Fun Horns 40

The brass ensemble, founded in East Berlin, will turn 40—and is dedicating its new concert program to the 100th birthday of Miles Davis, one of its key musical influences. The tribute focuses in particular on the album *Kind of Blue*, which has left a deep mark on the Fun Horns’ work, both stylistically and emotionally. The band will shed new light on this 20th-century masterpiece with an original interpretation—in the musical language of a chamber-music-style improvisational wind quartet. Respectfully, freely, and with the openness that once made *Kind of Blue* so revolutionary.

From Studio Horns to a World Music Journey

Since their founding in 1986, the Fun Horns have undergone an extraordinary evolution: Originally conceived as a studio horn section, the ensemble quickly developed a distinctive live concept—entirely without a rhythm section, yet with an enormous stylistic range, groove, and joy of playing. More than 12 CD releases, international festival appearances, and tours through South America, Africa, Russia, India, and Europe attest to the band’s enduring artistic presence.

Whether invited by the Goethe-Institut to perform in South America, Africa, or Central Asia, as a celebrated festival act in the early ’90s, or as an internationally acclaimed ensemble (winner of the German Record Critics’ Award)—the Fun Horns have stood for decades as a distinctive, innovative force in contemporary jazz.

An ensemble with a history and a future

The group has continually evolved over four decades—with new members such as Rainer Brennecke (1991), Falk Breitkreuz (1998), and Nikolaus Neuser (2012), who have played a key role in shaping the Fun Horns’ sound. Despite these changes, the band’s spirit remains unchanged: four distinct voices coming together in a collective, breathing ensemble—full of energy, humor, and depth.