Hot and Free. International Perspectives on Composed Jazz. Hannes Zerbe Quintet.

• Hannes Zerbe – piano
• Silke Eberhard – sax
• Gebhard Ullmann – clarinet
• Horst Nonnenmacher – bass
• Christian Marien – drums

Hannes Zerbe, one of the most important composers and pianists of GDR jazz, takes center stage on the third evening of the series “Hot and Free? Jazz in Divided Berlin, 1950–1970.”

Zerbe has been shaping the development of modern jazz in the GDR since the 1960s. While many jazz musicians turned to free jazz, Zerbe developed a musical language all his own, in which composition, improvisation, and contemporary music merged. His works combine jazz with influences from classical music, literature, and contemporary music, establishing him as one of the most important representatives of composed jazz in Germany.

With the Hannes Zerbe Quintet, the pianist presents selected compositions that illustrate the extraordinary sonic universe of his own works and those of some of his contemporaries.

SPONSORED BY THE LOTTO FOUNDATION