Jazzkantine (D) - Saisonstart | Kulturkarussell Rössli Stäfa

There are few indulgences that get better with time. Whiskey and wine, for example. And, of course, the Jazzkantine. For a whopping 30 years, this Braunschweig institution has earned a reputation as one of the best live bands in the country with its unique blend of jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, and disco party sounds. With over 1,500 concerts in front of countless times as many enthusiastic fans, this top-notch—and ever-evolving—ensemble has earned the respect that one of its early hits demanded for an entire genre. After all, a Jazzkantine concert is always more than just that: it’s an event.

Too many cooks spoil the broth? Not at the Jazzkantine. The list of guests for this “small big band” ranges from James Brown’s collaborator Pee Wee Ellis to the Wu-Tang Clan to jazz stars like Nils Landgren, Nils Wogram, and Till Brönner; from MPS legend Gunter Hampel to Tab Two trumpeter Joo Kraus and the fantastic Smudo. This speaks just as much to the band’s musical quality and attitude as the list of regular band members: currently, the Jazzkantine boasts—alongside band founder Christian Eitner on bass—WDR Jazzaward winner Heiner Schmitz on saxophone, rappers Cappuccino and pioneer Tachi (whose “Fresh Familee” toured as the opening act for Ice-T as early as 1993), and soul singer Albert N’Sanda.

Three decades ago, the Jazzkantine drew inspiration from British soul-jazz-hip-hop bands like Galliano and the Young Disciples—both of whom were already part of tastemaker Gilles Peterson’s circle back then—as well as from American productions such as rapper Guru’s *Jazzmatazz* and Quincy Jones’s *Back On The Block*. While the latter turned out to be primarily album projects with rare concert exceptions, the ensemble from Braunschweig realized as early as their first performances at the FrannzClub in Berlin in 1994 that most people prefer to experience this music live—and above all, to feel it and dance to it—and that, as musicians, they have the most fun creating that sense of community with the audience. “We had ‘jazz’ in our name right from the start,” says German hip-hop veteran Matthias Lanzer, who also founded the Rap Nation label. “But it was always meant with a tongue-in-cheek wink—and sometimes even a bit over the top. We wanted to embrace the fun of jazz and hip-hop and, without the unnecessary clichés, play ‘Take Five’ just as much as ‘Highway to Hell,’ disco hits, or folk songs as groove tracks.”

JAZZKANTINE – LINEUP

Albert N'Sanda
Cappuccino
Tachi
Tom Bennecke
Stephan Grawe
Andy Lindner
Christian Eitner
Heiner Schmitz
Christian Winninghoff


Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.