Grünauer Jazz Bühne #32: “As a matter of MUSIC” – Rainbirds – Fragments Trio

Ulrike Haage, who was the RAINBIRDS’ keyboardist from 1990 to 1999, occupies a unique position within the European art scene. As a composer and pianist, she has developed an unmistakable musical language that blends jazz, classical, neo-romantic and electronic elements.

As a guitarist, Werner Neumann has been a defining figure on the German jazz scene since the 1990s. He studied in Cologne and Arnhem and has been passing on his knowledge to students as a professor at the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre since 2005. Alongside various jazz bands, Werner Neumann has been collaborating with Katharina Franck for some time.

This was also the case on the RAINBIRDS’ 40th-anniversary reunion tour in 2026, which saw musicians from the band’s various eras take to the stage.

Three of these outstanding musicians come together in an intimate trio formation. What they bring to the table is a versatile songbook – in both the literal and musical sense – which they are performing together for the first time in this line-up. The programme draws on the entire universe of their compositions: songs from the extensive RAINBIRDS repertoire are combined with music from the solo albums of Katharina Franck and Ulrike Haage, complemented by instrumental pieces penned by Werner Neumann. Even familiar tracks such as ‘Blueprint’ are presented in a new, focused light.

Chamber-music style, improvisational, timelessly beautiful.

RAINBIRDS – Fragments Trio

Katharina Franck – Ulrike Haage – Werner Neumann