwide. www.lougrassi.com "Lou Grassi is one of those few jazz players who is as comfortable with straight ahead bop as he is with ventures into the realm of the totally free. The creativity and energy are boundless." Steven A. Loewy, All Music Guide to Jazz    Joe Fonda is an accomplished international artist who has performed and recorded as a leader in his own ensembles, most notably The Fonda/Stevens Group, throughout the United States and Europe, and as a sideman with Bill & Kenny Barron, Anthony Braxton, Lou Donaldson, Curtis Fuller, Charles “Majeed” Greenlee, Kunle Mwanga, Bobby Naughton, Charlie Persip, Archie Shepp, Wadada Leo Smith, Mark Whitecage and many others. www.joefonda.com "The music of Joe Fonda is part of a living tradition of belief and dedication. Future historians will be surprised at the breadth of Mr. Fonda’s offerings. This is a real virtuoso and composer of the highest order." Anthony Braxton Kenny Wessel, a versatile, sensitive and soulful guitarist and composer, toured with revolutionary jazz artist Ornette Coleman for 12 years as a member of Prime Time, Ornette's groundbreaking ensemble. Kenny can be heard on Coleman’s CD, “Tone Dialing.” Performing Ornette’s “Skies of America,” Wessel appeared with Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic and London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. A vital and personal voice on the jazz guitar, he has also worked with John Abercrombie, Laurie Anderson, Karl Berger, Donald Fagen (featured guitar soloist on Fagen’s album “Morph the Cat”), Debbie Harry, David Liebman, Joe Lovano, Gloria Lynne, Adam Rudolph and others from the jazz, pop and world music spectrum, across 28 countries. www.kenwessel.com Thomas Heberer, born in 1965 in Germany, has been living in New York City since 2008. Before moving, he was a lecturer at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, and the recipient of both the prestigious “SWR Jazzpreis” and the “Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik.” Thomas has been a member of the Dutch Instant Composers Pool (aka ICP) since 1993. In 2002, ICP was ranked No. 1 in the “Large Ensemble” category in the Down Beat Critics TDWR Poll. Besides recording around 100 albums as a sideman, he has released 20 CDs under his own leadership. Collaborators past and present include: Karl Berger, Anthony Braxton, Peter Brötzmann, Eugene Chadbourne, Chico Freeman, Maria Joao, Joachim Kühn, Steve Lacy, Oliver Lake, Dieter Manderscheid, David Murray, Evan Parker, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Elliot Sharp, Steve Swell and Aki Takase. www.thomasheberer.com The Nu Band – Discography In Memory of Mark Whitecage - Live at the Bop Shop (NotTwo MW 1019-2) 2021 Live in Geneva (NotTwo MW948-2) 2017 The Final Concert - The Nu Band (with Roy Campbell, Jr.) (NoBusiness NBLP 99) 2016 The Cosmological Constant (In Memory of Roy Campbell, Jr.) (Not Two MW 923-2) 2015 Relentlessness – The Nu Band Live at The Sunset (Marge 49) 2011 Live in Paris (No Business NBCD 16) 2010 Lower Eastside Blues (Porter Records PRCD 4025) 2008 The Dope and the Ghost / Live in Vienna (NotTwo Records MW788-2) 2007 The Nu Band Live (Konnex KCD 5141) 2005 The Nu Band / Live at The Bop Shop (Clean Feed CF002CD) 2001 The Nu Band – Live European Tours: 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 USA – a selection of venues includes: The Knitting Factory, NYC, NY; The Vision Festival, NYC, NY; The Music Now Festival, NYC, NY; The Bop Shop, Rochester, NY; Hallways Contemporary Center for the Arts, Buffalo, NY; Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL; Detroit Art Space, Detroit, MI; The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; The University of Indiana, Indianapolis,